Seniors, Do You Know How to Swim?

SeaBreeze

SeaBreeze

Endlessly Groovin'
Location
USA
Do you know how to swim, and enjoy swimming? I can't believe how many people I've met who do not know how to swim, and are actually afraid of being in deep water.

My mother never knew how to swim, but I was not aware of that when I was a child, because she hid it from us. She didn't want her fears to hinder us in our swimming. She'd stay in chest high water when we were at the beach, and her reason not to swim was because she didn't want to get her hair wet. I never doubted her.

I swim, but only enjoy doing so in the ocean, I don't like lakes or public pools. Do you know how to swim, and where do you like to swim?? :shark:
 

I know how to swim although was never a strong swimmer.
I do know how to float and tread water and can keep that up almost indefinitely.

I don't swim anymore but when I did I preferred fresh water.
 
I'm a skin and scuba-diving enthusiast, salt-water version, but it's been many years since I've had the pleasure.

I hope to renew my acquaintance. :)

Can't go in pools - have an allergy to chlorine and don't like the crowds anyway.
 

My parents built a cabin on the lake where I now live (not the cabin but in the county where the lake is). We spent every weekend and vacation here growing up. It was imperative that we know how to swim-with 5 kids my mom would have gone nuts if we didn`t. My mom could swim but my dad couldn`t. He always floated around in an inner tube. Luckily,he never was in the position of having to save any of us. Our lake has a lot of algae during the summer months but if we take the boat out in the middle of the lake it`s clear and we swim there. I don`t know if I would want to swim in any other lake,I`ve known this one my whole life so I`m comfortable in it. If I`m going to swim in a pool,it`s generally my daughter`s or someone I know.
 
Interesting topic, here in the UK no one is more than 75 miles from the sea and most kids are taught to swim in school........ myself, have always loved swimming and was a RN diver then into scuba stuff after that.
 
I love swimming but I'm not comfortable in the ocean, plus in the UK the ocean is waaaay too cold.

I have my own pool so I love to swim as often as I can!

Mrs Robinson your house in the lake sounds absolutely idylic!!
 
Use to swim in every little swimming hole we could find as kids. The Unadilla and Chenango River were the usual choices. Not knowing, at that time, that the towns were dumping God knows what in the rivers.
Although, in Florida, I'm just a few minutes to the ocean, I don't like swimming there. Too many got-yas in the sea.
i do use the pool, in our community, some but shortness of breath makes swimming very limited.
However, I am not against sitting on the beach with a cold one in hand.:sentimental:
 
I learned to swim at an early age. We have a lake behind our house that we swim in, though not so often lately. It' nice when working outside and getting hot and sweaty to just go jump in the lake.
 
Justme said:
I was brought up on a small island, so I have been able to swim from an early age.
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That reminded me of a quote I read once: "Edith was an island, surrounded on the North, South, East and West by Edith". :) As for myself, I've never been much of a swimmer, more of a landlubber! :)
 
I was brought up on a small island, so I have been able to swim from an early age.
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I was born on a very large island where most of the population live close to the coast and the rest tend to hug the rivers. Drowning is a common hazard. At my high school it was compulsory to learn to swim and to gain as many lifesaving certificates as you could.
 
I can swim, but I prefer not to swim in deep water. My wife and I snorkel now and then here in Florida or Hawaii. It's sometimes weird seeing some of the species of marine life when snorkeling.
 
I learned to swim at age 8 at the YMCA,I swim for exercise 3-4 time a week in a pool.
Here Im surrounded by ocean on 3 sides in Florida but stopped swimming in it after I learned to use a ocean water quality test kit.
 
I can swim, but probably not correctly. Mostly I keep my face out of the water, as I've never gotten the hang of breathing properly. But I can do the sidestroke, float on my back, and tread water. Here at Leisure World, we have two beautiful pools, one indoor and one outdoor. I like the outdoor one in hot weather.

One activity we have here is water volleyball. There is a bunch of rowdy enthusiasts, average age 80, who play it every day from 3 to 4. Everybody else clears out of the pool for that one hour. Some people complain at having to give up the pool for an hour, others love to watch them play and cheer them on. I was once invited to join them and tried it for about 1/2 hour, but the game was too aggressive for me. When I see a ball shooting toward my head, I duck!
 
Sunny said:
One activity we have here is water volleyball. There is a bunch of rowdy enthusiasts, average age 80, who play it every day from 3 to 4. Everybody else clears out of the pool for that one hour. Some people complain at having to give up the pool for an hour, others love to watch them play and cheer them on. I was once invited to join them and tried it for about 1/2 hour, but the game was too aggressive for me. When I see a ball shooting toward my head, I duck!
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Love water sports.
My family plays our own version of volleyball in my backyard swimming pool. And also, water aerobics is something I enjoy doing on my own ... the water resistance gives a better workout.
I swim laps most days for about 45 minutes to an hour. .. I used to work at the office all day when I was younger, then come home and swim laps for 2 hours.. those days are over ..
 
