Every year hundreds of people in Canada die from drowning and many of those deaths could have been prevented.

But spotting someone in trouble in the water is not always easy. You may not even notice. It's not dramatic. There's usually no screaming and what may look someone splashing around in the water may be someone actually in trouble.

“All the fun and chaos that’s happening in the pool, the splashing seems normal so it’s sometimes hard to spot,” said Jeannene Crosby with the Canadian Red Cross.

The McLaughlin on Your Side team decided to put a group of people enjoying the New Brighton Pool to the test. We asked 10 junior Red Cross lifeguards, to help us simulate a drowning.The lifeguards on duty at the pool were aware of our demonstration in a predetermined area of the pool, which is why they didn't assist.

Our volunteers were distracted with the task of blowing up water toys and many were chatting.

“We’re going to being the test in about 10 minutes,” explained Ross McLaughlin to the group.

What they didn’t know, is the drowning simulation had already started.

“So you can see now the drowning demonstration has already begun,” said Crosby pointing to one of the junior lifeguards, “That boy is demonstrating, he’s vertical in the water and bobbing his head up and down.”

With his hands flailing, nobody on deck notices even though they are just a few meters away.

Then another junior lifeguard is cued.

“She’s going up and down near the surface, head bobbing in the water,” explained Crosby, “It looks like she’s climbing a ladder.”

Just like at a pool party our volunteers are distracted.

“None of the people over here are spotting it,” said McLaughlin.

“No,” responded Crosby.

We repeat the demonstration, over and over again.

It wasn't until the 8th time, one of our volunteers spots trouble.

“That guy needs some help,” pointed one woman, “You see his arms are waving.”

“Does it surprise you that nobody noticed?" McLaughlin asked Crosby.

"No, not really because it does tend to go unnoticed unless you've been trained," she replied, "It can happen in seconds."

When we revealed how many times our junior lifeguards simulated a drowning, the group was surprised.

"You think there are lots of adults around so someone's got their eye on the pool but everyone else is blowing up toys and doing the barbeque and all that,” said one woman.

"We weren't sure if we were supposed to look over there,” said another.

"I didn't notice a thing. Not a thing," said another volunteer, "You'd expect to see someone waving with their arms and shouting and screaming."

So what should you do if you notice someone in trouble?

Everyone should get trained on how to react when they spot someone in distress.  Getting in the water with someone who is drowning puts the rescuer in danger as well.  Training will teach you how to react and assess the situation when you see someone who needs help.

Use a pole or throw a floatation device or rope towards the person. Lie down to ensure you're not pulled in.

"They're going to be looking for anything buoyant to climb on to and if you're beside them they're going to climb you and pull you under," explained Crosby.

And at a pool party don't assume someone's watching. Appoint a water watcher to stand at the pool's edge and rotate an adult through every 15 minutes.

Or better yet, swim where there's a lifeguard.

It's also recommended that a weak or non-swimmer wear a lifejacket in the water, and backyard pools have four sided-fencing with self-closing and self-latching gates.

The Vancouver Park Board will be holding a few Swim to Survive training session on July 18 at New Brighton Pool. You can go online and register. The event is for ages seven to 18 and there will be three 90 minutes sessions.

You can also register for swimming lessons within your municipality, so you and your children can learn water safety knowledge and swimming skills.