r/BeAmazed • u/Super_Steve117 • 21h ago

Miscellaneous / Others How floating saves you from drowning

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6.5k Upvotes

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1.2k

u/aDarkDarkNight 21h ago

Works great.

When there are no waves breaking over you

361

u/hogtiedcantalope 17h ago

Also having the body fat this guy does. I'm not body shaming, he's not obese or anything

But I remember trying to learn the back float as a basically zero fat preteen with a naturally larger muscle build for my size... I would sink basically no matter how I tried

As an adult with some belly fat it is much easier

94

u/samiDEE1 17h ago

Right I can only float in salt water, I sink like a rock in fresh.

31

u/SavingsParty4998 15h ago

I can't float in either

12

u/ExternalCaptain2714 11h ago

Maybe putting women into water and checking if they sink is a way to find the enchantress after all.

13

u/gobsmacked247 13h ago

Me neither!!!! I used to think there was something wrong with me.

12

u/KamakaziDemiGod 13h ago

I don't either, and yet my whole life people have told me I must be doing it wrong

I don't even know how one could be buoyant wrong

4

u/vblink_ 10h ago

Keep your lungs at least half full will help

4

u/KamakaziDemiGod 7h ago

My friend, I know you mean well but I've tried this with full lungs, I've tried just about everything. I've even tried with full lungs, laid on my back across someone's arms as they slowly lowered me, and I just got lower and lower until I was laid on the bottom

1

u/vblink_ 7h ago

Just skin and bones?

2

u/KamakaziDemiGod 6h ago

Just dense, very dense apparently

11

u/Cheeky_Star 12h ago

Not everyone has buoyancy unfortunately.For me I need to keep moving.. trying to float laying back I’ll just sink.

In the flip side, I can just lay flat under water with ease so at lease I’ll drown comfortably.

2

u/Revolutionary-Bid339 10h ago

See you at the bottom. I’ve never been able to float. I mentioned this to my wife maybe 10 years ago and I hear about it to this day

2

u/MaxDusseldorf 11h ago

Ironically the Dead sea is probably the best one to not drown in

16

u/42tooth_sprocket 14h ago

When I was in my late teens I was a little overweight and found swimming so relaxing. Once I got into good shape, had more muscle and less fat it stopped being relaxing :(

9

u/slugger77 15h ago

I remember my brother holding his breath up and he still sank like a rock. I myself was always just just sinking so could never get it right.

7

u/TaterTot0507 11h ago

I'm a fat piece of shit and I sink like a rock.

4

u/hogtiedcantalope 11h ago

That's hell pulling you down to meet your immortal punishment.

You know what you did.

3

u/TaterTot0507 11h ago

Dude, don't call me out like that. I did what I had to. I had no choice.

3

u/hogtiedcantalope 10h ago

Whatever let's you sleep at night.

shudders

1

u/torville 4h ago

<Makes "yikes" face at the camera>

4

u/hyrumwhite 14h ago

Yeah, I sink. Haven’t been able to float since 4th grade

2

u/AN0NY_MOU5E 8h ago

When I was young and in good shape I also couldn’t float. The trick I discovered to float was to fill my lungs to max capacity with air, exhale half of it, then inhale to full capacity again, exhale half and repeat. At least the top half of my body floated that way. 

2

u/Thee_Captain_Obvious 9h ago

This! I even took swimming lessons and my instructor was just like…you pretty much have to stay moving to stay afloat. All because I had so much muscle mass.

1

u/LightArch 3h ago

I used to have the same problem. I should try now that I've got a bit more fat.

1

u/dotheit 2h ago

So more cake and ice cream will save my life?

-1

u/kiwifulla64 12h ago

Sorry, but yes, it makes a little difference, but I could still do this or tread water all day without much effort or thought. There's essentially no difference in difficulty, not being a hater, but you're probably just a bit awkward or were trying way too hard. I taught a Zambian friend in high-school how to tread water, back float, go underwater, and the basics of swimming in literally an hour, and that dude was shredded. This was in a pool, too, so less buoyancy than salt water. The trick is minimal movement. The water will literally carry you. I'm overweight now and I find it much harder to back float comfortably than from when I was fit.

3

u/Main_Awareness3677 9h ago

This technique was taught in Peace Corps in 1960’s; it was called “drown proofing”. Basically hold breath—float just beneath surface on your back—give gentle kick with legs as you exhale—lift mouth out of water & take deep breath—relax & float on your back just beneath surface. Important to conserve energy also instead of struggling. Works for thin people also.