Drowning accounts for nearly 600 deaths each year in France. "Near-drownings"—similar incidents that do not result in death—sometimes lead to very serious long-term consequences. The 2001 Drowning Survey was conducted in France between June 1 and September 30, 2001, with the primary objective of improving epidemiological understanding of drowning and thereby contributing to its prevention. On a voluntary basis, data were collected in 28 departments, which made it possible to document 433 drownings in the broadest sense, meaning whether or not they resulted in death (drownings or near-drownings): - 44 "intentional" drownings (suicides and suicide attempts, assaults), half of which resulted in death - 389 "non-intentional" (or accidental) drownings, more than a third of which resulted in death. This study highlights the wide variety of drowning incidents, particularly in terms of location (swimming pools, the sea, rivers, lakes, etc.), the circumstances in which they occurred, and the characteristics of the victims. (R.A.)