I knew how to swim at an early age to. but I was surprised when I joined the Navy and saw a lot of guys who could not
 
oldman said:
My wife and I snorkel now and then here in Florida or Hawaii. It's sometimes weird seeing some of the species of marine life when snorkeling.
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I went snorkeling with my husband many years ago in Hawaii, and I was amazed at all the beautiful underwater tropical fish and other things, good memories there. Hubby was snorkeling a bit ahead of me, and a good-sized Moray eel came out from behind some coral and opened his mouth as if to attack. Hubby pointed to it and made a quick turn-around to swim away, I quickly followed. We laugh about it now, we were both a bit scared. :eewwk: :laugh:

Sunny said:
I can swim, but probably not correctly. Mostly I keep my face out of the water, as I've never gotten the hang of breathing properly.
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I'm like you Sunny, I keep my face out of the water, it irritates my eyes too much...no Australian craw for me, LOL! :p
 
Wife and I had better know how to swim, good anyway, we have a 20' power boat! I'd think that anybody who owns/uses a boat would have to know how. Even though the U.S.C.G.A. highly recommends all boaters wear life vests, 99% of the time, only real young kids will be seen wearing them. We have life vests on our boat, but don't wear them......they are handy, just in case. Only thing is, if a boater isn't wearing a vest, and goes overboard, that person can easily panic and then, fast action has to take place by someone in the boat. Generally a Life Ring on a rope is thrown to them......which we also have.

Plus, I had to learn how to swim at Navy Basic Training. I had to jump in a pool, w/dungaree pants on, take those pants off, tie a knot at the bottom of each pants leg and use those pants as "floatation" gear. During the years in the Navy, never had to actually do that.........thank God!

Do know some Seniors, where we live, that don't use the pool or even go into the pool area period. We think it can be because they could be embarrassed over how their bodies looks in a swimsuit at this age or they can't swim or both. The way our body looks in a swimsuit don't bother us, but that is us. When we go swimming, we go around 9AM on weekend mornings (wife works during the week) and have the pool to ourselves. We like that. We live 10 plus miles from the ocean beach, but don't go into the water there. Only walk along the beach sometimes.

A nice swim can sure help "sooth" arthritis pains/aches that we both get. Wish we had a Jacuzzi we could use after a 30 min. swim, but apt complex took that out. Cost to much for maint.
 
ClassicRockr said:
Wife and I had better know how to swim, good anyway, we have a 20' power boat! I'd think that anybody who owns/uses a boat would have to know how. Even though the U.S.C.G.A. highly recommends all boaters wear life vests, 99% of the time, only real young kids will be seen wearing them. We have life vests on our boat, but don't wear them......they are handy, just in case. Only thing is, if a boater isn't wearing a vest, and goes overboard, that person can easily panic and then, fast action has to take place by someone in the boat. Generally a Life Ring on a rope is thrown to them......which we also have.

Plus, I had to learn how to swim at Navy Basic Training. I had to jump in a pool, w/dungaree pants on, take those pants off, tie a knot at the bottom of each pants leg and use those pants as "floatation" gear. During the years in the Navy, never had to actually do that.........thank God!

Do know some Seniors, where we live, that don't use the pool or even go into the pool area period. We think it can be because they could be embarrassed over how their bodies looks in a swimsuit at this age or they can't swim or both. The way our body looks in a swimsuit don't bother us, but that is us. When we go swimming, we go around 9AM on weekend mornings (wife works during the week) and have the pool to ourselves. We like that. We live 10 plus miles from the ocean beach, but don't go into the water there. Only walk along the beach sometimes.

A nice swim can sure help "sooth" arthritis pains/aches that we both get. Wish we had a Jacuzzi we could use after a 30 min. swim, but apt complex took that out. Cost to much for maint.
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My dad had several boats over the years, but still never learned how to swim. He always wore a life vest though. He wasn`t at al embarrassed about it that I could tell. My mom used to get nervous about it because some weekends she would stay home and not go to the cabin. He would either go alone or take one of us kids (usually me). She would worry that if one of us fell out of the boat (or if he did) everyone would drown for sure lol. Never happened though-and he always made us wear life vests as well.
 
No I can't swim it's something I regret .My mother seen someone drown so I was all ways told to keep away from water .I went for lesson once but backed out at the last moment.I am sure I miss out on a load of fun but how do overcome my fear.
 
taffboy said:
No I can't swim it's something I regret .My mother seen someone drown so I was all ways told to keep away from water .I went for lesson once but backed out at the last moment.I am sure I miss out on a load of fun but how do overcome my fear.
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Of the people that I know who can`t swim,that was always the reason taffboy-having parents who were afraid of the water. My son in laws mom doesn`t know how to swim (and is VERY uncomfortable on a boat) because her mom was/is terrified of water. I do have to say that at least she did make sure that her kids knew how-or maybe their dad did-I know he swims.
 

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