Didn't pass swim test

[waynne fowler]

Well, I failed the swim test on my first scuba lesson.

I had to swim 8 lengths of a 50-yd pool. After about 3-1/2 lengths, the instructor told me to stop because I was clearly exhausted. I could barely get out of the pool. I didn't think I was THAT out of shape because I walk a fair bit, but I guess I am, especially in the upper body.

I was fine at treading water.

I'm glad I signed up for swimming lessons, starting this Sunday. I'm also starting deep water aquafit 3x a week.

My new goal is to get fit enough to take scuba training later on.

I'll STILL see you all underwater - just a little later than I thought!

Good job!.. With your attitude your sure to get it, and when you do you'll be the better for it all... Most if it is probably due to technique more than anything, proper technique can make a huge diffence especially for the out of shape swimmer.
The thing I learned by watching students do the swim test is that

A) technique is the most important thing.
B) There is no excersise that will prepare you to swim really. I've seen guy's who run marathons 3 - 4 times a year and run 20+ miles a week, struggle with the swim test. It's a whole diffent ball game... and this reverts back to A)
C) You gotta relaxe and pace yourself. Of course dogpaddleing is a huge waste of energy.

Your swim lessons and aerobic class' will help you in very short order.. good luck, though I don't think you need any luck as your attitude will see you through I believe.

 

[Bratface]

Lessons are a great idea. Practice as often as you can. I'm in the Dive Con program (SSI's Dive Master), and I will be doing academics and the swim test in March. I started today doing the swimming to get in better shape. I went for 30 minutes doing various strokes, holding onto a float, not holding onto the float, swimming on my back, working arms, legs, etc. AGGGHHHHH. I know what you mean about feeling out of shape. But the next time I go I'll do 35 minutes. Good luck to you, I know you'll make it.

 

[Jon C]

SuperNal,

Sorry if what I write is a repeat, but I wanted to pass on my story to you...

I went after my Divemaster rating when I was 48. I needed to do 16 laps in under 10 minutes to pass the swim test protion. Well, I went to the local YMCA and barely made it through 1 lap...I was crushed. How the heck would I do 16 and under 10 minutes?! It really weighed on me and I didn't sleep that night. Next day, I went back, went a little further...not much...but I went back the next day, and the next and the next. After 2 weeks in the pool, I was doing 3 sets of 16 laps all under 10 minutes. All of this during my lunch hour from work. The improvement wasn't linear...it was geometric...I was shocked.

I was told to take a breath on EVERY stroke by someone I respected. This was the only "trick" I tried. I am no swimmer....and I could not do it now...but I wanted you to know that the human body is amazingly resilient. I went from 0 laps to 48 during my lunch hour in 2 weeks...you only need to dedicate yourself to 8. You can do it. Don't let this stop you from the greatest recreational sport in the world.

By the way, during my test...8 minutes; 15 seconds. YOU CAN DO THIS. You can do ANYTHING.

Jon

 

[ChrisM]

Haven't read through all the posts, but some have said technique is the thing, and they are right on!! Go out and buy a book called Total Immersion, or get the DVD. it's 90% technique, 10% strength. Think about it. Water is dense. The harder you push through water, the harder it will "push" back. (as a result, it is as easy to swim through syrup as it is through water -- http://www.bytefarmers.com/log/2004/09/24/swimming-in-syrup-is-as-easy-as-water/ -- there is more resistance againsst you, but you get more distance in your pull). So the efficiency doesn't come in the swim stroke, but in the glides in between. The more streamlined you are, the more efficient (and faster) you will be.

Chris

 

[cummings66]

And one last thing... Use the wall to your advantage. Push off the wall and try to get as far as possible without taking a single stroke. Practice pushing off the wall. Maybe do some squat type exercises. If you test in a small pool, this advice is golden. I tested in a 50 ft pool, maybe, had to do 16 laps (8 back and forth), and i was able to push off at least 15 ft.

I was told in my PADI OW course that if I touched the wall I would fail the swim test, we had to do it completely on our own without touching anything at all. I know others have also been told that as well so I wouldn't count on being able to cheat like that.

 

[TxHockeyGuy]

As a former competitive swimmer the single best piece of advice I can give you is stop trying to look where you're going. If you are swimming freestyle concentrate on looking straight down and keeping your back straight. If you need to breath turn your head to the side. You want to be as streamlined as possible and all looking up does is create more water resistance with your head and also tends to put your feet lower in the water creating even more drag. You can also do the backstroke as many others have suggested.

I did my OW last October. I had been in the water maybe twice in the last 2 years. I am very overweight and at the time very out of shape (as opposed to just out of shape now ). I saw many very physically fit individuals have many more problems in the water myself simply because I knew the technique of swimming.

 

[V. G. McGillicuddy]

When I went to my first SCUBA lesson, I didn't believe that they were going to make me do the swim/float test. Oh, sure, I read about it in the book, but I brushed it off, thinking that they probably would just ask me if I could do it and I could say "yes". (I had swum across a lake once before, with a cheap snorkel, and almost suffocated, and then nearly drowned. But hey, I did it.)
But sure enough, the first thing they did was take us (there were only two of us in the class) to the city pool and throw us in.
I tried a crawl stroke at first, but was exhausted after only a few seconds. Then I switched to a dog paddle, which was the only other stroke I knew. After a minute or so of that, I quickly figured out how to do a sidestroke, and, alternating between that and a sort of backstroke, I made it.
The float was much worse, because I had never been able to float before. But I made that too.
I still plan on working on my swimming though.

Just my two cents,
McGill

 

[tiburon72157]

hmmmm...v.g. an aquatic sport and they made you do a swim test? imagine that...wonders never cease.

the breast stroke and the frog style backstroke are super easy...if you aren't used to doing the crawl, you'll wear yourself out super fast using it for your swim test.

 

[bruinfan]

I was told in my PADI OW course that if I touched the wall I would fail the swim test, we had to do it completely on our own without touching anything at all. I know others have also been told that as well so I wouldn't count on being able to cheat like that.

how do you do laps without touching the wall? that's pretty brutal. Wouldn't you have to touch the wall at the end of the lap, then turn around? I wouldn't call it cheating. Pushing off the wall is inherent to lap swimming. Anyways, my instructors didn't say one thing about it. We had another test, where we had to do an underwater swim across the length of the pool, one breath, and we couldn't push off.

 

[JimHar99]

Hi Rhonda,
As you found out, even though you walk for exercise, the swimming test makes you use different muscles. Once you start those swimming lessons you'll be amazed at how fast you get in to shape. Between waking up those sleeping swimming muscles and the improved technique...In a couple of weeks you'll probably be able to pass the swim test with ease.
Enjoy the lessons and good luck on you next test.