"I was in the shallow end, just chatting," recalls Michael, 34, a victim of a hotel pool drain in Tenerife. "I felt the pull, I panicked, I kicked away, and suddenly I was free. Free in every sense of the word. My trunks were just stuck there, waving at me from the bottom of the pool like a surrender flag."
By the time I hit the splash pool at the bottom, I felt a suspicious lightness around my waist. I stood up, wiped the water from my eyes, and realized the horrifying truth: my trunks were still somewhere in the plumbing of the slide, and I was standing in waist-deep water in front of a line of school kids and several bored-looking lifeguards. My Swimming Trunks Have Been Sucked Off
: If your trunks were "sucked" into a pool or spa floor drain, turn off the pump immediately . Do not try to backwash them out, as this can pull them further in. You may need a pool professional to blow them back out using pressure or specialized tools. The Unfortunate Tale of the Vanishing Swimwear: A
Ultimately, the loss of one's swimming trunks is a rite of passage. It teaches the importance of the double-knot and the necessity of a sense of humor. While the physical garment may be lost to the currents, what remains is a classic story of human frailty against the relentless, unpredictable pull of the water. My brand-new, ocean-blue swim trunks had been sucked
My brand-new, ocean-blue swim trunks had been sucked into the bowels of the municipal water system. I stood there, frozen in waist-deep water, as a toddler pointed at me and asked his mom, "Why is that man white all over?"
I looked at the drain. I looked at the 300 sunbathers starting to stare. I did the only logical thing: I grabbed a discarded inner tube, held it in front of my hips like a fig leaf, and waddled backward toward the changing rooms at the speed of a very panicked crab.