I ' m in the middle of something right now . Can I call you back ? <| sep |> You can stay with your head above the water just by pushing water down and propelling yourself up . Call for help . When someone comes to help , CALMLY hold on them while still trying to swin with the other arm and they ' ll help you the best they can . One thing you really shouldn ' t do is panicking . Helping someone who is randomly flailing their arms and tries to push other people down is impossible . Not only you will be harder to help , you will put the other person in danger . So really , the thing you cannot do is panic . If you can ' t avoid panicking , do not get into deep water at all . Very well said . Helping someone who isn ' t a strong swimmer out of a sticky situation is not a problem they stay calm , keep themselves afloat , and you swim the two of you to safety . Helping someone who is panicking is impossible without the proper training andor equipment , since you ' re literally risking your life .