How to Conquer My Fear of Deep Water?

Do you have any useful tips for conquering my fear of deep water? I can swim, but cannot rid myself of the fear of deep water. How do I help myself?

If you can swim without letting your feet touch the pool floor, then you can swim in deep water. Easy for me to say but not so easy for you to do, especially when you have a fear of deep water.

By deep water, I will assume you mean the deep end of a swimming pool. Swimming in deep water such as the sea can be more difficult but there are some simple ways of dealing with swimming in a deep pool.

The common fear of deep water is really a fear of not being able to touch the bottom and, therefore of sinking. It is usually combined with a fear of getting out of breath in the deep end and not being able to swim to the poolside.

There is a simple exercise in the shallow part of the swimming pool where you can stand. I will assume that you can swim a distance of 10 metres. Firstly push off and swim 10 meters (or a distance of your choice) away from the poolside, then turn around and swim back again to where you started.

The crucial point here is that when you turn around to swim back, you must do so WITHOUT touching the pool floor with your feet. Practice it until you can do it confidently and over greater distances.

The point of this exercise is that you are proving to yourself that you are able to swim, change direction and swim back again without touching the pool floor. Therefore the depth of the pool is of no concern because psychologically, you know that no matter where you are in the pool, you can change direction and swim safely to the side.

Practice it until you have to confidence to venture slightly into the deep end of the pool and then swim back again.

My ebook The Complete Beginners Guide To Swimming contains all the help and support you need, from relaxing, floating and breathing to all the technique tips for learning to swim the four basic strokes. Click the link below for more information.

The Complete Beginners Guide To Swimming

The Complete Beginners Guide To Swimming

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