Swimming requirement

[BrotherBear]

I can swim, but I am not a strong swimmer,
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My experience at a gym is I can swim only one length 50 yards than I am gassed.
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Usually I swim 50 yards, stop for a minute and then can do another 50, and do this half a dozen times. I do hang on the edge at the end of a 50yd.
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Long term, you might want to take swimming lessons (I know I should myself).

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Next, there is a good chance a minor adjustment in your technique will help you tremendously. A couple of lessons could take care of your problems--you would be amazed.

I would consider your interest in diving as an opportunity to improve your swimming
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only being able to swim 50 yards without stopping would make me uncomfortable in a sport where you are frequently further than 50 yards from a boat or shore.

I bet with a little practice and some instruction you'll improve your swimming greatly, and this will make you a much more confident dive student.

With 640 muscles in the body the only way you can train the specific muscle group used for swimming is to swim more. Something else to think about...

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I just think that in this case, the OP is going to be more confident and have more fun as a diver if he improves his swimming.
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That said, being comfortable and confident in the water is a good thing. And doing what you can to improve your comfort just makes for being a smart scuba diver.

Good points all...Ironically I was thinking about reopening a discussion about swimming when Mike revived this one. As I mentioned in my post from January I initially had problems with the swim test and then passed it on my second try by essentially doing a backstroke the entire 200 yards.

My lack of endurance has been bugging me since that swim test and since I'm going back to Aruba in six weeks I decided to do something about it by signing up for private swimming lessons to work on my style and endurance...my first lesson was this last Sunday.

Let me tell you this...if you THINK you are in good cardio shape but don't swim regularly then I suggest you find a pool and try to swim some laps! You might just discover how horribly out of shape you are!! I'm talking about "real" swimming, not finning underwater in SCUBA gear...no comparison.

In any case this first lesson told me that I do know how to swim a passable crawl stroke, a rudimentary breast stroke, and a faid backstroke all in terms of formal style. My problems revolve around fine tuning my style, learning to pace myself, and building up my cardio capacity...the last is the real challenge.

I have now begun a regimen of AM swims three times a week in addition to my lessons. My goal is to be able to swim 1 mile without stopping using any and all of the strokes I am learning. Once I reach that goal I intend to make that my standard workout.

FWIW I am extremely comfortable in the water and in a real world situation I believe that I COULD swim that mile or more...it would just take quite a whle and would NOT be non-stop! Would I be able to swim against a strong current? Maybe not, at least not for long...that question is one of the reasons I am undertaking these lessons and workout routine.

 

[TMHeimer]

[QUOTE=

Let me tell you this...if you THINK you are in good cardio shape but don't swim regularly then I suggest you find a pool and try to swim some laps! You might just discover how horribly out of shape you are!! I'm talking about "real" swimming, not finning underwater in SCUBA gear...no comparison.

My problems revolve around fine tuning my style, learning to pace myself, and building up my cardio capacity...the last is the real challenge.

I have now begun a regimen of AM swims three times a week in addition to my lessons. My goal is to be able to swim 1 mile without stopping using any and all of the strokes I am learning. Once I reach that goal I intend to make that my standard workou



Of all the posts I've read here and in Going Pro, I feel this is the best by far. The only thing I may disagree with would be that you probably could be in great cardio shape but still wash out trying to swim even one lap. But yeah-- Swimming vs. Scuba: very distant cousins. Regular swimming to fix all one's problems and improve stamina is the only REAL way to get better. And for those who need to do this to pass either the 200 or DM 400 tests, that should mean CONTINUING to swim regularly AFTER passing said tests. How many divers actually do this (see my poll on Going Pro)?