In a big enough pool, I can simply lie back, completely relax, and float comfortably with my nose and mouth comfortably above water level. If there are other people swinning around in the pool, I can put my feet up on the pool deck (like it’s an ottoman) to anchor myself in place, and float quietly in the corner. If I weren’t afraid of drowning, I’m pretty sure I could go to sleep.
I’ve had a couple of people come up at poolside and ask me how I do that. I was really unaware that I was doing anything, and said, “I just lie back and relax.” They assured me that they could not do such a thing, they sink. And when I think back, I can’t really say for sure whether I’ve seen anyone else do this.
So am I freakishly bouyant? Is this an unusual “talent”? I have a sneaking suspicion it means I have an etraordinary amount of body fat in relation to muscle mass.
I can’t.
I sink. I swim rather well. I can tread water. And I know how to scull so that I can stay close to the water’s surface when I’m on my back. But if I’m just lying there, without moving my arms and legs, I sink like a stone.
Well, when I was in really good shape (too many years ago, alas) I floated much lower in the water. I have an easier time floating now. Fat is much less dense than muscle.
amarinth, most people can float if they just relax and let themselves bob up and down a bit. It make take many seconds, but I bet you could find a position where your nose remained above water.
My GF can do this, just lie on her back and float away. I try it and my legs sink, carrying me under. Her aunt just came back from Hawaii where the scuba diving instructor had to put an inordinate amount of weights on her to get her to dive properly. The instructor remarked that he had this sort of problem alot with ‘thin wristed people’, asserting that it had some correlation with bone structure.
Ah,the dead man’s float is done face down, you know. Only good for as long as you can hold your breath. Or if you opt to breathe in that position, you can TRULY do the dead man’s float.
I assume you mean the back float, which is a wonderful thing in the ocean, while below you the Great White is sizing you up for that first bleeder-bite. What was that? Something bumped meEEEEEEEEE!
Sorry, got lost there…
But as one who Danced With Fishes and a one time lifeguard, I believe anyone can (back) float. My SO used to say,“I can’t do it, no I really can’t, I don’t want to try, let go of me you bastard, you creep, I’ll slap the crap out of…HEY, I’m doing it, I’m floating”!
It took all of a minute or two to teach her. And it’s a very valuable thing to know. Even if you can’t swim, you can quite possibly float until help arrives.
I always thought that if a person could relax, they could also float on their back (in water). Some people cannot seem to relax. And some people get anxious easily. I met someone who tried to get SCUBA certified three times but failed because she would panic under water.
Yes, relaxing is a problem with most new floaters. That’s why you need to practice with someone you trust in calm water.
I’m sure there are people who have a true phobia about water, but I’m just as sure that they are a tiny percentage. I was kidding about the shark thing, but Jaws did people who are contemplating swimming in the ocean for the first time no favors. That movie probably produced panic in folks that wouldn’t have given it a second thought otherwise. Even after all this time…
And, of course, Northern California and Oz’s Great Barrier Reef are probably the Great White snacking centers of the world.
Like Amarinth, another sinker here. I used to float well as a kid but after that, forget it. I look like a ship. Slowly my legs start going, then the rest of me. I come to rest nearly vertical with my head about a foot under the surface. I know how to relax, was WSQ, can teach others to float, and can swim extremely well. I just don’t float anymore.
I’m just a bit more dense than most, in more ways than one:)
It involves a different kind of breathing. You can’t expect to just lie there and breathe normally and stay horizontal.
You take a big breath, hold it until your lungs bring you even with the water surface, hold it until it becomes uncomfortable, then slowly let it out until you’re in danger of inhaling water, then take another big breath, and so on. If this doesn’t work, you’re some sort of mutant with the lung capacity of an elf.
I don’t think I like being called a mutant:eek: The fact of the matter is I can’t float, I’ve tried hundreds of times with lots of different techniques. It just ain’t gonna happen until I gain more weight. Maybe if I can keep my legs supported on the pool edge I’ll be able to keep the rest of me up, but out in open water I’m a gonner. Anyone who thinks I’m “not doing it right” hasn’t spoken to the 10-15 people who have “helped” but had to admit failure after watching me continually sink
Doesn’t it just have to do with body density? Less dense than water=floats easily, more dense than water=sinks, about the same=floats w/ a bit of effort. So the higher your BMI, the more likely you are to float well. It’s also easier to float in salt water because it has a higher density, so you have a (relatively)lower density than in fresh water. IIRC, swimmers with the same density as water are the most efficient.
I am also freakishly buoyant, because I’m fairly well, ahem, padded. I can back float with my arms at my sides if I’m breathing right…
I don’t need any special or different breathing technique. Like I said, I’m pretty sure I could fall asleep floating if I wasn’t worried about drowning. I’d actually like to have a spotter/lifeguard near the pool some night so I could try it.
I’ve seen fat & skinny people do so. But with swimsuits on…