You can describe a situation in which a lot of unpleasant or complicated things are happening, and from which it is very difficult to escape, as a whirlpool. They felt they were being sucked into a whirlpool of publicity. She became caught in a whirlpool of hate.

Being "stuck" in a whirlpool (or maelstrom) refers to being caught in a downward-spiraling vortex created by opposing currents or water meeting an obstacle. In 2026, modern safety training describes the sensation as being disoriented in a "washing machine" of water where the downward pull can be stronger than a human's ability to swim upward. Physically, the vortex exerts a centripetal force that pulls objects toward the center ("the eye") and then downward toward the riverbed or seabed. If you are stuck, you are trapped in a cycle of limited oxygen and extreme turbulence, which can lead to panic and exhaustion. Safety experts suggest that if you are caught, you should not fight the current by swimming against it; instead, you should tuck into a ball to protect your head and let the whirlpool pull you down. Typically, the vortex weakens near the bottom, allowing you to swim out laterally and then surface away from the center once the pull has dissipated.