Question about swimming ability

[beach89]

The swimming part was the easiest part for me. I swim about a hundred laps a day during summer so it was easy. The treading water was a pita because I sink like a rock.

well, it was my first time to ever wear fins and they really look and feel funny!!!

I had the same trouble. I'm still a better swimmer w/out fins. Come spring I'll just start swimming laps with fins on and try to get used to them.

 

[rhadamantus]

the treading was a pita, alright. the more i thought about keeping myself afloat by treading, the harder it is to maintain it!

i float better lying on my back.

The swimming part was the easiest part for me. I swim about a hundred laps a day during summer so it was easy. The treading water was a pita because I sink like a rock.

I had the same trouble. I'm still a better swimmer w/out fins. Come spring I'll just start swimming laps with fins on and try to get used to them.

 

[Devil505]

I am really amazed at the number of people here who freely admit that they are not good swimmers! I can't think of a more dangerous situation to put yourself (not to mention your dive buddy) in than to be totaly dependant on your dive equipment for your very life without the swimming skills (& therefore the comfort level) necessary to know you can get yourselves out of a bad situation..
Picture yourslves out in the middle of the ocean when a storm blows up suddenly (as they often do) &/or you have an equipment failure....or two. Suddenly you become keenly aware that you're are in big trouble! Now add to that the sudden realization that....Hey.......I'm not a good swimmer!! Talk about a recipe for panic!
Seriously, if you aren't a confidant swimmer & you are looking for a sport to get into......... take up golf!

 

[ronbeau]

Ah yes, I forgot you also have to be able to tread water for I think 5 or 8 minutes, somewhere around there. Keep in mind this is with PADI and I just finished the class last month.

For my NAUI OW swim test we had to tread water for 15 minutes in a bathing suit (as opposed to wet suit mentioned in a subsequent posting).

 

[divinotter]

When I first started scuba, I thought my 14 years of competitive swimming did only a bare minimum to prepare me- underwater is a whole different ball game- now that I have some experience (300+ dives) I see a definate pattern- the people I have seen being rescued- all were marginal swimmers- the ones who have the toughest time in skills- again - the marginal swimmers- and finally there's the one lady I used to look up to as a non-swimmer who has almost 1000 dives- she is almost always needing assistance in any kelp or currents- her husband is tired of it and it affects both of their enjoyment. I now know that swimming skills are a must! If not for safety, then for enjoyment - swim on a regular basis!

 

[beach89]

If not for safety, then for enjoyment - swim on a regular basis!

Or health reasons. I'd rather run than swim, but I still try to do both each day.

For my NAUI OW swim test we had to tread water for 15 minutes in a bathing suit

I would have loved to have a wetsuit when I had to tread water.

The one thing that I like the most about being a good swimmer and scuba diving is that I don't feel as nervous. Without fins or a mask I can swim well over 30ft after a full exhale. With fins-? Enough to feel safe at depths<60ft.

Picture yourslves out in the middle of the ocean when a storm blows up suddenly

I'm a good swimmer and I still wouldn't feel safe even in Lake Eire if a storm came. If I was only a half a mile out in 5ft waves I don't know if I could make it back.

 

[girldiverllc]

Ok, I'll probably get flack about this...but ok.

I'm not a strong swimmer. Do I have the swimming skills...absolutely...lots and lots of lessons as a child. But...I HATE swimming.

I don't like water on my face. Not even in the shower. Wash my face in the sink with cleaners.

Now, I'm a scuba instructor. And VERY STRONG. I dive in the Puget Sound where we have areas with 4 knots of current, and I don't know that I would ever be a strong enough swimmer to swim against the current, but I can definitely do a thrilling drift dive in it.

Should my gear fail, well, I don't know that they will be timing my return on a stopwatch. The important thing is that I have the skills to establish buoyancy and the ENDURANCE (which is necessary for swimming, but swimming is not necessary to have endurance) to make it back to shore.

Granted, in the conditions in which I dive, I have several "floatation" devices. My BCD....and should that bladder burst....I have my drysuit, which has layers underneath that would keep me buoyant without weights, even if my drysuit did not have extra air added to it. (If my drysuit were to fail, hypothermia would get me before even a strong swimmer could make it back.)

Cindy
http://www.girldiver.com

 

[Xenon]

I really envy those of you who find swimming and floating easy. I just got my OW cert and found the swim and tread water tests to be the most difficult part of the process. I never really learned to swim well, so I had a friend give me some basic pointers and practiced about 1 hour a day for a couple weeks before my class. Still, I barely managed to pass and it took everything out of me. Of course, I later find out that I'm a "sinker", so supposedly easy strokes like the breast stroke don't work so well for me and I should've spent some time practicing the back stroke instead. I also couldn't float on my back for the life of me, but after repeatedly choking on water for 3 minutes into the test, gave up on that and just treaded water the rest of the time. Took everything I had but I did it. FWIW, I work out on a regular basis and run a 4 mile course about 3 times a week so at least I had some endurance. Still, swimming is a real PITA.

The good news is that with fins and a mask on I felt really comfortable in the water and had no trouble with OW dives from the shore or boat. I'd still like to improve my swimming skills, but feel confident enough to go diving and not to panic if something goes wrong.

 

[Devil505]

I really envy those of you who find swimming and floating easy. I just got my OW cert and found the swim and tread water tests to be the most difficult part of the process. I never really learned to swim well, so I had a friend give me some basic pointers and practiced about 1 hour a day for a couple weeks before my class. Still, I barely managed to pass and it took everything out of me. Of course, I later find out that I'm a "sinker", so supposedly easy strokes like the breast stroke don't work so well for me and I should've spent some time practicing the back stroke instead. I also couldn't float on my back for the life of me, but after repeatedly choking on water for 3 minutes into the test, gave up on that and just treaded water the rest of the time. Took everything I had but I did it. FWIW, I work out on a regular basis and run a 4 mile course about 3 times a week so at least I had some endurance. Still, swimming is a real PITA.

The good news is that with fins and a mask on I felt really comfortable in the water and had no trouble with OW dives from the shore or boat. I'd still like to improve my swimming skills, but feel confident enough to go diving and not to panic if something goes wrong.

I don't mean to single you out here but I selected your post (as representative) from the many others here who admtt to being poor swimmers. (even one scuba instructor who "hates" swimming!?!) First of all.......Why would you chose scuba diving as a sport if you don't like or even feel comfortable in the water??? (If I had a fear of heights I wouldn't chose walking a "tightrope", mountain climbing or Sky Diving as a sport!? )I don't get it ?? (If you are trying to prove to yourself that you can overcome your fears you are being terribly unfair to any unsuspecting dive buddy who may have the misfortune of getting you as a buddy one day & possibly lose his/her life trying to rescue you because you suffered a minor mishap (like losing a fin or mask in rough water.)....& panicked!
Having lost a dive buddy (to a heart attack-http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=158926) & having had to tow his body back to shore for almost 30 minutes, I may be a little more emotional about this subject than others but I think it would only be fair to require you to wear a sign saying:


Warning: Terrible Swimmer With Death Wish!!
(if you are my buddy...we are both gonna die!)



If you really feel the need to commit suicide.........play "Russian Roulette".......by yourself!!!

 

[ChrisEdwards]

For the treading water part of our NAUI Cert, we were not allowed to float, but had to physically tread water.