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Afraid of Open Water
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I have a phobia of the open water that I'm hoping others have dealt with and have advice on how to get over it. In water that I can not see the bottom of or when you can't see super far out, I am constantly nervous that something is going to swim up and bite me. I know this is absurd as basically nothing is going to swim up from the bottom of a lake and get me, but I can't shake the feeling at all. Has anyone else dealt with something similar and how did you get over it?
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Re: Afraid of Open Water [jhammond] [ In reply to ]
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jhammond wrote:
I have a phobia of the open water that I'm hoping others have dealt with and have advice on how to get over it. In water that I can not see the bottom of or when you can't see super far out, I am constantly nervous that something is going to swim up and bite me. I know this is absurd as basically nothing is going to swim up from the bottom of a lake and get me, but I can't shake the feeling at all. Has anyone else dealt with something similar and how did you get over it?

David Goggins had a fear of the water as well and I think basically he just spent as much time as he could in the water to deal with it and become comfortable.

https://www.strava.com/...tes/zachary_mckinney
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Re: Afraid of Open Water [jhammond] [ In reply to ]
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Maybe try this shark swim?
https://www.flaquarium.org/swimanddive

In seriousness, I suppose take it a little bit at a time. In a lake [free of alligators] the real danger is panicking, not being eaten. Remind yourself of that and the real risks of being hit by a car biking, etc. whenever you do something often enough it becomes routine.
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Re: Afraid of Open Water [jhammond] [ In reply to ]
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Just repeat my mantra, "the lawyers would never have okayed this if I was in danger of being eaten."
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Re: Afraid of Open Water [BowwwwBallll] [ In reply to ]
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Go to group OWS. I went to one with at least 40 people and it helped. Paid $10 drop in fee for that. With Kayak support and everything. Now I just go to the same spot and swim by myself with swim buoy with no problem.
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Re: Afraid of Open Water [s13tx] [ In reply to ]
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s13tx wrote:
Go to group OWS. I went to one with at least 40 people and it helped. Paid $10 drop in fee for that. With Kayak support and everything. Now I just go to the same spot and swim by myself with swim buoy with no problem.

^^^This. There was a local pro triathlete/coach in my area who was a D1 swimmer in college who would host OW swim clinics at Walden Pond. She taught everything from how to properly enter the water in a mass start from the beach to in-water starts, sighting, and swimming in close contact with others. All done in shallow water at first to help people get comfortable and then ultimately moving to the deeper part of the pond.



"You can never win or lose if you don't run the race." - Richard Butler

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Re: Afraid of Open Water [jhammond] [ In reply to ]
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I think in addition to what others have said, it's important to understand the source of your own fear, not necessarily just bury it. I mean this with absolutely NO snark whatsoever:

what exactly do you think will bite you?

you said "lake" which makes this exercise even easier than ocean. in your average lake, you're going to be the largest living thing in it. everything in the lake will be afraid of YOU biting THEM. the loch ness monster is not real, nor is any mythical beast your imagination could concoct. we could tackle this exercise with the ocean, if you have fear there as well.

FWIW, I have a master's degree in marine conservation so I know a thing or two about aquatic environments. but I think it's important to answer the above question so you can understand where the fear is coming from.
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Re: Afraid of Open Water [jhammond] [ In reply to ]
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I have the same fear. I absolutely hate it. It makes me swim faster and exit the water exhausted. Once I can't see the bottom I close my eyes when facing down, open to sight and breath but under water they are closed. I actually do the same thing in the pool now, but not because of fear it's just routine. When I was younger we were in a large lake in the middle of Virginia. My dad called us out of the water because an extremely large "something" was making waves. I remember it looking like a large python that went under our boat. It was as long as our pontoon boat. Some say it was a large eel. Idk, but it was close to a deep dam and part of my fear. Forget about the ocean animals but I still do Ocean Triathlons. I understand the chances are extremely low and I know my fear is pretty irrational. I'm in Florida so we have Alligators as well as Sharks.

http://www.sfuelsgolonger.com
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Re: Afraid of Open Water [jhammond] [ In reply to ]
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jhammond wrote:
I have a phobia of the open water that I'm hoping others have dealt with and have advice on how to get over it. In water that I can not see the bottom of or when you can't see super far out, I am constantly nervous that something is going to swim up and bite me. I know this is absurd as basically nothing is going to swim up from the bottom of a lake and get me, but I can't shake the feeling at all. Has anyone else dealt with something similar and how did you get over it?

