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My favourite technique learnt during Lifeguard training was The Eggbeater. Basically picture yourself sitting in a kitchen chair but whirling your lower legs in opposite directions. You do this very loosely and slowly. It allows you to tread water while leaving your hands free. You 'can' use your hands by slowly sweeping your arms out wide forwards and backwards but this is only to reduce the workload so that you can very easily stay afloat with minimal effort (without floation devices).
The same technique can propel you on your back by simply leaning back a bit. It is good because it uses different muscles than typical flutter kicking etc. so you can switch it up if you get tired.
i had to look up a couple of Wikipedia articles to understand what you explained, i think i managed to visualise it. Interesting, i was always wondering how life guards are able to swim AND bring someone. will try soon!
Safety first if you're self taught. What to do if you accidentally overdo it and get exhausted. Or get caught in a riptide.
thank you I had to look up "riptide". I also got stung by a meduse/algae today so that's fun, at least i know what it feels like
Cnidaria (jelly fish and anemone's) stings on your skin are usually nothing, if you ever want to swim with jellyfish a pair of nylons over your exposed body is generally enough to keep you from being stung, but whatever you do don't put your tongue (or other sensitive parts) to one, because the toxin can totally mess you up (generally just major swelling like the worst bee sting you've ever seen, but swelling could always lead to other problems). Some of the most potent venoms on the planet are secreted by the cnidaria, but there will definitely be (actual) signs warning you away from areas they exist in.
man you know a lot about swimming lol I don't know what stung me, but AFTER i went out of the water, it was the most intense burn I ever felt. like someone continuously pouring hot water on my thigh/hip. It's been at least 4h, I still feel it, but much less intense. hot water helped
Vinegar helps counteract the toxin for most jellies. I also have friends that swear by bentonite clay, which helps absorb the toxin and soothe the rash, but I haven't personally tried it. It's definitely a good idea to look up what critters are in your waters, both for how to keep yourself safe and for you to avoid disrupting their habitats.
And congrats! I also taught myself how to swim. I recommend joining an open water swimming group if any are around your area, you can learn so much just by watching how they swim.
Life guards will always have a floatation device with them, it's incredibly energy intense to egg beater with any amount more than your head out of the water, let alone trying to hold another person up. I've convinced many people that the hardest/most energy intense thing you can do in the pool is to get hands and elbows dry without touching the bottom.
But once you learn the technique, keeping your head out of the water is almost 0 effort. But nothing is less effort than having a flotation device!