Do you sink in sea water?

[philbetm]

How do all of you do this........float thing I mean ? Why do I just sink?? Ohhhh... the questions this universe does hold !

[momto3boys]

How do all of you do this........float thing I mean ? Why do I just sink?? Ohhhh... the questions this universe does hold !

I sink as well. No matter how relaxed I try to be. Salt water or fresh. Hubby could float all day.

[ifloat]

I float

[star2515]

I sink like a stone! My DH is a floater! I always use a full lifejacket to snorkel so I look like an idiot but that's the only way I can float. My DH has tried to teach me to float and he thinks its crazy that I can't, but its impossible. We're both slim, he's muscular so I dunno if its anything stature related.

[Pickle]

I am a floater. Even when I was caught in a strong current at Waterlemon Cay and my feet started to cramp while trying not to get swept out to the open sea, I still floated. That might have been why I didn't panic and eventually got back to the shore (exhausted, of course)... or perhaps, because I didn't panic, I didn't have any issues with floating. Not sure which.

[Lindy]

I float like a cork. I firmly believe that it has to do with how relaxed you can get in the water. You nay-sayers who insist that they are relaxed just aren't. I have a friend who insists that she is relaxed but she's as relaxed as a stretched rubber band because she still harbors a fear of the water in the back of her mind. I try to explain that ANY amount of tenseness that causes the back to not arch naturally with result in that sinking of the butt. You have to relax and let ALL of the tension out of the back until your back is arched and the head is back - you MUST be able to look up at the sky with no tucking of the chin. Anyone can do this.....especially in salt water but you have to trust in your ability to get back to the surface. Just keep practicing in shallow water until you get the hang of it so that you can simply stand up if you start to sink - don't try it in deeper water where panic sets in. You can have a swim buddy do a "thumbs up" under the arch of the back until until you get the feeling for getting that complete stretch and then gradually withdraw when you start to float.This is how I used to teach little ones to float.

And for heaven's sake...DON'T try to float on your back while using a snorkel because if you're doing it right you'll definitely get water in it. Leave the mask on if you must and just close your mouth and gently blow air out of your nose if you face dips under the water. That prevents that snootfull of water that you nervous Nellies don't like. Give it a try!

[dreamshark]

Wow, what an interesting batch of replies! I always just assumed that there was an obvious continuum with fatter people at the floating end and skinny/muscular people at the other. I also assumed that women would just naturally be better floaters than men because even very fit women have more subcutaneous fat than equally fit men. This simplistic theory is confounded by responses like star's and philbetm's and michiganGirl's. Huh.

Lindy, I do believe that your relaxation theory is too simple. While it's true that clenching up makes floating much harder, there are clearly people whose bodies are just denser than water. Relaxing is key to floating on your back, but how many ways are there to float "wrong" in a snorkeling position? Anybody who actually sinks in a "dead man's float" position has to be denser than water, IMHO. Lots of people are denser than fresh water. I'm surprised to learn that there are people who are denser than sea water, but it sounds like there are. If I were one of them, I'd wear a snorkel vest too!

There have been times in my life when I had more muscle and less fat and my body density was very close to the density of fresh water. I discovered that the following tips make all the difference between sinking and swimming. Maybe this will be helpful to you, philbetm.

1) Keep your lungs fully inflated. I used to be able to sink to the bottom of a pool just by exhaling deeply.

2) If you're floating on your back, extend your arms out to the side, raise your chin towards the sky and relax (but don't breathe out all your air in an attempt to relax. See point #1). Your back should be slightly arched, but not tense. Clenching up and folding in the middle can cause you to sink butt first even if you are a natural floater.

3) Keep your legs in very slight motion all the time to keep them from sinking and dragging you down. It doesn't take a lot of effort. If that's not enough, make very tiny circling motions with your hands to keep your upper body fully afloat. Again, practically no effort is involved.

[DonnaM]

I sink like a stone. I am shaped like a human stick bug! Very tall and lanky. I just focus on staying in motion.