Hahaha, here's a new blog from me that's not about properties. š
So about 3 months ago, I had a blog draft titled "I Need a Vacation". š Yeah it felt like I needed a quick break after all the work I did. Heck I needed a longer break, including a break from creating good online content. That's why I didn't post much here the past few months other than on my social media accts.
Everybody needs to relax and destress once in a while otherwise burnouts will not be pretty. While on break, I thought of learning about survival swimming for real. Mmm. Wouldn't that be fun. (š If I only knew. Haha.)
Hello Sudden Random Swimming Lessons!
Last year I was able to join a Free Basic Swimming event with Survival Swimming lessons too. I already know how to swim since I had formal lessons back in college. The problem was they didn't teach treading in school when it is the most important swimming lesson of all imho. That is the only reason I never enjoyed swimming in deep waters years after college, for real.
This year, I kept trying to book survival swimming lessons but there was always something that kept me from pushing through with it. Eventually I got so stressed out with work and life in general that I needed an escape or else. šµ So at the last week of November I finally was able to book a survival swimming lesson in Ortigas! Woooh! šŖ
What made it random and pushed me to seriously do it was the news of our sick grandma coming to spend the week with us. I mean, come on I wouldn't have the time to relax if I would be helping take care of her! So book I finally did! š
Imagine, I've been working real hard since June to November I wasn't able to relax and enjoy life until the last week of last month. Man. I should relax and take a break more often.
Anyway, I chose afternoon classes during the weekend because I usually sleep late until early in the morning. Plus I hate rush hour traffic. Lol.
On the 1st day of my swimming lesson, there was sudden heavy rains that stopped an hour before I had to be at the venue. I still rode the bus and not the MRT, then I even went the wrong way while walking to find the place. Ugh. Suffice it to say, I got there late. So late that the lesson was already over. š What, hey it was only an hour and half swimming lesson so who was I to blame but myself and the rain? š¤·
Don't worry I still arrived at the perfect time because the instructress told me they had another class after my schedule. Hurray!!! š š š God is good!!! She allowed me to join the next class! By that time it was almost 8pm but it didn't matter. As long as I could learn how to tread I'm happy.
The Treading Experience
When I was a kid, an aunt suddenly pushed me into a pool where I almost drowned. I didn't know how to swim then so she pushed me. Good thing my bro was also in the pool so I drank a lot of chlorinated water while helplessly splashing, reaching out, crying and clinging to him for dear life. Whew.
Pushing someone in the water without them being prepared for it just so they learn how to swim doesn't always work for everyone you know. Might be why I was afraid to swim in deep waters until adulthood even if I like to go swimming. Pffft. š
So when that 1st day of treading lessons came I was kinda afraid and didn't know what to expect at the same time. I did watch videos on how to do it some years ago but never thought of checking any new ones. There I was, shivering in the shallow part of the cold pool and then the lesson started.
You think it's easy to tread water when you have a slight phobia and you believe you'll drown? Oh no it's not. I even cried a bit at the thought of jumping into the 15 ft pool after being taught how to tread. Man, it's not fun feeling sorry for oneself. š I did jump eventually, twice even, and then I felt stupid for crying and being afraid to jump. š Well there's always room for improvement. Hehe.
I remember years ago during a company team outing I even cried just at the thought of having to swim to deeper parts of the ocean to get to a boat.
My friend was teasing me and didn't know I had a phobia. Well I consider it a slight phobia since I'm not terrified but I started crying and was sobbing for several minutes just at the thought of me swimming into the ocean. It surprised me and everyone else. š Eventually she told me the boat was going to the shore so we could get on. And I did see the boat started moving towards the shore so... whew.
So there I was at the pool finally learning how to swim in deep waters. Did I have a good time swimming? Well it's not exactly the relaxing vacation I was hoping for. I mean, it's still not idling the day away.
For someone who wasn't able to stay afloat vertically since forever, it felt really hard to do. Also, do you know how much effort you have to exert just to keep your head above water in one place? Heck the breastroke foot work was tiring but it was the best way for me to not "die from drowning". šµ Good thing the instructress is understanding while I transformed into the scared and pathetic version of me. Ugh. Unlike the other 4 fellow swim students, I kinda felt like the most stupid of them all until I got home. š
Day 2 arrived and I made sure I left home early. I still arrived a few minutes after the lesson started though. That didn't matter as long as I could finally learn how to really tread water. I mean come on, I didn't want to waste my money.
Of course during the practice session I still didn't jump in the middle of the deep part of the pool again. I just kept practicing at the side, sometimes with a salbabida (floater), because I was still afraid of drowning. Four other students were already happily treading and diving while I and another 2 people were still practicing at the side of the deep pool. š š š
Eventually of course I went home satisfied with myself because I was ALMOST able to stay afloat by the end of the lesson. Yey! After somewhat drowning twice or thrice because I kept panicking, I still learned enough on how to do it! (Of course the swim teacher saved me everytime. š)
The Aftermath
What should I expect from not being an active person but muscle pain. š My entire body was aching the next day. Man even my health drink couldn't stop the pain. Not that it's meant to but I was hoping it could. š
Two days after and I still couldn't exert much effort to even do a short run. Hey I tried to, a day before going to another social event. I was walking fast and tried to run but my leg muscles reminded me to stop it when I started to do it, "Ouch!" š It felt like a muscle spasm. Am so out of shape man. (Like I've ever been in shape? š)
And then hey I remembered I also had to book the upcoming Marine Life Camp event I planned to go to since October of LAST YEAR! š Got too busy that I only remembered to check on them this Sept. And then I didn't have all the required things, like the snorkel gear, so I had to buy some stuff first before I could join. Good thing I finally sold a client's condo or else I wouldn't have bought and spent money on self improvement!
