Swimming ability of freedivers

[naiad]

I started this thread because of the surprising discovery that many freedivers claim not to be good swimmers. I can swim breast stroke for up to 2000m, and probably more if I didn't get so bored, but I just can't do front crawl for more than 30m. I get too tired.

Any thoughts on freediving and swimming ability?

Lucia

 

[spaghetti]

Interesting, Naiad.
Fredivers and spearos tend to loose their swimming ability (if they had any before), because they get used to the fins, and nearly dont' use the arms at all.
Before starting freediving and spearfishing I was a swimmer (and I was younger :-(
It was when I started comps at sea and triathlons in lakes, that I got the curiosity of watching "down", and became a diver/ spearo. After 18 years of underwater sports, I've lost almost all of my swimming capability: I'm simply out of exercise, and not interested in that, cause just like you I get bored of swimming back and forth for nothing.

 

[jimqpublic]

I swim just fine. It's breathing while I do it that I can't seem to accomplish. Taking up freediving seemed a reasonable solution.

Seriously though I do want to become a better swimmer, if only for the safety factor. Of course with a wetsuit on it's just as good as a PFD.

A related question is whether swimming with mask, snorkel, fins, wetsuit & weight belt makes you a better overall swimmer? I guess the answer to be no.

 

[fourfeetdown]

I'm exactly the same - used to do a 2K breaststroke in a really slow time of 45 minutes, but reduced that to 1K (aiming to get below 20 mins) 'cos I got bored - counting strokes helps a bit - usualy around 10/length. Can't crawl for toffee! Limiting factor endurance wise seems to be boredom - much prefer doing a nice relaxed 25m DNF for 10 reps - trying to get my stroke count below 4/length.
Ady

 

[Ricochet]

I don't have much spare time these days (will have more again soon) so I completely abandoned my apnea training in favor of a dedicated swimm training.
Now I do 3000m two times a week which consists of 500m breast stroke as warmup so to say and 2500m crawl with short rubber fins. I also use a mask and a snorkle lately, because I tend to swallow lots of air when I don't use one. the whole thing takes about 60 minutes.
All in all I hope that the dedicated swimm training for better stamina gives me a bigger boost in my apnea abilities than apnea exercises could do at this time.
Well, summer is here and there will be enough prosibilities to go diving, too.

 

[naiad]

I do a lot of no-fins dynamic, so I am used to using my arms. I don't think I will become dependent on diving gear, as I still like normal swimming, or DNF with no gear.

I used to do 2K breaststroke in just under 1 hour. I'm not a fast swimmer!

For me the limiting factor endurance-wise is boredom. I could swim for hours if I wanted to, but there would have to be a big reward at the end of it.

 

[Narsil]

My swimming is very poor. I can do a longer dynamic than I can comfortably freestyle I'd say.

 

[khel]

Difficult to say.... I think my swimming is rather poor, on the other hand, some people say that it's good (especially those that cannot swim :t )

Anyway, with breaststroke, I can swim until I pass from boredom or thirst,
freestyle - used to be a real challenger for me.

6 months ago or so, I could hardly make 100m freestyle :head Now, I can swim 1.5 km without being too tired and hope to make it 3000m by the end of the year (thanks to Total Immersion "Four Strokes Made Easy" DVD ) After that I'm planning on learning butterfly

 

[efattah]

The only way I can swim front-crawl/freestyle is as follows:

1. Face down, swim 10 strokes without breathing
2. Stop, tread water, breathe with head out of the water
3. Face down, swim 10 strokes without breathing

Just like I did in swimming lessons, when they failed me.

I guess when I realized that the breathing was the problem, it was easier to learn how to hold the breath longer, than it was to learn how to breathe better.

Here is a cool joke: In Canada, at a certain level of swimming instruction you must tread water for 5 minutes with CHIN ABOVE THE WATER. When taking this test, just do this:
- Breathe up on the edge of the pool
- Pack to the max
- Jump in the water
- Hold the breath for 5 minutes

Because of the huge volume from packing, your chin stays above the surface of the water even without doing anything! You pass the test without knowing how to tread water!!

 

[jimqpublic]

So it appears the conclusion of this post is:
Some people get into freediving because they're general all around watermen/women who can swim as easily as thay walk.
-and-
Some people get into freediving because they find swimming on the surface to be a lot of trouble!

When I was a little kid I got sent to swim lessons but didn't do well. My best freestyle is a bit like Eric's- I freestyle for several strokes, then do a couple breast strokes so I could breathe, then go back to freestyle. Also I could stand on the bottom of the pool with a full breath of air I was so skinny.

Jim

 

[SThompson]

For me it's entirely dependant on whether I am wearing a wetsuit.

You see, I sink like a rock. I am practically negative in the water unless I have my lungs packed and/or fully expanded. So without a wetsuit I spend a LOT of energy just staying afloat.

So if I use a wetsuit I can swim for ages. But without one I definitely do better in apnea than in just straight out swimming.

 

[laminar]

Eric's always made fun of his own lack of swimming ability, though his freediving abilities would scare the crap out of any "real" swimmer. rofl

I love swimming and can swim fairly well. Swam masters and can swim 3-4k fairly easily when I'm in shape. I have a mean butterfly as well.