When I swim in the ocean, I believe sharks and jellys don't exist. I've spent my life in clear pools so I still think myself right every time i swim.

The thoughts in your head are worse than what the water gives. I cant change that. I wish i could. Good luck.
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Re: Afraid of Open Water [jhammond] [ In reply to ]
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jhammond wrote:
I have a phobia of the open water that I'm hoping others have dealt with and have advice on how to get over it. In water that I can not see the bottom of or when you can't see super far out, I am constantly nervous that something is going to swim up and bite me. I know this is absurd as basically nothing is going to swim up from the bottom of a lake and get me, but I can't shake the feeling at all. Has anyone else dealt with something similar and how did you get over it?

Used to be me too. Someone finally dragged me out to the lake and we swam back and forth parallel to the shore line, like 15 feet from shore, then moved out a little further. Then combined that with swimming with lots of other people, one of those buoy storage bags attached to me (MyFloat), etc., things slowly got better. It still enters my mind, what is below me, more of a 'gross me out' type of feeling rather than a fear of being eaten. You'll get more comfy in time. :)
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Re: Afraid of Open Water [jhammond] [ In reply to ]
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This thread is a strange contrast to the indoor riding thread.

I'm afraid of open water: Here are some tips to help overcome that fear.

I'm afraid of open roads: You should ride in the basement like me
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Re: Afraid of Open Water [Thom] [ In reply to ]
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I don't like heights, so I don't enter any sports that require me to be up high.
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Re: Afraid of Open Water [jhammond] [ In reply to ]
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I read something like this a while back in a post and it really helped me with my discomfort of swimming in open water: "you are swimming on top of the water". Reading that somehow helped me forget about everything lurking below me and now I just concentrate on what is on the surface.
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Re: Afraid of Open Water [jhammond] [ In reply to ]
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Exposure. That's how you get over phobias. You are exposed to the perceived threat. Nothing bad happens. Then next time you are exposed to the "threat" you are slightly less afraid, because last time nothing bad happened. Maybe the fear will come down 1% in intensity each swim.

While swimming, each time a negative thought enters your mind, let it go, and focus on the task of swimming. Focus on and anchor yourself in the reality of the present moment (what do I feel, what do I taste, what do I smell, what do I see) rather than the stories you tell yourself.

Don't worry, you'll get there.
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Re: Afraid of Open Water [turdburgler] [ In reply to ]
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As a kid who grew up in Florida and basically live in the water - this is how it works.

1) swim in any central florida lake alone and you will die

2) swim in any central florida lake with 500 triathletes and you might die. Everyone says "splashing scares gators off"...mate - ever seen 500 buffalo cross the nile? Splashing means struggling, struggling means food.

3) swim in the ocean by yourself in murky water and you might die

4) swim in the ocean with 500 triathletes in murky water and no shark will be within 100 miles of you. I scuba and freedive and spearfish and they dont want anything to do with all that commotion.

5) swim in any lake up north with no gators and no sharks - nothing will eat you because there are no gators and sharks.



all this said - I have swam with alligators and dove with sharks many many times. Alligators are actually really neat to see in the springs because the water is clear and there is 12 foot lizard just cruising or sitting on the bottom. It is neat. Sharks are really neat to see as well - very graceful - until they try to eat the fish off your spear haha
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Re: Afraid of Open Water [jhammond] [ In reply to ]
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I spent many years in my youth and adult life surfing around the bay area. Nothing is going to bite you (the odds are so small it's not worth worrying about). However, harness your fear into swimming faster. There are legitimate reasons to be afraid of riding on the road. OWS just takes practice and familiarity. If you are near the coast, find a swim group that swims weekly offshore.
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Re: Afraid of Open Water [jhammond] [ In reply to ]
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jhammond wrote:
I have a phobia of the open water that I'm hoping others have dealt with and have advice on how to get over it. In water that I can not see the bottom of or when you can't see super far out, I am constantly nervous that something is going to swim up and bite me. I know this is absurd as basically nothing is going to swim up from the bottom of a lake and get me, but I can't shake the feeling at all. Has anyone else dealt with something similar and how did you get over it?

