Learning to Swim deep water

[tigerbeer]

Hi everyone,

We have mooban swimming pool and the deepest is about 5Ft. I learned how to swim at our mooban with the help of a Thai instructor. I can swim effectively although not a whole lot of stamina. Something I need to work on. I went diving at Koh Tao last September. They did confined swimming at the sea! Might have been 6 Metres deep or so but calm waters. I could float and swim a little here and there and somehow managed to pass the test. SEcond day, they asked me to do a skin dive and i got all anxious about it. Was flipping my fins to keep afloat and managed to until i gave up. I was panicking and the round sos float was thrown to me. I was not able to pass the skin dive and hence messed up my whole open water diving. It was a frustrating affair. Bottom like it anxiety got over me knowing the fact that it was deep water i was in.

I need to learn how to swim and float effectively in deep water. Overcoming this fear might allow me to go diving with a lot more confidence next time. I was not afraid to dive with the full gear though. If someone could recommend a place and teacher for me to learn this, it would be really nice. I would prefer to learn from a farang but then again thats a bit far fetched to ask since one would require a work permit to teach. I welcome any help here on this thread or by pm.

Thanks so much for your answers and advice.

good day to all.

TB..

[PiPiFFS]

Get yourself a 3 / 5 mm shorty wetsuit to swim in. This will give you a bit more buoyancy and after a few swims it will give you more confidence. After you have gained your confidence then try it without the wetsuit and you will be surprised how easy you will find it. Good luck

[CMSteve]

Maybe you should try moving on to another pool with a deeper range? 700 yr stadium and Chiang Mai Land both have pools with 4+meter depths in areas with lifeguards(or people watching at least) as well. They also have instructors there that can help you get to the next level.

[Awk]

Not saying it doesn't exist, but I have never heard about any courses focusing on swimming and floating in deep water (except diving courses of course). I suspect the reason is that there is no difference between swimming and floating in a 2m deep pool or a 20m deep pool. Apart from the mental difference, which is real enough of course.

I had a brief stint at teaching swimming in my younger days, and in my experience what helps overcome that kind of fear is to simply learn how to swim better. If you have just recently learned basic swimming, it is only natural, and perhaps also wise, to be scared of depths. This fear will normally go away as you become more confident in swimming, and I am not sure there's much else one do to achieve that than to simply swim more. If you stay in a area with a swimming pool, it should be fairly easy to go swim every day. Once you've worked up to swimming e.g. a 1000m non-stop, I suspect the fear will have mostly gone away. If you've found a decent swimming instructor, have a session with him once a week so he can correct technique, and swim the other six days by yourself.

There are also various suplemental activities you can do. Like diving down to the bottom of the pool and touch the ground, sinking down to the bottom and just sitting there, diving down to the bottom and then swimming, nose just above the bottom, to the other side. Swimming, nose just above the bottom, to the other side, turning while still at the bottom, and swimming back (works better in a shorter pool. ;-)), still nose just above the bottom, etc.

[haybilly]

700 Year Stadium and Chiang Mai land---thanks for these--my daughter swims well but is generally frustrated swimming in pools that you can practically stand up in at the deepest point--is this it for Chiang mai, for pools with a decent depth-- are we limited to 2 choices???

[MESmith]

700 Year Stadium and Chiang Mai land---thanks for these--my daughter swims well but is generally frustrated swimming in pools that you can practically stand up in at the deepest point--is this it for Chiang mai, for pools with a decent depth-- are we limited to 2 choices???

Chiang Mai Canyon might be the place. You either conquer the fear, or you don't.........

But to be honest, best to stay well away.

[Ulysses G.]

No offense, but it does not sound like you can swim well enough to be doing a diving course. IMO. you need to practice a LOT and feel very comfortable swimming pretty much anywhere first. I worked as a lifeguard and a swim instructor when I was younger, if that means anything.

Edited September 8, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

PADI dive schools are not supposed to fail anyone.

Edited September 8, 2014 by AnotherOneAmerican

[Goldcup]

Dive Asia down in Phuket has Farang instructors and a nice big deep pool in Kata. Sign up for their open water course and advanced diver course. That should sort ya out.

[daoyai]

I think your best bet in CM is Huey Dtung Tao, a gradual slope into deeper water, dark water so you will get the illusion of deeper water anywhere that it is over head. Not the same as the sea, but a closer experience than a pool. You will need to spend time in the water also learning to tread water...

[NancyL]

I concur with the advise to simply get better at swimming. If you lack stamina, they you won't have confidence in your abilities in deep water. Start to swim laps and work up to being able to swim 1000 meters in one go. It will help if you can move into a larger pool.

Last year I did a "sponsored swim" fund raiser that was a 2500 meter swim. I practiced and did that distance several times in my condo pool. The actual event was in at the Center of the Universe, which is a much larger pool. I surprised myself in realizing that those longer laps were more difficult. I guess I was stopping and taking a short little rest each time a turned in our short condo pool! Of course, I finished the 2500 meters at the Center of the Universe, but it was more difficult than it in the smaller condo pool.

Maybe I should have done 2500 meters a few more times before the event, but it simply takes too much time. I'm doing good to find the time to do 1000 meters a 2 or 3 times a week.

Edited September 9, 2014 by NancyL

[canman]

The fact that you could not remain afloat and panicked with fins on indicates that you have not mastered the basic techniques. I am guessing that you were not kicking correctly, used up all your energy and then panicked.