Anyway after I got the items last month, I paid to join the event and off I went during the last November weekend!
Time to Hit the Beach!
Oh I was excited to join a group of strangers to learn more about marine life and go snorkeling too! I thought, I should be able to put my newfound (but still not enough) treading skill to the test. š
Our destination? San Luis, Batangas! I think it's where people usually go to dive near Metro Manila (NCR). Not sure but just the thought of finally being able to swim in deep waters kinda excited me then even if I still wasn't confident I could tread well.
We also had to ride a boat going to and from the dive spot/resort. On the way of course we enjoyed the beautiful island scenery. š Look at that view!
Once we got to the resort, we were divided into two rooms. They had bunk beds but it's not the cheap kind where just a slight move would wake the one above or below. It's pretty sturdy and hey I'm not a light sleeper so doesn't matter to me either way. š
Before we swam in the deep sea, we slept a bit then listened to a lecture on marine life plus conservation. I never knew how ignorant I was of sea life creatures. All I knew were limited to general names like shark, fish, turtle. Lol. At least I already know sea cucumber and sea urchin! Can you name 10 fishes that aren't food? Or even corals and other unpopular ocean critters? I bet you can't. haha.
So anyway, after the lectures and lunch, it was time to learn the basics of freediving! Did you know snorkeling is fun even for non-swimmers? It's not my first time to do it but it's my first after learning how to tread. Hehehe.
Hey look at me grab that line going down down, equalizing and going down some more on the first day... š Too bad I wasn't brave enough yet to really reach the bottom of the line.
There's another basic move where you do the 90 degrees thing to dive. I forget what it's called. Let's just say I wasn't courageous enough to do it on the first day so no video of me doing it. Hehe.
I tried to do it on the 2nd day but failed even after trying a few times. Guess who still has a bit of fear drowning in the ocean. Haha. Put me on land and I'll conquer the world, in the ocean it's gonna take me a while before I get to do it. š
Bye bye Fear of Drowning!
Actually before the second day ended, I finally became confident to tread and swim without the buoy/floater. I mean, what was I thinking being afraid of drowning when I can't even move an inch down or go deep when I was trying to dive while floating on water? Come on. Look who's laughing at myself now. š
How'd I change my mindset? Well before the end of the swim time, my curiosity got the better of me. I wondered if I would really drown in the middle of the ocean after learning everything. So finally I let go of the floater.
Wow, what a shocker. š¤£
There I was, treading cautiously in the ocean, surprised I wasn't drowning at all. It wasn't as hard as I expected! š Whoa, it wasn't so bad swimming in the middle of the ocean. I could tread easier in the sea, which is the same thing my pool swim instructor said.
Maybe it's because I had flippers on but still I wasn't trying so hard to stay afloat as much as before. It's not that bad trying to vertically swim in place as long as you already know the basics of treading. š
At the end of the day it's really always our minds against ourselves. We can do things we can't do as long as we decide to finally take action and start moving to finally do it. š
Changing ourselves for the better is one of the best things we can do to help change the world bit by bit too.
Swimming Under the Sea: Yay or Nay?
Did I have a great time in the ocean? Oh yeah, absolutely. I finally enjoyed swimming in the deeper part of the sea. Not sure how deep it is but I believe it's deeper than the pool I practiced in.
I think I even saw a brain coral plus lots of different fishes. Apart from our group, too bad there were other people diving but STEPPING ON THE CORALS!!! GOOD GOD! Huhu. The fins I had on also hit some of the shallow corals. So sorry I'm still a terrible swimmer. ššš
That's the only thing that makes me sad when I swim in the ocean. People who don't care about the environment or are cruel and ignorant of how to treat sea life. š¢
In the lectures, I learned several things. One of them is we have to keep our distance from sea creatures. (For example, be at least 3 meters away from whale sharks.) Also we should not feed bread and other food to fishes in the ocean. They are not pets and the food we eat are not the food they eat. (Algae blooms anyone?)
Heck I can't share all the things I learned or else this blog would go on forever. I'm already doing the best I can in learning more of marine conservation but others just don't care about ocean life at all. Haaay. (sigh)
Schools should also teach ocean etiquette and marine viewing/interacting guidelines now! Why isn't it even being taught at all huh? It's just sad how ignorant most of us are, really. š
Anyway, all I can say is that was my most adventurous ocean swimming experience so far! Can't wait to have some more! Gotta learn how to freedive first. ššš
So how about you, are you afraid of drowning in the deep blue sea? Do you like diving or learning about sea creatures? What do you think of my experience? Feel free to share below!
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