Portjackson
Guest
I grew up in the water, swimming in the Pacific Ocean, lakes and rivers in sunny California. At 8, I got involved with AAU swimming continuing till I was 21. At 15, I got a special letter to authorize me to teach Red Cross Swim classes. At 16, I began working as a lifeguard at a local pool and assisted with high school swim classes. At 17, I started working as an open water lifeguard and made All American on the high school team. At 18 I was given a full scholarship for swimming and made varsity my freshman year. At 19, I won the Northern California Open Water Lifeguard High Point Trophy.
Nowadays I get a good two to three mile swim at the YMCA dodging senior citizens about two to three times a week. Then in the summers I do a few two mile lake swims. I am not as fast as I used to be, but I am pretty comfortable in the water.
I agree with Cousteau that the standards have become very relaxed. I now see divers with an OWS certificate becoming public safety divers and it scares me.
Swimming skills have a direct relation to level of comfort in the water. That being said, your diving should reflect your comfort level. Diving tended by DMs in calm, flat, tropical water during a bright sunny day probably does not require a high degree of swimming skills. Whereas diving in four to six foot swells, with 20 knot winds and a knot+ current in the Pacific Northwest during the winter would require more than an average level of swimming competency.
My swim workouts reflect the diving I do, more than the competitive training I used to do. This includes more emphasis on kicking with fins to build up leg muscles and to build up a greater tolerance to lactic acid. I also end my workout with several underwater distance breath hold swims to build up lung capacity and CO2 tolerance.
Nowadays I get a good two to three mile swim at the YMCA dodging senior citizens about two to three times a week. Then in the summers I do a few two mile lake swims. I am not as fast as I used to be, but I am pretty comfortable in the water.
I agree with Cousteau that the standards have become very relaxed. I now see divers with an OWS certificate becoming public safety divers and it scares me.
Swimming skills have a direct relation to level of comfort in the water. That being said, your diving should reflect your comfort level. Diving tended by DMs in calm, flat, tropical water during a bright sunny day probably does not require a high degree of swimming skills. Whereas diving in four to six foot swells, with 20 knot winds and a knot+ current in the Pacific Northwest during the winter would require more than an average level of swimming competency.
My swim workouts reflect the diving I do, more than the competitive training I used to do. This includes more emphasis on kicking with fins to build up leg muscles and to build up a greater tolerance to lactic acid. I also end my workout with several underwater distance breath hold swims to build up lung capacity and CO2 tolerance.