Santa Barbara Bans Extended Breath Holding In City-Run Pools

Santa Barbara is one of only two cities in the nation to officially ban extended breath-holding in public pools.

The move comes after the death of UC-Santa Barbara water polo player Nick Johnson.

He died last year while swimming laps underwater at Santa Barbara High School.

“It really impacted our staff quite a bit and our community as a whole. So we wanted to take steps to ensure that this does not happen again,” said Aquatics Supervisor Tony Sholl said.

Johnson’s death is blamed on shallow water blackout, a loss of consciousness due to a lack of oxygen to the brain.

At Los Banos Pool, lifeguards look for swimmers holding their breath for too long.

“You are constantly scanning and looking for people. If you see them extending that swim, we let them know that you can’t do this practice out here,” Sholl said.

Swimmers at Los Banos are not allowed to swim more than 15 meters underwater in one breath.

The 15 meters is indicated by yellow markers on the lane lines and red tiles underneath the water.