In GTA IV you can still swim when you’re drowning unlike Vice City Stories but health goes down slowly when you drown in GTA IV while swimming which is only possible if you’ve been swimming for too long like over 10 minutes. You only get wasted if health falls to zero while swimming as I tested that many times but however in Chinatown Wars the player can still survive after swimming for more than 10 minutes. Swimming in GTA 1 and London is possible but you will only survive for two seconds then you’re wasted unless you fall into water or drive into water.