If you drop me in deep water I’d probably be able to thread water for 5 mins before drowning. I can run 20 miles, ride 100 and kayak (sea) for a couple hours but can’t swim 30ft on my own or 200 ft in a lifejacket without ‘dying’ from exhaustion and fear. Yes, I live on an island and please don’t jump on the bandwagon and ask “so why you can’t swim? you have water all around you?” Swim classes here are not compulsory and in my world, not very affordable. Honestly, subconscious fear is a hugh limitation…
My intention at some foggy time in the future is to learn to swim properly and compete in triathlons. I’m an endurance athlete so 1500m and 3000m swims or more is a reality. The problem is starting.
You are probably right, I have no excuse for not knowing how to swim. Exept I grow up near the mountains and thats why I learned skiing and paragliding insted.
Just making a note, that some document film I watched mentioned about fishermen using throw-nets, very small canoes or such but they could not swim.
I’m trying to remember but cannot say for sure if it was China, Thai, Sumatra… somewhere east. Pretty interesting if it was true.
I used to surf when I lived in California and I had to swim while in the military as well, lucky for me I grew up swimming. I don’t really remember not being able to swim. I will say this. Although I am a very good swimmer I don’t push my luck. I went swimming in lake Huron a few summers back and had the sailboat drift off on me. The girl who stayed on board took close to an hour getting back to us. She couldn’t get the motor started and didn’t really know how to tack. This was in late May so the water was still very cold. When I finally got on board I was retching and definitely had hypothermia. Now I swim close to shore or not at all.
Just in case people wonder. Fishing is the most deadly sport in America. More lives are lost fishing by far than any other sport.
unfortunately I can’t, I would love to but as we all know life sucks.
BUT, I can sink, very effectively, just throw me in water and I will touch the ground in no time
Those freedivers can’t go so deep as I can
I can swim. Well even. It’s too bad I recently developed an irrational fear of fresh waster due to the possible presence of Naegleria fowleri. I will still get in saltwater but I won’t touch freshwater.
That stuff looks scary but I don’t really have any fear of it over here, it looks as if chlorinated water should be safe if it’s done properly and I bet they test for the stuff when the lake’s checked by officials.
Biggest threat seems to be contaminated freshwater swimming pools or dirty lakes/ponds/standing water. Best thing about these lakes, they’re great fresh water and it’s all pretty darn clean.
Yeah my high-school tried to pull a big stink about not swimming but between being unable to use the pool and that they have only had swim lessons for about two years (Pool reno, construction) I got off it albeit with a terrible grade however I was getting sick of it by that point.
Well, I haven’t drowned yet, but almost did when I thought that sprint triathlon was a good idea. I ran track in high school so 800m isn’t that far right? (wrong, it is VERY far in the water)
I learned long ago in a lake. I live on a lake today and swim when the water is tolerable. Today, it’s solid, 15” thick, hard to manage a back stroke or crawl…
