First open water swims and panic

100% normal...at least for me.  My first few OWS were awful.  After doing a few more I settled down but I'm sure the first few times I OWS this season I will get that feeling again.  You just have to get out and do it a lot, definately with others if you can.

Personally I need to make myself realize that just because I can't see anything (or can only see faint ghostly things) that its no different than the pool.

I've been told that some people actually enjoy OWS over pool swimming...however I have yet to experience this!

Edited by blindman10 2010-04-18 2:25 AM

Me!!!
I cannot wait for these darn cold Canadian lakes to warm up enough so its safe to swim in them........
I grew up swimming in open water.
I MUCH prefer it to the chlorine box.

However its pretty common to have anxiety about OWS. I had a swim coach last year who is a former Olympian......and she has panic attacks when she attempts to swim in the open water.

I love ows.  No walls.  I do swim with a woman who is an amazing masters sprinter, and who hats ow, and does experience panic attacks. 

In addition to never swimming alone, one trick I've read about is to roll over onto your back and simply float until you feel relaxed and in control and then turn over and go again.

I also love my sleeveless wetsuit because it feels so less restricting, is your wetsuit comfortable?

This rule I break constantly.........all summer long. 

X2 on that approach.  And/or if you're more comfortable with another stroke, say backstroke, breastroke, or side stroke, just do that for awhile if you feel a little panic setting in.  I was a competitive high school swimmer and had no problems on the Sprint OWS, but when I went to the OLY length for the first time, I experienced some twinges of panic - frankly even before the race just looking at the course (maybe that was my first mistake!).  During the race, I just flipped over on my back, took about 20 strokes of backstroke and alternated that way for awhile until the feelings passed.  It was a surprise and an eye-opener for me though, so I can totally empathize.

If you start to panic again, roll over on your back and and open up your arms.  This will allow you to breathe easier.  By swimming back to shore, your just putting more stress on yourself, worrying about getting to shore.  Try just going in the water and laying on your back, before you start your training session.  Learn to trust the fact that your wetsuit will allow you to float. 

Been there, done that.

I've swam for years in the pool, I'm pretty confident in the water, strong swimmer (not fast, but strong, I can do miles and miles in the pool if I have the time) Grew up life guarding, swimming in the Pacific ocean, boogie boarding, body surfing, swimming in Lake Tahoe, etc. Never had a problem with open water as a kid/teen, so I thought I'd be fine. I was wrong, very wrong.

My first time in open water I had a major panic attack. It was the cold that did it to me. When the cold water surrounds your body, your lungs constrict. When you put your face in, they constrict more. Physiological response. But I wasn't prepared for it and it scared the heck out of me. I just COULDN'T breathe/blow out underwater. So I couldn't get a normal stroke rhythm going, and I freaked. Once you start hyperventilating in a wet suit, its tough to get it under control. I felt claustrophobic, etc.  Then when the hyperventilating started so did the fear of all sorts of things - water moccasins, carnivorous fish, alligators, etc. Never used to even cross my mind when I was younger and swam for hours in the ocean, I guess that's the fearlessness of youth.  I can tread water forever, so I wasn't worried about drowning or anything, just disappointed in myself and frustrated. Swam to the side and quit that day thinking my tri effort was over and couldn't believe that the girl who grew up on the beach was now afraid of open water.

My husband talked me into going out again. He bought a wet suit to go out with me for moral support. I decided just slow steps. I made deals with myself. #1 - just get in, no pressure to put your face, no pressure to swim, just get wet. Okay - did that. Deal #2 - just put your mouth under. Did that. Deal #3 - blow out with your mouth under. That took a lot of effort, but after a few tries I could manage to push the air out. It took another 20 minutes of so before I could convince myself to put my whole face in. But I did it. And knowing what to expect made it not so  bad this time.

I now did my 4th open water swim practice yesterday. Swam about 1.25 miles total, 1/2 mile without stopping, the other ones in .25 mile out and backs with a break in between. My first tri is .3 miles, so I am finally feeling confident that I can complete it. Believe me, 4 weeks ago I would have never, ever thought I could do that. But the more experience you get, the more confidence you get. You can tell yourself - I did it before, I can do it again. I still have moments when I see something floating in the water and freak, but I am able to breathe through it now and calm down and keep going.

Yep...join the club.
My OWS races suck but I hate the pool races cause by the time I even get in to start the fast seed swimmers are done with the whole race.
I did an oly yesterday and while I didn't panic....I had a horrible time with the chop and did backstroke for the majority of the swim.  Would roll over and do breast to sight, try to freestyle again and still couldn't get a rhythm with the chop and rolled back over to backstroke.  Story of most of my swims.

Edited by QueenZipp 2010-04-18 9:37 AM

I feel ya!

