This may or may not answer your question.
Drownings are sometimes placed into two categories, wet or dry. In freediving the so called "dry" drowning is what we most often have to deal with. In a wet drowning a person typically swallows water. In a dry drowning the person will actually die of asphyxiation (sp?). The same phsiological responses happen in a blackout. The larynx tightens up after the person passes out, not allowing water into the airway. This is called a laryngiospasm (again, the spelling may not be correct). If a buddy is there and quick to respond, the person can typically be brought to the surface and will often regain consciousness and breathing. Because freedivers train their body's to ignore signals to breathe, blackouts usually result in a 'dry drowning' scenario.
Hope this sheds some light on your question.
-Mike
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