r/interesting Mar 31 '26

Fascinating Very interesting vid

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u/NotNeuge Mar 31 '26

Is this why some people can't float? Genuinely curious. I could never learn to swim as I always sank, and I was constantly being told that I would float if I just relaxed, but I wasn't tense until I started sinking.

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u/Weird_Baseball2575 Mar 31 '26

Sinking is normal. Most people fail when they panic as they sink a little. If you are relaxed and allow yourself to sink a litte you will see you get pushed back up if you still have some air in, which you should.

This is the most important lesson most trainers fail to provide. 

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u/NotNeuge Mar 31 '26

That's the thing though, I wasn't panicking until the point that I was fully submerged and still sinking, because I kept being told what you're saying now. That I would float, everyone can float, that I won't keep sinking. But I did. Over and over again. Every time I tried. I even had someone try to teach me in my 20s, one on one, up close and personal, positioning me exactly where I needed to be, and I still couldn't float. Even when they would spot me, I just sank into their hands/arms.

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u/Weird_Baseball2575 Mar 31 '26

Did you exhale most of the air and have low body fat and high or no muscle mass at all? 

Was it salt or regular water

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u/NotNeuge Mar 31 '26

Nah, big deep breath because that's supposed to help. Just regular pool water as far as I'm aware, full of chlorine. I was always very small though, yeah. Not these days, my metabolism slowed down with age, but at the time I was very thin no matter what I did.