ABC-13 reporter David Nuno, his wife honored for actions during near drowning

THE WOODLANDS, TX (KTRK) -- A fun afternoon around the pool can turn tragic in an instant.

It's a story Eyewitness Sports Reporter David Nuno knows all too well.

He and his wife Elizabeth nearly lost their daughter, Anneliese, last year when she fell into the pool.

"The neighbor goes, 'Oh my God, the baby,' Nuno said, "And we see, we look at the pool and she's already floating on top."

David and Elizabeth are being honored by the American Heart Association for Elizabeth's quick thinking. She performed CPR on Anneliese, keeping her alive long enough for doctors to save her.

"You think it's like the movies where it's like, 'help, help,' no, my boys were in the pool," Nuno said, "There were adults around. This was maybe 30 seconds where we missed her."

Anson Ainsworth with Safe Swimming School says drowning is silent.

"As soon as they hit that water, they sink like a rock and you don't hear anything," Ainsworth said.

Ainsworth said children should know how to roll on their backs and float. That's one of the first skills Ainsworth teaches.

"If they happen to fall into a pool, a pond, or any body of water, all they have to do is be able to roll to their back," Ainsworth said, "Because if you can float on your back, then you can breathe and you can call for help."

After the Nuno family's close call last year, little Anneliese will start swim lessons next week. They encourage other parents to make the time, too, and to learn CPR.