- Remove coat while removing your shoes.
- Slip your shirt off your shoulders as you step out of your pants.
- Remove your arms from the sleeves of the shirt. (It’s hard to tell from the original illustration, but the figure may be re-buttoning one of the buttons on his shirt here, perhaps to turn it into a more effective towing device.)
- Peel off your socks as you clamp your shirt between your teeth.
- Jump into the water.
- Extend your shirt to the victim to hold onto. Even when you get into the water with the victim, it’s best to have them hold onto something and tow them ashore, rather than getting close enough to get clawed, grabbed, and/or kicked. If you don’t have something to extend to him or her, swim behind them, and wrap your arm around their chest, keeping their head above water. Swim ashore.
Source: How to Save Someone From Drowning | The Art of Manliness