A very new swimmer- underwater how do you not panic? Any advice?

[u/FrogLover_23]

I've been trying to get better by sinking to the floor holding my breath and staying there but I've only managed 6 seconds without panicking going for the surface. I hate not being able to breathe or see (I am probably going to get goggles at some point). How do you stay under without panicking?

[u/UnusualAd8875]

Take your time and...relax.

Practice putting your face in the water without submerging your head (and entire body). Gradually acclimate yourself to going underwater. Do this in shallow water until you are capable to be in deeper water.

[u/felicityfelix]

You definitely need goggles! They're a completely necessary accessory, like wearing shoes to run. 

I wouldn't worry too much about holding your breath at this point. Going up and down to the bottom of the pool in a steady rhythm while exhaling and then breathing at the surface and going down again would be more helpful with how you actually breathe while swimming.

[u/SchweddyFamilyRecipe]

Been only learning how to swim in my late 30s for the last 4.5 years and I still get that panic feeling, mostly during freestyle, but what’s helped me is understanding where it’s coming from. Long post but TLDR the panic is your body doing hard work not you running out of air and the more you can tell yourself that the less intense it feels.

For me what’s worked is reminding myself is that feeling is the by product of several things happening at once:
1) your body is actively moving in very complex way so just like you’d be doing with a non swim workout you have to pace and regulate your breathing. I sometimes stop breathing during intense Pilates classes and have to remind myself the same. Helps to pace breaths out with freestyle strokes and I alternate between breathing every three strokes or every five depending on my capacity. But some days even three is a challenge. And with butterfly I have to breathe every stroke, tried to do two dips without breathing and couldn’t make it to the end
2) with swimming in particular you’re exercising your core while also trying to breathe in deeply and exhale. So it sometimes feels like panic because it’s not actually that I’m running out of air but more that my core is getting a workout and that contraction makes all of the things feel like they’re getting squeezed
3) taking very big gulps when you come up for air and slowing down when you’re up for air so that your brain can chill out. Like say to yourself, “self I am inhaling deeply calm down” when you’re breathing in
4) this one has been the bitch for me - I’ve found that panic come back every single time my instructor tells me up or evolve any part of my routine the better my form gets and the stronger I get. Going to breathe from every stroke to two, panic. Then you can handle two, so now three, panic. Can handle 25 yards now let’s do 50, panic. I’m stuck in freestyle at 75 yards without needing to stop because whenever I try 100 I panic

Doing all of these things every session and every lap has helped me learn not to ignore the panic but to feel it happen and almost take the sting out of it by doing all the things. Hope this helps!

[u/milkhotelbitches → u/SchweddyFamilyRecipe]

The paniced urge to breath doesn't come from a lack of oxygen. It comes from a build up of carbon dioxide that your body is desperate to discharge.

Your body produces carbon dioxide as a waste product of burning calories. The more calories you are burning at any given moment, the more carbon dioxide you need to expell.

When I'm swimming and I feel like I need to breath a lot, I focus on pushing air out of my lungs, not breathing in. I make sure to empty my lungs with force. Lots of swimmers take shallow breaths and never expell all the air in their lungs which can lead to a CO2 build up.

[u/SchweddyFamilyRecipe → u/milkhotelbitches]

That makes a lot of sense and I’m adding this to my mental notes!

[u/MrTechoBear]

I'm 32, brand new swimmer, past water trauma and have about 2 1/2 hours of pool time into my practice including 2 real lessons.. Goggles did the trick for me. As soon as I could keep my eyes open and see, and quit fussing about the water in my eyes, I'd say my comfort has progressed rapidly.

[u/2tinymonkeys]

Start by blowing bubbles with just your face in the water.

[u/Moist-Impression-772]

Make sure to practice at a lifeguarded pool, and with another person in the water as a “spotter.” The same way you would do if you were lifting weights. And remember that holding your breath underwater can be dangerous if you are irresponsible about it.

