People who drown because they couldn't swim...wtf?

[kn51]

Took swimming lessons around 7 or 8. I actually did okay on my backstroke lapping the pool. Then somehow I ended up with another kid in the middle of the deeper end (my ability to float easily is not great, you could use me as a boat anchor in the Dead Sea) and here we both are thrashing/fighting each other to stay afloat as we try to gain an advantage over one another. That crap escalated quickly. Rescued, but that was enough for me.

Some things in life one is not cut out for.

 

[IronWing]

Took swimming lessons around 7 or 8. I actually did okay on my backstroke lapping the pool. Then somehow I ended up with another kid in the middle of the deeper end (my ability to float easily is not great, you could use me as a boat anchor in the Dead Sea) and here we both are thrashing/fighting each other to stay afloat as we try to gain an advantage over one another. That crap escalated quickly. Rescued, but that was enough for me.

Some things in life one is not cut out for.

When I took lifeguard training, a lot of the time we spent on in-water rescues of conscious people was on techniques to keep the drowning folk from killing us.

 

[kn51]

When I took lifeguard training, a lot of the time we spent on in-water rescues of conscious people was on techniques to keep the drowning folk from killing us.

I appreciate training/work you did. Hell it turned into a Lord of the Flies quite quickly and survival of the fittest.

Can't imagine handling an adult.

 

[Mayne]

Mayne, I'm not gonna lie: if you're in a dream, and you're drowning...I'm not going to dive in to save you, buddy.

I see how it is now.

 

[dainthomas]

Was in navy boot camp and the first thing they taught guys was to hold your breath and go limp and pop up whenever needed for a breath. Surprising how many people join the navy not knowing how to swim.

 

[dingster1]

Was in navy boot camp and the first thing they taught guys was to hold your breath and go limp and pop up whenever needed for a breath. Surprising how many people join the navy not knowing how to swim.

Yep I was one of them.

 

[purbeast0]

When I was in college, I was on the rowing team. One of the mandatory skill tests was treading water for 5 minutes. There were a few guys under 5% body fat that simply did not float. They could swim, but didn't have the knack for staying up in one spot.

While I'm not 5% body fat, I am pretty lean but also heavy with a lot of muscle mass. Density of mass versus fat will make it problematic for people who have lower body fat to float. It's really just basic physics, even though there are tricks to try and make it work with lungs full of air, etc.

It's pretty cool once you get buoyancy down while doing SCUBA and you are neutrally buoyant and can make yourself go up/down based on the way you breathe. It was a lightning bulb went on after I finally "got it" while diving, and a zen like moment.

 

[IronWing]

It's pretty cool once you get buoyancy down while doing SCUBA and you are neutrally buoyant and can make yourself go up/down based on the way you breathe. It was a lightning bulb went on after I finally "got it" while diving, and a zen like moment.

I was helping out on a research project where the researcher, a tiny woman, was SCUBA diving and I was attending. She wasn't a particularly experienced diver and I had zero experience. She tipped off the canoe while wearing the weight belt and sank like a rock. I managed to grab her long enough for her to inflate her vest. Apparently, she should have done that before going in.

 

[purbeast0]

I was helping out on a research project where the researcher, a tiny woman, was SCUBA diving and I was attending. She wasn't a particularly experienced diver and I had zero experience. She tipped off the canoe while wearing the weight belt and sank like a rock. I managed to grab her long enough for her to inflate her vest. Apparently, she should have done that before going in.

Removing your weight belt in multiple situations is one of the things you are required to practice and do during OW certification. Most new divers are WAY overweighted too.

On my first certification dives, I had 14lbs of weight in my belt.

By the end, when my instructors saw I was overweight and we figured it out through trial and error, 6lbs was the perfect amount of weight for me.

With my new setup, I won't even have a weight belt on though and may not need any additional weight. I haven't tested out my setup in salt water yet, but in freshwater (a pool) I'm negatively buoyant without a weight belt on, so I still need to fill my BCD up with a little air to get there. I have some trim weight pouches on my new setup that I plan on putting like 2-4lbs in total when I take it in the ocean first try, but that weight isn't dumpable, which I'm not concerned about. After a dive or two with my new setup I should have my weight down in salt water.