Summer is here, and like every year, instances of drownings have increased exponentially as more and more people flock to the sea to escape the heat. The problem is that most people are not strong swimmers, and while swimming pools come with lifeguards and others that can help, many go to the sea in search of a relaxing vacation and can instead end up at the center of a tragedy. While we do not want to alarm you, after all beaches also have lifeguards that can help, it is important to know a few tips to improve your chances in the water should you encounter a current that pulls you in and prevents you from swimming back to shore.
The most important thing to remember when swimming in the sea is that it is a dangerous place and that it does not matter how calm the water seems to be, the currents that flow underneath are very strong and can cause trouble suddenly. It can be very tempting to push further than the cordoned areas, but doing so will increase danger exponentially and can cause you to drown a lot faster.
Tips and trips to remain calm at sea if tragedy strikes
Even with all the warnings, some people just cannot resist the allure of open water swimming and fail to consider the dangers of the sea. That is why Freediving Central, a company which offers diving courses has started to create a list of techniques that their surfing and diving students use to remain calm and have the best chances at survival. These techniques are simple, and they need to be, as they need to be remembered in extremely stressful situations, but they are very useful in a pinch, so practice them at times when there is no danger so that if you ever find yourself in a stressful situation, reacting is not as hard. The tips can be split into mental and physical, both of which need to work together to improve your chances.
The mental tips are:
- Practice Box Breathing: This is a type of structured breathing to calm your mind and regulate your heart rate.
- Practice Visualization: Anticipate scenarios that could play out in the water to feel prepared and confident about how to deal with them.
- Practice Meditation: Mindfulness can help reduce panic and allow you to respond effectively to stress.
Managing stress and quickly regaining composure are essential skills for handling unexpected challenges in the water. Staying calm not only helps you think clearly but also conserves oxygen, two things that go hand in hand. To improve these abilities, consider practicing CO₂ tolerance exercises, which train you to stay composed and hold your breath under pressure, as well as O₂ breath-hold drills, which help your body use oxygen more effectively.
The physical tips are to mostly keep in shape throughout the year, prioritizing both being strong and being flexible.
- Yoga: Experienced swimmers and freedivers often turn to yoga to improve in the water their performance, especially when it comes to flexibility and control in the water. Poses like cat-cow enhance spinal mobility, cobra stretches support deeper breathing and lung expansion, and hip openers reduce the likelihood of cramps.
- Strength training: On the strength side, exercises such as dynamic planks, which are particularly useful for building stability during surf-like motion, as well as leg raises, which target core muscles critical for underwater movement, can make a big difference.
Overall, yoga complements water training by improving both endurance and resilience, but a combination of both along with other disciplines like Pilates, running for endurance or lifting weights can also help to ensure that you have the necessary endurance to last for a while if you need to fight a current.