A 29 y.o man has drowned while practising a certain breathing method called the Wim Hof method at a swimming pool in Yio Chu Kang.
The deceased, Mr Danzel Goh Choon Meng passed away last year on 27 March with the court coroner ruling his death as a ‘mishap’ on 14 January 2022.
Wim Hof method
This is a breathing method with three components:
- Breathwork – Practitioners take up to 30 breaths before holding it for a period of time
- Cold immersion – Practitioners put themselves in cold water of three to six degrees for less than two minutes.
- Mindset component
According to an expert in the method, the breathwork step should never be practised in or near water because if practised in water, the person may suffer from a shallow blackout and drown.
Practising breathing in the pool
Mr Goh had gone to the swimming pool at Mimosa Park, Yio Chu Kang, with his wife at 7:10pm on the evening of that fateful day.
According to a resident who went to swim, he noted that Mr Goh was apparently doing some breathing exercises.
His wife had left earlier to do chores at home, leaving Mr Goh alone in the pool.
The resident left the pool 15 minutes later while Mr Goh was still in the pool.
Neighbour noticed something amiss
A neighbour of Mr Goh walked passed the pool at about 7:50pm where he recognised Mr Goh’s phone at the poolside.
Sounds were heard coming from the phone and the neighbour walked closer to the pool but did not see anyone.
He saw Mr Goh lying inside the pool at the bottom as he edged closer and informed the security guard on duty at the condominium.
Pronounced dead at hospital
Mr Goh was seen in CCTV footage for about 38 minutes before he was rescued.
Neighbours worked together to bring him out of the pool while the paramedics executed CPR on him in an attempt to resuscitate him.
However, he did not regain conscious and was pronounced dead in the hospital at 9:30pm with the cause of death stated as drowning.
Started practising Wim Hof
Mr Goh was known as someone who practised a healthy lifestyle and had been very active.
He downloaded the Wim Hof app a week before his demise and practised certain components on dry land for about a week before deciding to head into the pool to practise it.
The app had warned him not to practise in the pool and therefore it is unclear as to why he chose to do it inside the pool.
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