Life skills: swimming

11 years ago

I just read a sad story about a 34 year old many drowning right in front of his 12 year old son. Apparently they were both at the beach and there was a hole the father stepped into. Neither knew how to swim and the man drowned.

Many times local city pools will have lessons for cheap or free. Some even have lessons for very young children.

Another lesson I'd teach is how to summon help, by phone or other methods, if an emergency arises. But there is an old saying about an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure, and to me, learning even the basics of swimming might be helpful to any person.

Featured Answer

musicgale

11 years ago

last modified: 11 years ago

My first job as a teen was swim instructor/lifeguard. The hardest class to teach was the grownup ladies:) Their fear was deeply entrenched and they had pride issues on top of everything else.

Truth is, people don't sink unless they fight the water. That is the first thing to learn- relaxation and confidence. The water wants to hold you up. You have to let it.

My sister trained a toddler to float upright as a special service to one of her clients. He got into the pool enclosure by accident one day and the dad found him floating in the pool...quite alive.

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Comments (35)

caseynfld
11 years ago
I think everyone should know how to swim. I never learned how to.
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sjerin
11 years ago
My husband tried several times and failed--he just doesn't float and that makes it difficult.
eld6161
11 years ago
At the very least you need to be able to float on your back and tread water.
PKponder TX Z7B
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
My mom couldn't swim, but I took lessons.

Musicgale, you are absolutely right, the water wants to hold you up, you just have to relax and let it happen.
angelaid_gw
11 years ago
About 2 weeks ago, we had a 52 year old tourist drown, in waist deep water, in front of her two grandchildren down at the lake.
katlan
11 years ago
sjerin my husband is the same, he can not float. He can swim thankfully. Took our son to swimming lessons when he was 4 because he was deathly afraid of the water after DH's 16 year old brother drown. They taught him to pretend there's a cheeseburger on your stomach and you HAVE to keep it dry, lol. It worked.

I can't imagine ever getting in any water if I didn't know how to swim. Same goes for getting on a boat. I wouldn't do it. Very sorry for those families.
ravencajun Zone 8b TX
11 years ago
The ocean water is completely different from being in a pool. I am an excellent swimmer have owned several houses with pools, I taught swimming and was a lifeguard with cpr training when younger. I am an easy floater and can relax and float easily. So I am very capable. However on our recent beach vacation my sister and I were going to get wet, just waist deep. Exact same thing happened to us there were huge wash out holes which we could not see but when we stepped off into them we were suddenly under water and at the same time slammed by a large wave. We were not expecting this and it happened so fast that we had no control. My legs were totally wiped out from under me and we were down in a hole over our heads tumbling. So fast we were in a very serious situation. Every time we tried to get our feet under us we were slammed with another wave. We both swallowed a lot of salt water. The one time I was able to get above water, breathe and have a second to scream for help I did, so did my sister. My niece was sunbathing on the beach and had no idea we were in trouble. She did finally hear us and came running out. Thankfully by that time the waves had pushed us back to the higher ground out of the hole. And we were able to get up and standing and she helped us out. Had there been any bit of an undertow we would both be dead. I don't know what causes the formation of the holes out in the sand in the water. I have never had that happen in my many years going to the beach. I have been tossed head over heels by a big wave but you have ground under your feet.

We were the only people at the beach in that area. My husband had walked away with his metal detector so he had no idea what happened.

So even though I absolutely know how to swim and what to do it can happen so fast that you can not react the same way you would in a pool situation. My sister currently has a pool at her house and swims daily.

My walking ability is limited but in water I am able to move much easier, especially in the pool.

I am very surprised that the boy didn't get in the same situation as his father.

I tried to warn my sister there were dips in the sand right before I stepped off into the giant hole and disappeared. She hit it seconds after me.

It can happen to anyone period. Wear a flotation device is my advice, I will not be going back into the beach without one. It isn't cute I get it but dead isn't either.
socks
11 years ago
Raven, how terrifying that was. The ocean can be treacherous. Glad you and sis are ok. We do hear of people standing on rocky spits which seem safe enough until a rogue wave comes along and sweeps them away.