Depends where the lake is & what's in it, but swimming with others is a great thing to help those fears.
If that isn't an option, then I'd agree with the 'more you do it the better it will be' mentality.

I swim alone in the bay here in Melbourne AUS, and still get a bit nervous about sharks - particularly as there have been a couple around in the last few years - but I am generally fine now after being terrified to go by myself a few years ago.

By myself down at Lorne (an oceanside town)? Different story - I know there have been great whites exactly where I swim, so I use a bit more discretion!!
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Re: Afraid of Open Water [jhammond] [ In reply to ]
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Fresh water fish seem to mostly nocturnal. The only time I've run into anything was a dead one that was floating. Probably was a victim of catch and release.

Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.
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Re: Afraid of Open Water [jhammond] [ In reply to ]
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My wife was the same for a long while although in her case it was more a fear of fish than the water per se. It took a while, but it really was just a case of swimming as much as possible with others while you develop the confidence to be less concerned.

Trust me I’m a doctor!
Well, I have a PhD :-)
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Re: Afraid of Open Water [NAB777] [ In reply to ]
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I think I'd be a little (well lot) more concerned if I was open water swimming in Aus. Just spent nearly 4 years in Bendigo bemoaning the absence of open water to swim in but only managed one swim while on the Mornington Peninsula. Got back to NZ in October last year and straight back in the sea. No sharks, well none of the biting and eating variety over here, but a few jellyfish.

I do like NZ. There's nothing here that kicks bites or scratches...unless it's a member of one of the gangs!

Trust me I’m a doctor!
Well, I have a PhD :-)
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Re: Afraid of Open Water [PhilipShambrook] [ In reply to ]
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PhilipShambrook wrote:
I think I'd be a little (well lot) more concerned if I was open water swimming in Aus. Just spent nearly 4 years in Bendigo bemoaning the absence of open water to swim in but only managed one swim while on the Mornington Peninsula. Got back to NZ in October last year and straight back in the sea. No sharks, well none of the biting and eating variety over here, but a few jellyfish.

I do like NZ. There's nothing here that kicks bites or scratches...unless it's a member of one of the gangs!

Just you keep believing that.
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Re: Afraid of Open Water [Twinkie] [ In reply to ]
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Twinkie wrote:
2) swim in any central florida lake with 500 triathletes and you might die. Everyone says "splashing scares gators off"...mate - ever seen 500 buffalo cross the nile? Splashing means struggling, struggling means food.

There's a big difference in behaviour (predatory and otherwise) between Nile crocs and gators.
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Re: Afraid of Open Water [jhammond] [ In reply to ]
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Dinah Mistilis, a swimming coach from the Carolinas, has written a book entitled, "SwimEQ". You can purchase on Amazon. It discusses how to relax and control your emotions and fears of swimming, using a system she has developed. Seems to be useful with some of the swimmers I coach. Check it out!
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Re: Afraid of Open Water [PhilipShambrook] [ In reply to ]
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PhilipShambrook wrote:
I think I'd be a little (well lot) more concerned if I was open water swimming in Aus. Just spent nearly 4 years in Bendigo bemoaning the absence of open water to swim in but only managed one swim while on the Mornington Peninsula. Got back to NZ in October last year and straight back in the sea. No sharks, well none of the biting and eating variety over here, but a few jellyfish.

I do like NZ. There's nothing here that kicks bites or scratches...unless it's a member of one of the gangs!

Although killer whales can be quite intimidating....!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJATAwokJ5c
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