Swimming is a great way to have fun and get some exercise. Whether you are an experienced swimmer or just getting into the sport, there are many benefits of swimming. One thing that new swimmers might be worried about is how they will react when they go underwater for the first time in the pool. This article tackles this issue by providing 10 tips on how to swim underwater.
Be Mentally prepared
This is the most important step. Even though you may be very excited to learn how to swim underwater, it’s always a good idea to go for an easy practice session first before diving in headfirst. This will help to reduce your anxiety and get you mentally prepared for what you are about to experience. You’ll find that if you follow this advice, going underwater won’t seem as scary or intimidating anymore!
A lot of people find they have trouble breathing when their head goes below the surface and this may also happen to you if this is your first time submerging yourself under water as well. If ever this does happen, just remember one thing: keep calm!
Use goggles
A swimming goggle will be your best friend when it comes to learn how to swim underwater. They are a great tool for increasing the length of your swim time and they will keep your eyes from drying out in chlorinated pools.
There are different types of swimming goggles, such as training goggles, competing goggles, etc. and there are goggles for diving. But a normal training goggles will do the job just fine in this situation, such as the arena Swedix swimming goggles.
Practice holding your breath
Practice holding your breath in the bathtub or pool to build up lung capacity. The goal is to be able to hold your breath underwater for at least 30 seconds or more without feeling any pain or discomfort. Don’t worry if you can’t do this at first, as you build up your lungs, your time underwater will increase gradually.
You can practice this by swimming some laps and then practicing deep breaths, first on the surface of the water then underneath it. Do not try this exercise if you have a recent ear infection, cold symptoms or sinus problems as these make it difficult to equalize pressure inside and outside your skull which will lead to pain when you begin holding your breath under water.
Know your limit
One of the most important steps in learning how to swim underwater is knowing your limitations. There are a few things to consider before diving head-first into the deep end: how long can you hold your breath, do you have any chronic health conditions that could affect breathing or lung capacity, and what’s your general comfort level with being submerged?
If all of those questions answered positively for you then congratulations! You’re ready to take on the challenge of undersea exploration.
The next thing to think about is safety, especially in open water. It’s important when going down below depths over five meters (16 feet) even if it’s just for exploring purposes because there may be hazards like reefs and rocks so make sure someone else knows where you are at all times and always use proper protection such as a wetsuit and snorkel to avoid cuts.
If you’re in open water then be mindful of the weather, because waves may cause problems if they are strong enough. And finally, remember that it’s important not to stay underwater for too long at one time: try alternating between going down deep and coming back up for air every three minutes or so.
Practice exhaling with nose only underwater
It is important to get used to feeling the air come out of your nose and not through your mouth as it can be difficult breathing in this way. Practice exhaling with your nose only underwater in order to re train how you breathe when swimming. Remember, when you’re underwater, only exhale and don’t inhale.
For this practice, start at shallow water, then take a deep breath to full lungs capacity. Put your face below water and start blowing bubbles through your noses.
When you’re getting familiar with this practice, try hold your breath and then exhale a bit, stop for few seconds, and exhale again. Repeat this until you’re out of breath.
Practice on shallow end of pool
If you’re a beginner to swimming underwater, start out practicing on the shallow end of the pool. This way if you need air, it’s easy to come up for some quick breaths before going back under water again.
You should not practice in open water, even in shallow water. The surface underwater might be unpredictable, and it’ll be dangerous for you if you slip or fall into deeper water.
Have a buddy
A buddy or a swimming partner is a good idea to have on your side when learning how to swim underwater. This way it’ll be easier for both of you as well because there are two pairs of eyes looking out for each other; this means less chances of drowning.
Get some rest inbetween
Swimming underwater is hard work. It consumes a lot more oxygen than swimming on the surface, it’s harder for you muscles to get enough blood flow when exercising. Make sure you take some time rest inbetween sets of laps. The “rest” should be as long as it takes for your heart rate to drop back down into its resting range; this may not correspond with how many minutes elapsed since your last break.
Think of each “rest” like a mini workout: take time to stretch out and make sure you’re ready for exercise again before starting another set of laps.
Practice dolphin kicks
Well, let’s face it: you won’t be able to do freestyle or butterfly underwater. The only strokes that you can do are breaststroke & dolphin kick.
If you have experience with breaststroke, then doing underwater breaststroke won’t be much different. And in fact, by doing underwater breaststroke, you may pay more attention to your technique and improve your breaststroke.
But by far, dolphin kick is the most effective underwater stroke, and the most fun.
How to do dolphin kick?
- Stand near a pool side
- Put both of your arms behind your head.
- Put one palm above the other. Your upper arms should form a lock over your head.
- Now face down under the water and use your legs to kick agains the side of the pool.
- Both of your legs should kick simultaneously up and down.
- From your belly down to your legs should move like a dolphin (or sine wave).
- You can move your hands up & down to correct the depth you’re swimming.
Keep going for about 30 yards (or 25 meters), then turn around and go back.
This is how to swim underwater!
Use swimfins
Fins are great for swimming underwater. But it can be overwhelming for those who doesn’t have much experience swimming underwater. So it’s better that you practice without fins first, and then as you gradually acquire more experience, you can try using swimfins.
There are 2 types of swimfins: monofin & bi-fins (or simply as swim fins). Both are okay for swimming underwater, and for the sake of simplicity of this article, we won’t go into more details.
Final thoughts
Learning how to swim underwater can be a fun challenge that no swimmer should pass. However, as with any new skill, it takes time to perfect the technique. Commit some of your free swims or pool days to practicing underwater swimming and you’ll soon find how rewarding it is!