Famous swimmers turned freedivers: Umberto, lots of the French guys, Martin (finswimmer), etc...

I think it really helps for technique and efficiency. Lots of swimmers can do no fins really well and can often hold their breath for over 5 minutes without doing much in the way of training.

But that being said, swimming is not freediving.

Swimming back and forth in a pool sucks, but swimming open water is a lot of fun.

 

[MKDVR]

I did scuba for 3 years before I ever learned a formal swimming technique. Before, I just putted around in circles. Now, I have a decent side stroke but that's it. I couldn't freestyle if a GW was on my ass. :crutch

 

[deep thinker]

Id like to think of myself as a basic good all rounder, I can freestroke easily including the breathing and I think all divers should be able to do this as this is your last resort incase of equipment failure. Its dangerous to go out there and not being able to swim properly. :crutch

 

[jome]

So it appears the conclusion of this post is:

Some people get into freediving because they find swimming on the surface to be a lot of trouble!

Jim

I guess I'm in that group. I've always loved the water, but I never really learned how to swim properly. Like many here it seems, I first learned to "swim" by actually holding by breath and "diving" on the surface. I mean I could of course stay on top of water with some improvised style and move and breathe, but it was not really "swimming" as much as just paddling to stay afloat. But still, I would be in the water every chance I got...

I only learned formal swimming when I was what, 26 years? Ie. a couple of years back. But it was an eyeopening experience. With just a few little basic things, I could improve my swimming speed and distance several fold. You know, like in dynamic you got your body position, proper kick, balance - in swimming the same. Once you learn to keep your body straight and the basic stroke etc...It really changes everything.

So for anyone who has not done a basic swimming class, I highly recommend it. Sure, it will not help you with your diving necessarily, but it does make swimming a whole new experience...Or not even a class, but ask someone who seems to know what they're doing to show you the ropes. It only takes a few poolsessions to make a tremendous difference.

Now then, maybe I should give freestyle another try...I get tired very fast in that too, but I think I've identified the problem. My kicks are not relaxed enough, way too much effort there

 

[Apnea_Addict]

Thank god - I am not the only one ;-)

Í can do breaststroke but I don´t really like it - and not really liking it doesn´t really motivate you to do some training. My crawl really sucks - I never really figured out how to time the breathing.

I was thinking about taking up a swimming class in the fall.

 

[yugyug]

I can swim ok - my freestyle is a bit dodge but ok for short distances. What I've found tho is that my best overall swimming style is one I was never taught at school but worked out for myself - 'the squid' - backstroke but with your arms doing a breaststroke style movement to your sides (not over the top like regular backstroke so you don't get water up ur nose ). With either a freestyle kick or a breast-stroke kick I can swim for ages and its kinda fast too.

 

[DeepThought]

I am pretty confident about threading water or getting from place A to B in water, just never bothered with speed, efficiency or style.
I will usually swim under water for a while, pop up, swim above water for a shorter while trying to mimic breast-stroke (or front crawl if I feel shameless), turn on my back and swim a little more above water with no defined style, repeat. I use my lungs buoyancy to save energy quite often when out in the sea. Might have covered a Km at sea a couple of times and have surely threaded water/swam for an hour or more in the past. I feel confident that I am not likely to drown unless the sea is in a really bad shape, but then I will not go for a long swim.

I can't really do front crawl or butterfly and my breast-stroke might not seem like swimming to the unsuspecting eye.

 

[trux]

I am rather surprised there are so many "non-swimmers" or bad swimmers here, especially because I never saw such cases in the clubs I've been member of. Hmm, it may be because the clubs were too selective, and some people who would otherwise stay, were scared off. So for example, in the scuba training I did some 20 years ago, besides all the theory and scuba exams, we had also some life saving and swimming exercises - who did not manage to swim 1500m with and without fins in a time limit, could not drag a (simulated) drowning victim 100m, could not jump from 8m tower, or could not do 50m on apnea, was not admitted to the scuba exams. I think it was not that bad, and I think that everyone with little bit of extra attention from the trainer can learn the freestyle enough to swim 1500m in the time limit. And I also think it is very useful and extremely important to be able of all of this - being in water or close to water often, it is only question of time when you encounter a critical situation when efficient (fast or/and long) swimming will be needed.

 

[jimqpublic]

Trux-

I don't think those of us who aren't much for swimming are bragging- it's just a fact. True, in the "old days" things were different. Here in my town the LA County Dept. of Parks and Recreation started dive training in 1954. The County and local clubs such as the Fathomiers and the Neptunes emphasized the logical progression to becoming a Waterman. Swim, skindive, spearfish, and eventually SCUBA. Now a lot of people getting into SCUBA have trouble with the swim requirements and never even consider skindiving to be an end in of itself.

Me, I feel like I want to become a well-rounded waterman. Maybe it's just post-dive euphoria but having comfortably gone well underwater this weekend I think the ocean isn't as scary as it was last week. Plus, in the twenty-odd years since I was a teenager unable to float I've added 20 pounds of bouyant matter around my waist.

Jim