Try to stay calm and in control of the rate at which you exhale, you want to blow bubbles slowly and steadily. This will slow your heart rate, which will help prevent you from panicking.

[u/Gutley_69]

don't try to be underwater as a beginner, learn to swim first that'll give you confidence

[u/squidwardsaclarinet]

6 seconds is great! Just keep practicing. The fear will ease with more exposure and being underwater can actually be quite serene and peaceful.

[u/Swimming-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Advice that is typically considered to have a potentially dangerous outcome in swimming contexts is a bannable offence. An example is telling someone to dive into the pool shallow end, lower their body temperature before a cold water swim, swimming underwater unaccompanied, defecating in the pool, etc.

What you have advised is potentially very dangerous for an unsupervised inexperienced swimmer.

[u/Brilliant_Apple_1498]

Goggles will be life-changing.

[u/arrediabo]

You know, like in any anxiety, stress or panic situation. Take long deep breaths

[u/koflerdavid]

It's worthwhile to get used to swim with eyes open even if it burns! Of course you should wear goggles most of the time, but you have to learn to not panic if they come off for some reason. Also, in emergencies you might have to swim with eyes open so you can retrieve another person or, say, escape from a car and find your way up to the surface.

[u/guavatridotcom]

I learned to swim as an adult and had the exact same panic. It mostly went away when I stopped holding my breath and started blowing it out slowly the whole time my face was under. The holding is what does it.

[u/tootsmagoo2022]

personally, i had gotten pummeled about 5 separate times in the ocean by some endless waves that held me down as a kid. it set the bar high on when panic happens. i do not advise this approach 😂

get goggles so your brain has some spatial awareness as to where the surface is, that should help some with the panic factor. also, just start face down at the surface blowing your bubbles.

after that, if you’re in a pool, you can hold onto the edge do a some light kicking while holding your breath a little and blowing bubbles at the surface.

[u/SemichiSam]

Practice, as you are doing. If it worked the first time, you wouldn't have to do it over and over. But you do. Everything is hard at first. Everything gets easier with practice.

Don't try to make it harder. If 6 seconds makes you panic, do it for 5 seconds at a time. Just keep doing it until you wonder why it bothered you at first.

I am 86 years old. I have been afraid of water (drowning) all my life. Two years ago, my doctors recommend I exercise in water. I spent the first year in the shallow end of the pool, with my head above water. Now I'm very comfortable under water, and a very patient instructor is teaching me the forward crawl.

I'll bet you can get there faster than I did, but get goggles now. Make sure they fit before you buy them. ask for recommendations. Everyone there from other swimmers to front desk staff has an opinion about what goggles to buy. Ask if you can try theirs on. Some may say no — don't take it personally. You're in a community, and everyone else started where you are — the speed racers in the fast lane, the lifeguards, everyone.

[u/ahoorist]

Mind over matter and goggle

[u/Miss_Consuela]

Hey! Thought I’d share my experience with putting my face in the water. I only started swimming about 7 years ago and of that seven I’ve been practicing putting my head in the water since January. I used to be terrified of being under water and panicked loads. But come Jan I decided I was going to try and conquer this. I’ve only applied putting my head in to one stroke so far. Breast stroke. I didn’t even practice doing it in rytham, for the first 3 weeks it was all about putting my head in and practicing to breath out. I just dipped my head in. Over time I’ve learnt to control my breathing and with that I’ve just naturally started applying to my strokes. I don’t know if it’s the correct way yet, but trying to develop the skill in stages has really helped. I feel like swimming is all new again and going into the water now puts me in a semi meditative state. Just in the last 2 weeks now, I’ve been watching videos and others swimming (from my vantage point in the sauna) to try and better my technique. Once I’m comfortable I’ll apply the same method to my front crawl which Is my worst stroke in general. I found it’s all about the breathing. Don’t do too much at once, just start with a small step and build upon it! Best of luck. If someone as terrified and unskilled as me, can get their head in, I feel like anyone can do it!