Is there a way to defend yourself if someone is purposely trying to drown you?

Use their force to push you down to get away from them (thus getting away from their grip), swim underwater for some time and swim away from them.

Try to swim under them and bite their nuts hard. That should buy some time to get away.

You can try to hook one of your legs around their legs, making it hard for them to tread water. Once you’re both underwater, you’re on more even footing, so to speak.

A good punch in the gut right under the sternum, elbow to the wind pipe, poke in the eyes, knee to the groin, palm strike to the nose or ears….anyone of these will stun this person enough where you will no longer be desirable to hang on to no matter what.

Take a deep breath, pul them under water, and squeeze the air out of them. If you are lacking strength to do this, use your thumbs to remove the attackers eyes.

Don’t associate with that type a person\persons in the first place. Sit-you-way-shun-al ah-ware-nuss. I can not think of ever hearing a murder by drowning. Except some crazy girl, her 3 kids and a lake.(Movies)? Or
Drown em back…

”A drowning person may cling to the rescuer and try to pull himself out of the water, submerging the rescuer in the process.”

@SPOOGE . . . Shutter Island or Susan Smith.

You learn all this in Red Cross Lifeguard training and also get a chance to practice. This is a skill that pretty much has to be drilled into you so it is instinctive and you go through the steps in real life before you get a chance to panic. The techniques are different if it is a grab from the front or from behind, for example. So it is worth taking the class if you expect this type of thing to happen to you with any frequency.

You will know what to do when you have enough strength. If more than one person grab you from behind and try to drown you in a bath then you just have to accept your fate… At least you can haunt them later.

@aprilsimnel exactly what I was going to say, try to get them under you, get on top, keep scrambling.
Although I’d have to say some healthy sides from @Cruiser menu could help accomplish that.

“Panic” is the very last thing you want or need in a survival situation. If someone has their hands around your throat and is holding you underwater, raise your arms above your head, clasp your hands together, and drive your clenched fists down between their arms. This will usually break their hold, enabling you to deliver a punch to some vital area… the groin, the solar plexus and the throat are good targets. The blow should be abrupt and have as much of your weight behing it as possible. Repeated blows in the same spot are sometimes more effectve. Continue to attack for as long as you can, until your opponent is disabled or until you have to catch your breath. The key is to attack, attack, attack.

If someone has their hands around your neck from behind, reach up with your free hand, grip a finger on the same side, and throw your arm sudeenly out to the side. This will often dislocate the finger, which is very painful. While the opponent is somewhat stunned from the dislocation or broken bone, whirl to the other side, smacking your open palm against their ear.

There are many, many techniques for surviving this sort of attack. far too many to go into here.

Try choking them.

@MRSHINYSHOES

Only works if you’re stronger than they are.

@CaptainHarley In water I usually am! Snark, snark. ;)