No one has to be a strong athletic swimmer to save him or herself. Relax and don't panic is important, and anyone can learn at least the dog paddle and floating.
User
11 years ago
Start them as infants, since newborns swim naturally. Another benefit is a stronger immune system.
plllog
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
No one has to be a strong athletic swimmer to save him or herself.

Socks, this is true for a pool, but not in heavy surf, especially if there's an undertow or rip current. People who swim in the ocean daily, and are accustomed to swimming against waves and how to yield to a strong current until it's safe to swim to shore, drown. People with the experience Raven and her sister have can get in trouble. I was swimming since I could walk, and swimming in the Pacific since I was about five, but I was in a similar situation to Raven's without the hole when I was a teen--pushed and rolled around so hard by a set of strong waves that I couldn't get to the surface. That was on a populated beach with full-time professional lifeguards. I was fished out by a big guy before the lifeguards even got wet.

Even men who tend to sink should be able to dead man float in calm water. The lungs provide buoyancy even if the feet sink. It is important to take deep breaths and fill the lungs. Arching the back can help. BUT, add wind, waves and cold, and it gets much much harder. Autonomic breathing may not be sufficient to keep the lungs filled with air and keep from breathing in water.

Teaching water safety to little ones (as well as grown-ups and all in between), however, is vital. If they're not scared, they will float. Teaching them to be independent in the water means that even if they get themselves unwatched into a pool, they should be all right when they're found.
marylmi
11 years ago
I wish I knew how to swim. I can dog paddle a short distance but I doubt enough to save my life. As kids we spent a lot of time at the lake and just crazy not to have learned how. When older. I did water ski a few times but had a life jacket on.
lucillle
Original Author
11 years ago
Never too late (unless the fatal situation arises first).
OklaMoni
11 years ago
I take my grand daughter to the Y with me. She is a member there now. But, she has to "prove it" every time, that she can swim a length of the pool. EVERY time... it is getting a bit absurd.

Allison swims one length, hangs on for a bit, and swims back, a total of 18 length in one lap swim session, and she is only six.
Elmer J Fudd
11 years ago
I agree with both ravencajen and pillog and have many recollections of scary situations.

The Pacific was my favorite playground into early adulthood - swimming, diving, surfing, body surfing, etc. You learn fast that waves and swells are unpredictable. Most who play in the ocean all have had unfortunate experiences - whether it was being surprised by an unexpectedly large wave, swell, ocean creature, etc. I remember once foolheartedly going out to body surf when waves were breaking at about 10 feet (during my "I'm invincible" period of teenage years) and getting somersaulted underwater for what seemed like a minute when I misjudged the wave's break. I've also been caught in rip tides, that can be scary. All these situations require cool thinking and calm to deal with them as one has been taught.

Water at the beach when there's wave action is certainly not a swimming pool. Care should always be taken.

On the topic of swimming, all children should be taught to swim. There's `no socioeconomic barrier, there are public pools and swim instruction everywhere. If you can't swim as an adult, blame your parents and try to take lessons now. It's never too late, it IS a basic life skill everyone needs to have for safety and comfort.
blfenton
11 years ago
We're on the Pacific Ocean and near lots of beaches. We are also walking distance from rivers with swimming holes and cliff jumping. I had my kids in lessons since they were two and they had to get to level 8 (out of 10) before they could go to those places without a parent, it was the same rule for most of their friends.

