Effective drowning detection methods are essential for the safety of swimmers. In this paper, a novel type of drowning detection method addressing many limitations of prevailing drowning detectors is proposed. The proposed method ensures detection of drowning and reporting at the earlier stages. The proposed drowning detection method is also a generic solution that suites different water bodies from pools to oceans, and an economically viable method useful for both low and middle income countries. The prototype of the drowning detection method is developed and demonstrated and model of the system is simulated in Proteus design suite. The results of the simulation and hardware experimentation are also reported. © 2018 IEEE.