Do you sink in sea water?

dreamshark · Post by **dreamshark** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 3:26 pm

I sure as heck don't - I pop to the surface like a cork, whether I want to or not. But I've always been pretty well-padded, so what do I know? As a kid I was quite surprised to learn that there are people who are so skinny that they actually do sink to the bottom in fresh water unless they stay in constant motion. .

But salt water is different. In fresh water my legs gradually sink if I don't kick, but in the sea my entire body rides over the surface of the water like a big water bug, legs and all. So I'm wondering - are any of you so lean and wiry that you would not stay afloat if you didn't wear a snorkel vest? If you roll over on your back and extend your arms, can you float?

I don't have an agenda, just curious. Oh, okay, I'm wondering if there is any actual physical reason for snorkel vests or if they're just to make people feel safer.

RickG · Post by **RickG** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 3:53 pm

One of our travel buddies, Fat Pat, is a sinker. He's slim and fit. He definitely needs flotation to snorkel.

Cheers, RickG

philbetm · Post by **philbetm** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 4:09 pm

Hubby is a floater....he can lay in the water all day never move and just bob like a cork !!! Me...I SINK feet first. I have to keep moving to float. Can't figure it out either. I say I bob head up because my Brain is soooo big and full of knowledge...he says it's cause my head is full of air and the rest of me is so full of crap !

mit43 · Post by **mit43** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 4:20 pm

Fat Floats.........Therefore, I Float.......

mindehankins · Post by **mindehankins** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 4:30 pm

I float. For me, snorkeling feels about the same as lying face down on the sofa. The view, of course, is much better! I think I would panic in waves, though, if I got caught in a current.

flip-flop · Post by **flip-flop** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 5:04 pm

My hubby sinks like a rock, butt first then thighs. We attribute it to high muscle mass from years of mountain biking. I on the other hand could float to Puerto Rico NO problem!

Lovermont · Post by **Lovermont** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 5:44 pm

I often say that I am my own Personal Flotation Device. It's handy most of the time, but if I do want to dive down to see something a bit closer, I always bob back up to the top. So, I have a little bit of stored energy.

Jeff&Cindy · Post by **Jeff&Cindy** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 6:00 pm

Crap. I thought I had finally found my 'special talent'. I can float all day long. I guess there are others...

- Jeff

dreamshark · Post by **dreamshark** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 7:01 pm

Lovermont wrote:I often say that I am my own Personal Flotation Device. It's handy most of the time, but if I do want to dive down to see something a bit closer, I always bob back up to the top.

Exactly! This is why I was so baffled by the snorkel vests - I'm already trapped on the surface, and I want to dive! I finally realized that what I needed was a weight belt (5 pounds seems to be about right). But I must admit that when I'm wearing the weight belt, keeping my face above the waves when I'm adjusting my mask, etc. is significantly harder. That must be what it's like if you AREN'T blessed with your own PFDs, eh?

After reading all the commentary about dangerous currents, I have concluded that it would probably be best to leave the weight belt behind if I ever get around to snorkeling Waterlemon Cay. But I really don't think I need a snorkel vest.

jimg20 · Post by **jimg20** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 9:53 pm

Yes, rolling on one's back and floating is generally available to most of us. The problems that are difficult to overcome are high seas and panic caused by overexertion.

Sometimes the waves keep us from making progress, they fill the snorkel tube with water, and they can make it difficult to float.

The panic is the bigger problem. When we tire, fail to make progress and feel we are out of control, the panic sets in.

Dreamshark, the situation quickly gets out of control if we feel like the current is pulling us out to sea. Resting or floating will not help when we see the shoreline getting further away.

The best way is to keep from getting in that situation. Knowing one's limitations and staying well within them.

JIM

jimg20 · Post by **jimg20** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 10:02 pm

Sorry, it posted twice.

JIM

GotToGetAway · Post by **GotToGetAway** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 10:45 pm

I sink like a stone. Hubby could float all day.
I don't use any floation device when I'm snorkeling close to shore, but if I planned a deeper water snorkel, I would prefer to have something available to hang onto just in case.

michigan girls · Post by **michigan girls** » Fri Apr 05, 2013 12:02 am

I can float in any position, anywhere, with zero effort, front, back, side, "sitting" position - anything. Salt water or fresh, waves or calm. Of course I agree with the others - free diving is quite an effort - but I guess I would take that over sinking.

I would blame my fat (I'm not exactly a petite girl), but pre-kids when I was super skinny, I still had this ability, so I don't think it's about the fat at all.

cocosmom · Post by **cocosmom** » Fri Apr 05, 2013 1:03 pm

Back in my pre middle age my skinny body floated with no effort in fresh and salt water. Thirty pounds later I still float forever.

ColumbiaSCTraveler · Post by **ColumbiaSCTraveler** » Fri Apr 05, 2013 8:14 pm

I grew up in the water...at the lake (fresh water) and at the beach (salt water, of course). I can float all day long, no problem, no effort whatsoever. So peaceful!

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