My eldest was cliff jumping with his buddies as a teenager and when he jumped in he landed crooked and pulled/tore the muscles surrounding his sternum to a point that he couldn't breath or move his arms. Because the kids had their level 8 and a couple had gone further into life saving courses, they noticed he was in trouble and could get him out. He was ok and eventually fully recovered but that was the end of his cliff jumping days.
Georgysmom
11 years ago
Back in the 60's, my neighbor was a P.E. teacher and a Red Cross licensed swimming instructor. She gave swimming lessons to all the ladies in the neighborhood at our neighborhood pool. I had a fear of the water because I almost drowned in the ocean when I was 13. I still didn't like going in the deep end of the pool but had to in order to pass the class. I, too, had trouble floating but my neighbor told me I was what they called a "vertical" floater. Once I learned that, I relaxed and was able to float, just not on top of the water like the rest of the world. My arms were out and head back but my legs went down into a vertical position. Sjerin and katlan, perhaps your husbands have the same problem. Once they accept the fact that their toes are not going to stay atop as most floaters do, they can float in an almost vertical position.
wildchild2x2
11 years ago
Swimming is like walking or breathing. Everyone should know how. I learned to swim in rivers as a toddler. I was tubing the small "rapids" by the age of 5. We had a backyard pool later. I grew up near the coast so I had a lot of beach time also. Like Plllog and Snidely said everyone who grows up with the beaches learns at some point that the surf is to be respected and nothing is always predictable. I can still remember flipping off my tube and the feeling of being tumbled on the rocky river bottom against my back and I also remember the one and only time I turned my back on the sea. You learn to respect nature's waters but you also learn the skills to not fear them.

My grands do aqua babies. DGD is a little fish already at 3. There is no should people learn to swim in our family. Everyone swims. Basic life skill.
joaniepoanie
11 years ago
Of course everyone should learn to swim but it won't help in an undertow, etc. I had a similar experience to Raven and pillog.

My dad was an excellent swimmer and taught us all at an early age. When I was 7 or so we were in the Pacific and I was holding my dad's hand because the waves were pretty high. We were suddenly pulled under and dad lost his grip on me. I was tossed round and round underwater for what seemed like an eternity and I thought I was going to drown. I finally felt the bottom and pushed off as hard as I could and surfaced. Dad grabbed me and, needless to say, we called it a day. But I'm sure we were back at the beach the next weekend!
karl_tn
11 years ago
I learned how to swim when I was very young and I'm glad I did , I have fallen 2 times through ice when I was young and was completly under, had to find the hole to get out while wearing winter clothes. I got my son in swimming classes at the Y when was young. My grandson turns 2 tommorrow and he will takes classes also when he's a little older. I had a friend in grade school who died trying to save his little brother while at a river. Both couldn't swim and both died.
susanjf_gw
11 years ago
my mother made sure I had swimming lessons at age 5...my own kids, were younger...I took them to mom and tot classes...now my youngest grands are getting lessons...3, and 5...their dad swam thru hs and college teams...

mother finally taught herself to swim...her mother never allowed her to swim or learn like her brothers...her mother drowned...
susanjf_gw
11 years ago
snidely...you better believe it...caught just once, and thanks be my dad saved me (in long beach ca)...

I don't know exactly why everyone doesn't learn....I feel that every hs that has a pool should insist on the kids learning, esp here in Michigan where we are surrounded by water...
wildchild2x2
11 years ago
When I was in high school ( 1960s) swimming was a requirement. If you could already swim you only had to take swimming freshman year. Those of us who swam already and could pass the test were allowed to simply swim and play water sports etc. during class for the semester. If you couldn't pass the test the first time around you repeated until you could pass the basic skills.

I see tourists (and stupid locals) at the beach who allow their kids and dogs to go in the water near riptide areas and it drives me nuts. Of course if you say something they don't want to hear it. There are also the lives lost every year from people swept away wanting that great picture on the big rocks as the tide comes in. Sad.
User
11 years ago
Not just learning how to swim but learning what to do should a situation arise. My mother was very good about teaching us these things. Never, ever walk onto a frozen river, no matter how frozen is seems. Water is moving in rivers, so if you fall through, you get pulled under the ice, and you're a goner.

If you do fall through in such a situation, get your mouth up to the ice. There is an air pocket between the ice and the water. GEt that air and try to find the hole you fell through, or at the very least, hope someone rescues you. But in the meantime, you can breath at least.

Caught in a rip tide? Swim parallel to the shore, not against the rip tide.

She taught us all of these things.

Most important is the usual "don't panic".

Still, water is so strong. Like in a skid on ice in your car and you turn into the skid, not against it, same with water. Go with it, stay calm, and eventually you'll bob to the top.