Learn the basic techniques, keeping your head above water with fins on should take minimal effort, teach yourself how to tread water with minimal effort, learn to float on your back. Once you have mastered these three items you will be less prone to panic in the water.

[Dante99]

Yes, become a strong swimmer and you got it. It just takes practice and a guy like you can certainly do it. Any pool to start then the big one at 700 Year Stadium, after that open water. Got to get to the point that you fully trust that you can float too.

[DaamNaam]

Learn to tread water in the deep end of the pool. You should be able to do this for 15-20 minutes at a time. During that time your fears will disappear.

[quidnunc]

I think your best bet in CM is Huey Dtung Tao, a gradual slope into deeper water, dark water so you will get the illusion of deeper water anywhere that it is over head. Not the same as the sea, but a closer experience than a pool. You will need to spend time in the water also learning to tread water...

If you're not a strong swimmer, then Huay Dtung Tao is not a good idea precisely because the water is murky and you are not a strong swimmer. I was there when someone who was drunk drowned in shallow water. He went under and they couldn't find him. The deep pools are a better bet but only after you become a stronger swimmer.

[uptheos]

I think your best bet in CM is Huey Dtung Tao, a gradual slope into deeper water, dark water so you will get the illusion of deeper water anywhere that it is over head. Not the same as the sea, but a closer experience than a pool. You will need to spend time in the water also learning to tread water...

The one and only time I swam in Huay Dtung Tao, two snakes about a metre and half went past me.

It certainly increased my speed to the bank!

[canuckamuck]

Don't learn how to swim in deep water alone!

Learning to tread water is the most important thing you need to learn.

Get a friend and learn how to do it for 15-20 minutes like Daamnaam said. Plenty of pools with water over 2 meters deep

[cooked]

Amongst many other things I have done, I got a life saver permit at the age of 54. Took some doing. The first thing I was told, 'you must overcome your fear of water' . Me? Ha ha. I had eventually to admit it and learn to swim again.

Later, observing 99% of 'swimmers', I saw that they all tried to keep their head out of the water. You must relax. Lay back, let the water lap over your nose, mouth and eyes, do a back stroke, laying as though you were in bed. Breast stroke/crawl: you have to develop your breathing capacity and cease trying to breath between every stroke, get your head under water.

I can still more easily swim 25 meters under water, on the surface it gets boring as it is much slower and I have to bother about breathing. All about being relaxed in the water.

On top of that, you should feel much better swimming and floating in salt water than in sweet water, buoyancy is in your favour.

Small kids can drown in 10cm of water, so stop worrying about the depth.

[weary]

First of all, good on you for having learned how to swim. First step completed.

Like others say, now what you need to do is put in more time. Time and pace yourself for each activity, increase the distance and time a little every time. Every additional technique you learn in the water, and every increase in range or time will increase your confidence. Each time you do something despite feeling fear, the fear weakens in intensity. The trick to success is to do it anyway.

Mistakes are necessary - and only temporary. Just keep swimming.

[kaorop]

I can still more easily swim 25 meters under water, on the surface it gets boring as it is much slower and I have to bother about breathing.

Wasa wasa? you must swim awfully slow on the surface, not sure your the best to be imparting swimming skills

with the above statement.

Back on topic, diving courses used to advertise that you DONT need to be able to swim to do one, which is absolutely wrong in so many ways.

To the op, as other have said you're going to have to up your skills to start to overcome the fear

and

eventually face your fear in the sea, not a pool.

In a reasonably safe environment,

but again at some point you have to be able to face

danger in the water and not panic.

Real confidence in you abilities is what you need.

This the short form, it all has to be done in small steps and takes time.

[tigerbeer]

very very nice comments everyone. i shall go ahead and just swim! keep stamina up and confidence. thank you so much for your support everyone. i appreciate it.

[NancyL]

It's a lot like learning a foreign language or a musical instrument, you just have to practice, practice, practice. There really is no substitute for putting in the hours in the water, swimming back and forth for dozens of lengths without stopping, different strokes, floating, treading water for long periods, swimming under water for the entire length of the pool. In short, becoming a competent swimmer. What you're doing is building strength and muscle-memory in muscles you don't otherwise use. You develop new reflexes. New skills become automatic. You don't have to think about "how to I keep myself afloat", you just know how to do it. It's the same way with language ability or musical skill -- after a time, you just know how to do it. It's imprinted in your brain.

Think about what it was like the first time you rode a bicycle or drove a car. Chances are you can do those things now without thinking about how to do them. Swimming becomes like that with enough practice.

Edited September 10, 2014 by NancyL

[opalred]

i think its natural i remember my brother pushed me into dam when 6 i dog paddle out then by time12 got my bronze life saver

as everyone was trained to swim in oz 60yrs ago and should make it part of school every where how many childrens lives would be saved

[Lobo4819]

Tigger,

For your own life, health, safety, and the lives, health, and safety of those who may be near you on a dive - do not go - ever - until you are a competent swimmer. Trying to 'beat the test' doesn't get it. I have been on too many dives where a poor swimmer or inexperienced diver bit off more than they could chew, and almost put everyone on the dive in jeopardy - my son and I once in 85 feet of water with an aggressive bullshark while the divemaster had to escort a newbie to the surface. Please, do everyone in and under the water a favor - if you can't do it, don't.

That admonishment over, PM me if you seriously want to learn to swim in any conditions, learn survival techniques, and 'drown-proof' yourself.