Deep Water

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William Douglas (1898-1980) was the author. He was a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, serving for thirty-six years - the longest term in the court's history. He was also a leading ad…

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The misadventure was when Douglas, at age 10 or 11, was thrown into the deep end of the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool by an eighteen-year-old boy. Douglas nearly drowned and had to be rescued, creating a lif…

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Douglas chose the Y.M.C.A. pool because it was safe - only 2-3 feet deep at the shallow end with a gradual drop to 9 feet. The Yakima River was treacherous, and his mother constantly warned him about …

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When Douglas was 3-4 years old, his father took him to a beach in California. While standing in the surf, waves knocked him down and swept over him. He was buried in water, lost his breath, and felt t…

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Douglas planned that when his feet hit the bottom, he would make a big jump to come to the surface, lie flat on the water, and paddle to the edge of the pool. However, this strategy failed as he came …

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Physical: lungs ready to burst, suffocating, legs paralyzed, head throbbing, getting dizzy. Emotional: panic, terror, screaming underwater, feeling frozen with fear. He described 'stark terror that kn…

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After three attempts to surface, Douglas gave up struggling. He felt peaceful and drowsy, with blackness sweeping over his brain. He felt like he was being carried gently by tender arms like his mothe…

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Immediate: weak, trembling, shaking, crying, couldn't eat. Long-term: haunting fear of water for years, avoided water, terror returned whenever he encountered water bodies, ruined fishing trips and wa…