I was a very, very strong swimmer when I was young, yet I still got caught in some very strong breakers at the shoreline. They were throwing me up onto the beach, then pulling me back in. This went on and on. The front of my legs were bloodied from being pulled back on the sand. I could not get out of it, it was just too strong for me. So I raised my arms so someone could grab my wrists and pull me out, since I knew I couldn't get myself out of it. Boyfriend grabbed my wrists, pulled me up, bathing suit had been pulled off by the waves, and turns out the lifeguards had seen it and were on their way down as well.

Never underestimate the strength of water, but also try to not panic.
User
11 years ago
I am still shocked when I hear of yet another death in the Potomac River, where I live.

It's vast and in spots, has class 5 rapids and an undertow that's deadly.

Yet, every year, drownings.
rob333 (zone 7b)
11 years ago
I hope anyone who doesn't know how to swim will learn. One never knows when they might need that skill. (((hugs to you))) but don't wait any more?

I totally agree that natural bodies of water can challenge even the best of simmers, oceanic or river.
dedtired
11 years ago
I've neve been a strong swimmer despite growing up with a backyard pool. However, I can tread water like a champ. Used to love to just go to the deep end and tread while chatting. We also spent lots of time at the beach. I know how to duck under eves and ride them to sure. Undertows scared the life out of me. The power of moving water is remarkable. I went to the beach a few years ago for the first time in ages. I no longer have the strength to withstand a wave. I tried to let one hit me sideways and it knocked me right over. The ocean is very different from a pool or even a lake.

There was a sad drowning here in a public pool a couple years ago. A three year old followed the big girls into the pool and drowned. There were people all around her and no one recognized her distress. So sad. She was a cherished child. Yes, learn to be safe in the water from an early age.
User
11 years ago
Undertow scares me, too. We go to the OBX beaches (Outer Banks, NC) and sometimes the riptides are rampant.

I don't venture out too far and just go in to splash and cool off. I'm wary of getting out there and actually swimming, but more because I can't see a darn thing and that freaks me out!

Years ago, when my asthma wasn't under control, I remember having a hard time getting back to shore. My arms were turing into lead and I barely made it. The air was thick and heavy, and I thought I'd never catch my breath.

The exertion was of course making it worse.

So, that's never left my mind and I don't push it anymore.
kayjones
11 years ago
I have taken swimming lessons 3 times and could never learn - I am terrified of getting in the water.
rob333 (zone 7b)
11 years ago
I double up on asthma meds, and then the rescue inhaler is added right before I head out in the water. Sort of like triple insured. It helps me, just in case you change your mind mimipadv.
blfenton
11 years ago
My sister does triathlons and has exercise-asthma but only for swimming. She can do bike training and run training with no problem but needs her inhaler for swim training. It's the first leg of the race and she uses just enough to get her through the distance and amount also depends if it's in a lake or an ocean.
User
11 years ago
The arm exertion can be a lot different with asthma. Strange, but true.
plllog
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Pool safety: The first thing you should do when you enter a pool area is locate the hook, and if there's no hook, the leaf skimmer. Unless you're certified in lifesaving and power swim regularly, one of the most dangerous things you can do is get in the water to help someone in distress.

Use the hook to catch the swimmer under the arms or around the waist, or else get the swimmer to catch hold of the skimmer, and pull to the side of the pool. If there's no pole, throw a life ring, but if there's no rope have the swimmer hanging onto it before you get in the water, and pull the ring, not the swimmer, to the side. Any kind of floaty toy or noodle will work in a pinch, though something big like an inner tube or lounge float can be too hard for a panicked, stressed and tiring swimmer to hang onto, so if you can, choose a kickboard or beach ball instead, or even a throw pillow or small cushion off a chair.

No matter what, remember you're much stronger on the ground, and in better position to call for help.

I get the appeal of private beaches, but I wouldn't go into moving water deeper than just covering my feet without a lifeguard.
sjerin
11 years ago
Georgysmom, that's very interesting. When dh starts off swimming, he's just like a submerging submarine gradually going down, down, down. I'll have to tell him about vertical floating, though he rarely gets into a pool anymore.
arcy_gw
11 years ago
State law here, to graduate high school. Kids all learn. I grew up elsewhere. My mom made sure we had lessons. She and dad did not swim. After a trip to the beach she decided she too could take Red Cross classes. Its never too late.

Life skills: swimming

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