4 ms·
I took the basic (open water?) license in Australia, and the group were sent into a pool to tread water for 20 minutes or something. Now, I can barely swim. Rea
by retSava 5y ago
I took the basic (open water?) license in Australia, and the group were sent into a pool to tread water for 20 minutes or something. Now, I can barely swim. Really poor buoyancy and bad technique I guess, so have never really learned.
If the instructor had looked away from the TV for a second he would've seen and flunked me, which would probably have been a good thing. I'm stupid. Went through with it and out on a couple of dives which I enjoyed greatly, but now ten years later still haven't dived again and won't until I can swim. Having kids does stuff to your sense of self-preservation.
- permo-w 5y agotop tip: most humans can float as long as their lungs are full
- ubermonkey 5y agoBeing super lean and carrying mass in large muscles will ruin this, fwiw. In my late 20s I was militantly fit and also very into rock climbing. I supplemented this with some lifting to balance things out; people who ONLY climb end up looking a little weird as the lats develop out of proportion with the rest of you. Anyway, even with a lungful of air, my neutral buoyancy point was like 8-12" below the surface. Alas, I am now 51.
- professoretc 5y agoSame here when I was younger (i.e., less fat). With a full breath of air in me, I'd float, but exhale a bit and I could sink to the bottom of a 12 ft pool without any effort on my part.
- qzw 5y agoOnly if they're not panicking and thrashing about.
- permo-w 5y agotrue. it’s definitely easier said than done, but it’s a useful fact to have in your head