My sons are in swimming classes right now..... so last evening we went to the local pool. I have always pretty much sucked at swimming and when i was younger i would sink even if holding my breath....(didn't try it last night)

anyway.....after 2 full minutes i was spent! my older son was probably good for another minute or so..... what is normal?

If i ever had to save someone from drowning, I would have hope for a life jacket or something......i can barely save myself.

 

Never tried it for more than I had too because it is not fun. Treading water is about as boring as standing in line.

I did see, however, a story about a US navy guy who fell off I think an aircraft carrier as it was chugging through the Persian Gulf. Not sure if it was at night but nobody noticed he went overboard until many hours later and he was left to fend for himself. He was not wearing a life jacket (I thought that was required of people on deck?) but they teach survival techniches like tying the end of your pant legs in a not and and capturing air in you pants (removed of course) to use as a floatation device. Anywho, this guy was in the water for something like 20 hours before he was picked up by a fishing vessel or something. The amazing part of the story was during the interview, the guy said when the Arab fishermen found him, he was treading water in his sleep. The human brain is an amazing thing. Well........some peoples'.

 

man, you sound just like me! i thought i was the only one who couldn't tread water, even though my friends and family have tried to show me. i use up way too much energy, while everyone who does it looks so relaxed.

what seems to work for me somewhat is if i lean maybe 30-45 degrees back, almost in a hybrid backfloat if you will. in that position, i can last a while ... but maybe only 5-10 minutes. i read from time to time in the news how someone treaded water for 20 hours or more in the ocean before they were saved, and that just sounds like something so completely out of the realm of possibility for me. although, maybe the salt in oceans helps somewhat?

 

ya, i remember an episode of Magnum PI (gotta love the 80's).... anyway...he said "all i have to do is tread water for 5 hours" when he was dumped at sea.....

I think the salt in the ocean helps you some, but certainly not well enough for me to go from 2 minutes to 5 hours!!!

I will try the "hybrid lean back" next time i go.

 

I could never do that either. I can't even float - I just sink. Maybe I ingested too much lead as a kid...

 

I dive a lot so I could tread water for along time. It is also good exercise.

 

I think i am going to try and increase the legnth of time i do it by about 1 minute each time we go to the pool.

pretty soon i will be treading water for 3 minutes.

 

I can tread water for many hours.
No, I'm not bull-shitting, or being cocky. It really isn't that hard. Just make 'S's with your arms, and lightly kick your legs. If you get tired, just take a deep breath, inflate your lungs, lay on your back and float for a couple of minutes until you can resume treading.
I was a water-baby when I grew up... spent lots of time in the lake

 

in the navy they teach you how to do what is called a survival float.

basically, you lay with your arms spread, face down. your legs will sink, but if you don't move, you float. while floating, slowly exhale. when you need to breathe, bring your arms in, lift your head, and inhale.

people have done this for days.

I don't think you can tread that long...and that navy guy certainly did not...he used the survival float most likely.

BTW, they teach the float in boy scouts, too.