The Australian sporting world was in mourning with the news that snowboarder Alex Chumpy Pullin had died on the Gold Coast. The 32-year-old, known as ‘Chumpy’ passed away on July 8 in a freak drowning accident while spearfishing at Palm Beach. It’s believed that Pullin suffered from a shallow water blackout.

A shallow water blackout is a term that is caused by a lack of oxygen following a breath-hold, causing a loss of consciousness underwater. It can affect anyone and occurs when chemical sensors in the body are triggered.

According to Royal Life Saving Australia, shallow water blackout is caused by a swimmer reaching the urge to breathe while underwater.

“Normally, when a swimmer is trying to stay underwater for as long as possible, the ‘breakpoint’ forces the swimmer to surface and take a breath, If a person is submerged and the ‘breakpoint’ is reached whilst the mouth and nose are still underwater, the irresistible urge to take a breath occurs, and water is inhaled into the lungs. This prolonged period may not occur before the oxygen sensor comes into play and the drowning person may lose consciousness underwater.”