Brian's Next Blog Attempt

I learned to dive in August of 2000.  I clearly remember the swim test we had to do.  We had to swim some distance (okay--I don't remember clearly enough to remember the distance, but it was several laps--14 maybe?) and then tread water for 5 minutes.  At the time, all I really knew how to do was a back stroke and a side stroke, so that's what I did for the entire time.  I remember swimming over the deep end of the pool and thinking about how much water was below me and how easy it would be for me to drown.  I remember being scared of treading water and how I had to grab onto the side of the pool a couple of times.  (I was also recovering from a cold at the time and was pretty worn out, so I may have been able to last the full 5 minutes if I were at full strength.)  After getting my certification, I'd go diving at shores or the cove and see people out there swimming.  I've told several dive buddies that I'm fine with my 7 mm wetsuit on, but there's no way I'd just go out swimming like these people.

Well today that mental barrier has been broken.  The last few Friday swims, I've been pretty warm in my wetsuit, so today I gave into peer pressure and went without!  I knew I could do it, since I have swum without it before in Hawaii, but it still scared me somewhat.  I was pretty nervous about the hanging around the buoys and chatting since it meant treading water.  But once I got out there, none of that mattered.  The swim was great!  The water was very comfortable.  I had no problems while swimming and surprised myself that I had no problems treading water while hanging out at the buoys.  As we talked at the 1/2 mile buoy, I checked my watch and realized we had been hanging out talking for 5 minutes.  That made me remember my SCUBA swim test and how I couldn't tread water for 5 minutes.  I got a little nervous once I thought of that, but here I was doing it with no problem at all.

I left the swim in a really good mood that I had broken through another mental barrier.  Ellen--thank you very much for making me ditch the wetsuit!