I did my first OWS just a few weeks ago. I almost got physically ill as we began our trek into the water. Then I almost slid on the stairs leading into the water which just made things way worse for me. But, but, once I got in the water I felt absolutely fine! My Master's swim coach was super cold and ended up only swimming about 400m but I LOVED it. I loved the cold the darkess and the fact that I had no walls! I have a sleeveless wetsuit that was mid knee and I didn't feel restricted at all.

The BIG issue for me though is race day for sure. I'm not concerned about the water as much as I am about the people in the water with me...the people that will unintentionally attack me.  

Many have already echoed my thoughts so I'll just pile on with one more vote for TOTALLY NORMAL to have a panic attack. I overcame mine in 3 sessions but haven't tested it this year yet.

that's me, I hate swimming in the pool. all that back and forth, constantly turning...no fun. give me a mile in the ocean any day and I'm happy. but I agree it's not too smart to swim open water alone...even though I do it all the time.

x2, except for the Canadian part

That was me on my first sprint.  I wasn't concerned at all until I got in.  Total shock.  Never expected that I wouldn't be able to swim!  Didn't know what to do.  First time in a wet suit (borrowed and a bit too small), first time OWS and first time in water that cold!  I couldn't breathe.  I survived but did a lot of side stroke.  It wasn't until the last 3rd of the swim that I actually stated "swimming" a few strokes at a time.

I've heard that to start you might want to practice along the shore where you can stand up if you panic.  This way you get used to the open water but have the security of the shallow water.  Try it a few times then venture out to the deep stuff.

We are in this together!
Duane  

Swim in chest deep water parallel to the shore until you feel comfortable and used to the water.

Many folks get in from shore and swim out and soon they can't see the bottom of the lake and the panic starts add in fear, be a little uncomfortable being in tight wetsuit.

For me when I first started I'd time it and it would take me about 10-12' to feel comfortable in open water. For me knowing it will be 12' and I'll be good helped. Counting during those 12' helps and other sort of mind games to keep me from thinking negative.

Keep doing open water swims as often as possible and in time you will feel calmer doing the swims.

For me rolling on my back or stopping makes it easier to do it the next time. For me keeping going for that first 12' was key as I knew it would get better and I'd be comfortable. I don't want negative thoughts in my head so stay positive. Know you can do it in the pool, you have a wetsuit you can float and you can master this.

It will get better..keep at it like you are and you will be feeling proud of yourself for mastering this soon!

Thanks everyone for the posts. It really helps to know that I am not alone in feeling this way. As much as i didnt want to, I joined a group swim this afternoon. I explained my fears and what happened and its was agreed upon that i was perfectly normal. I decided not to try and follow the group but found another shallow beach area about 200 meters from where we started and just swam back and forth right there. Most of it was over my head however because i knew i was so close to the next stop i felt like i would be ok.

Once the swim started i had some fear however i tried to stay clam and swam slowly. I was able to complete maybe 800-1000 meters. A very nice couple in my group who were also pretty new agreed to swim with me. (this sport is filled with such nice people willing to help)

I am so glad that i went ahead and faced those fears and got right back in the water. I have few more swims planned before white lake race in two weeks.

Thanks averyone!!!
Tracy in fayetteville!

Did my 1st OWS last Sunday. Was suppose to hook up with some people to swim at a local lake but something came up and I was alone. I decided I would get in the water because I had driven so far to get there. I got in and it was cold. I started to hyperventilate a bit. I then started to swim out to the first buoy (maybe 100 yds). The water was green and I couldn't see the bottom. I started to freak a little. I made it to the 2nd buoy (200 yds) and turned to look at the shore. I was a long way out and really started to freak. I started to swim back in and couldn't catch my breath. I flipped over on my back and floated for a bit. It helped but I was still hyperventilating. I made it back in but I shouldn't have swam by myself.

Today I went back out to a different lake with a group of people and I did so much better. It was cold but I didn't freak out at all. My swimming wasn't great but I can work on that. I at least have the confidence that I can do it and that I won't drown. I also try to keep the negative thoughts out of my head by focusing on stroke count and sighting.

It's normal and you can overcome it with practice. Good luck!

There has been 2 post about OWS and neither have said muhc of anything but bad stuff abou ..i have yet to do it i mean i grew up swimming in lakes and oceans but when we are young we are fearless like someone else said...ahh i hate the fear of hte unkown i really wonder how it will be for me...i hope its not as bad as everyone makes it sound

Hey Everyone--  first off, thank you to everyone for lending your thoughts on this and not judging.  I feel compelled to jump in since I've dealt with extensive panic attacks and have recently begun dealing with them in OWS.  I would LOVE to start a group or connect with any other swimmers who are dealing with this and see if we can help each other.  Please message me if you'd like to connect.

