If you were not fortunate enough to have your parents teach you to swim or enroll you in a swimming instruction program when you were younger, you are at a disadvantage; but, you may still learn to swim, so it is not hopeless.
However, by repeatedly practicing a few easy swimming methods, you will grow more at ease in the water, and thus more peaceful, as well as more confident that panic will not set in if you find yourself in a scenario where you don’t have enough energy to stay afloat.
The first thing to understand is that when the lungs are full of air, the human body is naturally buoyant. What I mean is that you will not sink if you take a deep breath of air.
If you find yourself in a position where you are drowning and there is no one nearby who can rescue you, here are some techniques to help you feel buoyant over the water’s surface and save your life.
Be Patient: A dry wetsuit’s plush lining can hold a surprising amount of air, and so buoyancy, in its fibers, and it takes around a minute to get fully wet.
Reach Up: Hold the inflator hose over your head and stretch it upward a little to the place where it connects to your BC. “Dip your right shoulder and squeeze the BC against your chest with your right arm. This strategy promotes the final few bubbles to depart.
Roll A Little backward: Many BCs trap a bubble of air just behind your head. Rocking backward as if you are in a La-Z-Boy recliner moves the exhaust hose over the bubble and lets it escape.
It’s critical to maintain your head tilted back when lying on your back, so your eyes are looking at the pool’s ceiling or the sky if you’re outside. Your legs will float to the surface or at least lift a little as a result of your head posture, and you will not be vertical in the water. Because your mouth is out of the water and does not need to go back in, you are free to take as many breaths as you choose.
Relax: Many of us, especially at the start of the dive, move our hands and feet more than we realize. It’s nerves: Your body is attempting to climb out of the water without your knowledge. This causes upward thrust, making you appear lighter than you actually are. Hold your right arm at your side (your left is holding up your exhaust pipe), stretch your legs, and aim your fins straight down to provide the least amount of resistance to sinking.
So now you know that if you have air in your lungs, you will automatically float; you also know that if you lie down on your back, you can have air in your lungs and rest; nevertheless, one issue remains: how big of a breath need I take to stay afloat?
Exhale: A tendency to hold your breath is another symptom of anxiousness, and a single lungful of air can contribute up to 10 pounds of buoyancy. Take small inhales until you’re below five feet, then exhale and hold them until you start sinking.
You will float pleasantly if you take a big breath, but you will sink much deeper in the water if you exhale since the difference between the air in and out is very large, and it will take you longer to exhale and inhale again. You will float pleasantly if you take a big breath, but you will sink much deeper in the water if you exhale since the difference between the air in and out is very large, and it will take you longer to exhale and inhale again. The optimum technique is to inhale just enough air to stay afloat, hold for a few seconds, and then exhale.
Force It: Another technique is to generate downward momentum by lifting a portion of your body out of the water and then letting it fall back. Jackknife your upper body down while lying on your back, then lift one leg, then the other, out of the water. The weight of your legs will propel you downward, and you can kick down once your fins are in the water.
Also Read: How To Survive A Tsunami.
