ttcse
"Perhaps many wet fabrics sink" - they do, and tend to drag you down. As I learned with training as a water safety instructor, needing to swim several lengths of an olympic pool with shoes, socks, jeans, and a sweatshirt. They REALLY drag you down. Which, BTW, removes you from the "wave action" you adduce:
" I imagine the attire of passengers traveling from Rio would be no challenge for waves to remove." Those waves must have very nimble fingers to unbuckle belts and unbutton shirts. And, perhaps undo shoelaces, too?
I didn't intend my question to be taken frivolously - if BBC or any such news agency perks their ears on something that had caught my eye - well, maybe there is just a tad of credibility to that?