I've had panic attacks just about everywhere, for a long list of ridiculous (post-attack) reasons.  Having just completed my second real OWS yesterday and having quite possibly the worst attack of my life, I really feel for anyone struggling with this.   Both times I was swimming with extremely accomplished swimmers, who had every intention and ability to swim me back to shore regardless of what happened, and in the end it meant nothing.  The fact is, panic hits and you can't rationalize it away.  Why?  Because you're subconscious triggered it in the first place... if you were being rational, you wouldn't be having the panic attack in the first place.  Often, panic is a basic fight-or-flight response.  The problem is, the "trigger" isn't real, so what do you flee from?  In OWS, this is compounded, because there's nothing to fight and good luck running away...

But I'm heading off topic -- here's what I HAVE learned both in water and out:
- the panic is real, it will not go away on it's own.  It doesn't matter that you're "not really in danger" because your body is reacting like you ARE really in danger.
- the effects of the diving reflex (shortness of breath, tight chest, dizziness) are often triggers for people with panic issues, and will set a chain of events in motion whether you like it or not.   Spending some time IN WATER with your face in (20 minutes or so) before actually trying to swim is a huge help.
- I was lucky enough to do a cold water OWS with a true master -- (46 miles straight in 27 hours is his current record).  He insisted that for the first 300 meters or so I did no more than a few strokes, face in, then roll onto my back, breathe, and enjoy the warmth of the air above.  This was in 52deg water 2 weeks ago and I had FAR more success than in 62deg yesterday (skipped the long warm up)
- my ABILITY to swim a particular distance has nothing do with my fears.  I'm more than capable of staying afloat, swimming for a couple of hours, a couple miles, etc..  For me, when I hit the middle of open water and see no "anchor point", just blurry stuff at a distance and darkness below, bright light above, everything kicks into full gear.  Doesn't matter if I'm tired or not.
- my panic goes like this (and I know many people who follow the same path):  first, breathing issues of any kind, then my body temperature goes nuts, then disorientation kicks in, anything from dizziness/vertigo, then I get fidgety.  OWS makes this really awkward.  My buddy says "lay on your back and relax", so I try to, and immediate have to flip back over and look at him -- too much movement on my back.  Then I look at him, and I'm dizzy.  Stop swimming?  I'm freezing.  Swim harder?  Can't breathe.  It just keeps going.  Anywhere other than in water you can try lots of different things.  In water, you become immediately aware of the fact that THIS TIME it's actually dangerous as opposed to just scary.

So what to do about it?  This is where my past experience has been helpful.   The only way I have ever beaten panic is to repeat the process.  Your body has a reaction, outside of your control, and the only way it stops recreating it is to expose yourself to the same stimulus and let your body learn that you are NOT actually in danger.  Each time, you beat it back a little more.  Problem is, it sucks while you do it.  Add athletic competition in there and you have a recipe for misery.

Because you have to recreate the situation, (at least for me) swimming along the shoreline, or swimming in a smaller space doesn't help, since the full panic will never kick in when I have the relative illusion of safety.  When I know I can stand up, or get to shore in 5 strokes, the panic will never happen.  Cold water, warm water, doesn't matter.  Sure there will be exhaustion, and other dive-reflex type responses, but the real "fear" won't hit until I'm way out.  As for the tri's, I'm hoping that the presence of the lifeguards, the buoys to focus on, and the thrill will pay off.

So, in 2.5 miles of real OWS, I've had 4 full panic attacks, 1 of which I put at the very top of my lifelong list.  My plan (and I hope it works), which terrifies me on it's own, is to start swimming straight out into larger water with a friend behind in a kayak.  Each time you live through an attack, you get to tally up a little win to use as ammo for the next one.  As it starts to hit you, you think "I beat that one back in Hopkinton" and it gets a little be better.

This isn't going to win me any swim splits, but the biggest reason I'm getting into Tri's is to beat some personal demons, so all the more reason to push this hard.

Thanks for reading my babble -- message me if you want to commiserate!  Mostly, know that there are people out there who feel the same.  TELL YOUR TRAINING BUDDIES -- it's great to not have to explain this stuff in the water while it's happening...


Dave

As other have said 100% normal..

I have never been a swimmer and I challanged myself 6 months ago to learn. I was learning to swim in the pool and had training at the beach to get into the ocean and try and swim. Panic was with me from day 1. I couldn't catch wave, dolphin dive and I would hyperventilate.

Then slowly I got a bit more comfortable. I managed a 1km swim in Jan. I thought the fear was gone. Well - recently I got a wet suit and went on a swim last monday. Conditions were great and there were about 20 of us. we got into the water. Most of the swimmer got ahead, I was behind, by wet suit felt tight, my goggles fogged up and I felt a bit alone. I started hyperventilating. The coach was with me got me to relax...but I pulled out without doing the whole swim...

So...don't worry..it is normal. What I would strongly recommend is to find a safe group who will swim with you and look out for you when you do your OWS.....this will be good to get confidence and keep calm..

Good luck...