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In case it might save a life... there’s a technique [1] for survival where you exhale to remove buoyancy, sink to the bottom, and launch off the floor to get a

by gen220 6y ago

In case it might save a life... there’s a technique [1] for survival where you exhale to remove buoyancy, sink to the bottom, and launch off the floor to get a gasp of air before repeating . It’s arguably the first technique people should teach/master when learning to swim as an adult, as it’s the ultimate “fallback technique” in a situation like one you describe. It’s widely taught in the US Navy, but applicable in freshwater swimming, as well. Drowning is indeed a shockingly common and particularly tragic way to die. Most multigenerational families personally know of at least one person that’s drowned, to put the statistic you shared in perspective. :/ [1]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drownproofing https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drownproofing

ddingus 6y ago
I was a kid, maybe 12 when I fell into a deep pool. After a wave of profound panic, time slowed and I found myself able to think and did that method. Worked. When I got out of the pool, I rested for a very long time, just staring at that blue sky, my mind quiet. I felt both detached, like I was not really here, and profoundly aware, senses tuned to the max, vivid. Slowly, it all came together again, and the emotions washed over me, I wept. Processing that event took a long time. I can tell you the will to thrive is something I cultivated. The rest is sort of fear of fear. We need fear to survive and respond, but we also need to be present and for me it is a sort of detachment. Like a cold, do what I can core comes up and is in charge, until later, danger past. A near car accident saw a similar thing happen much later in life, time slows and thought is action. Like, nothing else matters. And to a person in those moments, maybe that is true. While I write this, it may seem cool, or a boast. It is not either of those. I feel messed up, like thrashed and it is all very unpleasant. Sometimes I feel like I should not be here, or that I had help, or got super lucky, or it was just not my time. It will be. What then? Will that state not take hold, leaving only fear to remain? All that said, yes! I have taught that method to others, just in case. I have no idea what compelled me to do it that day. Why are some of us not so compelled?
Renaud 6y ago
It's actually a really good technique that everyone should be taught in their first swimming lesson or at school, even if you don't do any swimming classes. It's such an easy thing. Now, next thing is to make learning to swim mandatory at all elementary schools.
vmladenov 6y ago
I’ve been doing this for fun (and rest) since I was 12 in swim team. I enjoy the feeling of controlling whether I float or sink, and launching off the bottom is less strenuous than treading water. I had no idea it was a Navy standard procedure.

by gen220 6y ago

ddingus 6y ago

I was a kid, maybe 12 when I fell into a deep pool. After a wave of profound panic, time slowed and I found myself able to think and did that method. Worked. When I got out of the pool, I rested for a very long time, just staring at that blue sky, my mind quiet. I felt both detached, like I was not really here, and profoundly aware, senses tuned to the max, vivid. Slowly, it all came together again, and the emotions washed over me, I wept. Processing that event took a long time. I can tell you the will to thrive is something I cultivated. The rest is sort of fear of fear. We need fear to survive and respond, but we also need to be present and for me it is a sort of detachment. Like a cold, do what I can core comes up and is in charge, until later, danger past. A near car accident saw a similar thing happen much later in life, time slows and thought is action. Like, nothing else matters. And to a person in those moments, maybe that is true. While I write this, it may seem cool, or a boast. It is not either of those. I feel messed up, like thrashed and it is all very unpleasant. Sometimes I feel like I should not be here, or that I had help, or got super lucky, or it was just not my time. It will be. What then? Will that state not take hold, leaving only fear to remain? All that said, yes! I have taught that method to others, just in case. I have no idea what compelled me to do it that day. Why are some of us not so compelled?

Renaud 6y ago

It's actually a really good technique that everyone should be taught in their first swimming lesson or at school, even if you don't do any swimming classes. It's such an easy thing. Now, next thing is to make learning to swim mandatory at all elementary schools.

vmladenov 6y ago

I’ve been doing this for fun (and rest) since I was 12 in swim team. I enjoy the feeling of controlling whether I float or sink, and launching off the bottom is less strenuous than treading water. I had no idea it was a Navy standard procedure.