Float

[TMHeimer]

dmaziuk, I don't really think lungs have anything to do with a weight check in full gear, other than holding a normal breath then exhaling to find out where you're at. You're dealing with offsetting all of your buoyancy--body, wetsuit, et al (positive or negative) by finding the correct amount of weight. Buoyancy just wearing a bathing suit has only to do with the body. Apples to oranges.

 

[dmaziuk]

dmaziuk, I don't really think lungs have anything to do with a weight check in full gear, other than holding a normal breath then exhaling to find out where you're at. You're dealing with offsetting all of your buoyancy--body, wetsuit, et al (positive or negative) by finding the correct amount of weight. Buoyancy just wearing a bathing suit has only to do with the body. Apples to oranges.

If you're "heavy" in bathing suit then your gear has to be "floaty" for the weight check to work. And perhaps yours is. Mine isn't and it all sounds completely counter-intuitive to me.

 

[Landau]

I agree with jonhall above - I taught swimming for years, thousands of students, and only say low single digits of sinkers maybe 3 or 4 and definitely only 1 adult, solid muscle absolute minimum bodyfat and large boned.

Everyone floats (or at lest 99.9%) but many do not have the ability to float with their mouth and nose out of the water - which is a skill that can be learned..

 

[Dive Right In Scuba.]

I worked at a summer camp when I was young, and for two of those years we had a swimming director who said he could teach ANYONE to float in fresh water. After the second year, he said I was the only exception.

 

[dmaziuk]

I worked at a summer camp when I was young, and for two of those years we had a swimming director who said he could teach ANYONE to float in fresh water. After the second year, he said I was the only exception.

(Sorry John, can't resist) I'm told every English word has at least two meanings. Case in point: "dense".

@TMHeimer: if you sink doing this: -- you can't float.

 

[The Chairman]

My buoyant personality keeps me afloat.

 

[TMHeimer]

If you're "heavy" in bathing suit then your gear has to be "floaty" for the weight check to work. And perhaps yours is. Mine isn't and it all sounds completely counter-intuitive to me.

I see what you are saying. So if you are heavy in only a bathing suit, plus wearing a tank, you obviously can't really do a traditional weight check by adding/subtracting weight. You just use BCD (and lungs of course) to adjust buoyancy. This is not a situation that any of us up here are used to, of course.

 

[TMHeimer]

I worked at a summer camp when I was young, and for two of those years we had a swimming director who said he could teach ANYONE to float in fresh water. After the second year, he said I was the only exception.

I tend to agree--I would think I may be another exception. Of course, I have said many times that I was able to score the "5" on the float test by drownproofing. So if you count drownproofing I TEND to agree that everyone can float. Depends on definition of floating.

 

[The Chairman]

This is not a situation that any of us up here are used to, of course.

I see this all the time in Key Largo. Teeny tiny petites in their bikinis never need any weight. They do just fine.

 

[Diver0001]

A while ago someone suggested I could do the float (and hands out) in fresh water by totally filling lungs and maneuvering on my back. I think it may have been Andy... I finally got to a pool here in Mississippi and tried it (not with hands out). I still sunk. My solution would still be drown-proofing. Am I unique?- any comments?

You're probably too stiff. I would suggest to try tilting your head back more and really focusing on relaxing your body. Your legs may "hang" but they shouldn't pull you under..... unless you're built like Capt. America.

R..