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| Thread ID: 127798 | 2012-11-14 19:49:00 | Why learn too swim. | Trev (427) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 1312530 | 2012-11-15 08:30:00 | For those who can't swim the biggest killer is panic. People who can't swim rarely drown in calm river swimming holes, instead they fall out of boats without life jackets, get caught in rips or strong currents. Because they can't swim (or even if they can) most panic and just thrash water. Ultimately they get nowhere, tire themselves out and die. Yeah, I reckon you're bang on the money. Fear is a killer. It leads to a deluge of adrenalin, which in turn ramps up your demand for oxygen, leaving you panting desperately, and consequently unable to hold your breath for long. If you then inhale a lung of water you're in the pooh even deeper, with a) uncontrolable panting, plus b) uncontrollable coughing, and possibly also c) uncontrolable vomiting. Add to that the fact you're barely bouyant, in uneven water, and slurping down more water with every second breath, and burning even more energy (and oxygen) in trying ot overcome all the above drama. Personally I don't care if nobody knows the formal swimming strokes / styles. But everyone should be given enough experience in water to be able to relax. To understand their abilities and to be able to think clearly enough to get themselves out of drama before allowing panic to set in. And knowing that they can indeed keep themselves afloat in any depth, with a minimum of effort. That may mean letting a rip suck you 100m offshore before attempting to compensate, and it may mean letting surf turn you over and over beneath the waves till you don't know which way is up any more, but striking out energetically against these forces can just lead to rapid exhaustion. Best to go with the flow while you slowly determine what is needed and what might work, rather than exhaust yourself finding out what needs to be done, or that you're doing the wrong thing. If someone can be tumbled underwater on an empty lung, and with a mouth full of water and still come up smiling, then they've got a chance. Knowing they've got an easy 20seconds on those empty lungs to recover should be cause for ease, not cause for panic. Personally, I've never been a big fan of swimming, but I'm lucky to be competent in the moment. So far at least. |
Paul.Cov (425) | ||
| 1312531 | 2012-11-16 00:16:00 | I remember as a primary school kid being bussed to the Invercargill tepid baths to learn how to swim. We had to pay the bus driver Two pennies to get us there and back. We enjoyed the outing while learning to swim. |
Bobh (5192) | ||
| 1312532 | 2012-11-16 00:27:00 | Personally I don't care if nobody knows the formal swimming strokes / styles . But everyone should be given enough experience in water to be able to relax . To understand their abilities and to be able to think clearly enough to get themselves out of drama before allowing panic to set in . And knowing that they can indeed keep themselves afloat in any depth, with a minimum of effort . . Mmm . But you can only relax and float for so long . Eventually, cold or whatever gets you and you lose and sink . Also some drowning is being washed off rocks fishing and the like, not just being in the water . . . . |
pctek (84) | ||
| 1312533 | 2012-11-16 02:42:00 | This is true, last time I saw statistics for rock fishing it was claimed to have the highest fatality rate of any sport. That was a while ago though. | dugimodo (138) | ||
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