Do you have THALASSOPHOBIA?

[HawkPerception]

Thalassophobia is the persistent and intense fear of deep bodies of water, such as the ocean, seas, or lakes.

[OfMiceandMen]

Been there and done that. One of my first jobs was replacing buoys in the big shipping lanes etc. from Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, to Lake Superior, so quite often some of the very last buoys were quite deep. I would have to SCUBA down and unhook it from the bottom of the chain at the anchor which could be hundreds of feet. Nothing but black water where the light shines maybe 15 ft ahead.

[Dongie]

Wow I do. I didn't know there was a name for it. About a week ago I was on Google earth and I went up high and all of America was so small and it gave me this creepy dmfeeling like the whole continent would ve swallowed. I had to turn it off. It was very dearful.

[Dongie]

*Very fearful

[Dongie]

It's like expecting a black hole to swallow everything.

[TheRealPepperPotts]

Yes. I don't like swimming in lakes for that reason. Never realized there was a name for it. I have and do swim in them, but I never like that aspect of it. How interesting!

[HawkPerception]

Funny thing is I'm the opposite. I don't mind swimming in lakes because at least in Canada, there's nothing really that dangerous in them. But I am pretty scared of deep ocean water because I have no clue what's lurking beneath. That dark blue water in the ocean gets me anxious 😅

[Dongie]

That's what I said.

[TheRealPepperPotts]

@HawkPerception Agreed. Oceans definitely kick it up a notch, not only because of the sea creatures but the currents and tides. There's nothing dangerous in the lakes where I am at either, it's all in my head. :D

Also, I don't know who needs to read this, but if you ever get caught being pulled out to sea by a rip current, swim parallel to the shoreline to get out of it and then swim back to shore. You'll drown trying to fight the current otherwise.

[HawkPerception]

@TheRealPepperPotts I actually nearly drowned like that one day. We were on vacation in the Caribbean and my aunt and uncle took me out to the beach the day after there was a newspaper report warning of high tides and 2 lifeguards drowning.

We still went in the water. I was pretty confident in my swimming ability (I was a step before being a lifeguard and I've dealt with swimming in the ocean with big waves a fair bit). My family got out almost immediately. I thought I was good even though I kept getting pulled out more and more. When I started trying to front crawl my way back to shore, I realized I was actually going backwards. It didn't matter how hard I went. I kept going backwards. I started to panic and then my mind suddenly had a deep calm as if it went into a survival mode. Everything seemed like it was moving slower and my body instinctively knew what I had to do. I stopped panicking and changed from front crawl to breaststroke. I mostly used my energy when a new wave came and I was just naturally moving with the flow of the water and reading it. Eventually I got to shore.

Although my instincts were a big part, I can say honestly that knowing breaststroke was what saved my life there. If I had to recommend swimming techniques to anyone for survival, it's breaststroke and the elementary backstroke (not to be confused with backstroke). They conserve the most energy and are highly efficient in moving in spurts.

[TheRealPepperPotts]

@HawkPerception I know you aren't religious, so I won't say my normal reaction. :D But wow, that's so scary. That's awesome you were able to make it out alive. So many people drown in those. I think it's partly because the beach is "fun" and "vacation" and many don't realize it's also dangerous and unpredictable. I love the ocean, but I respect it, too and never turn my back when hanging out on the shore.

[HawkPerception]

@TheRealPepperPotts Haha I appreciate you for that 😂

Yup and sometimes as athletic as some people are, they overestimate their ability and underestimate the power of mother nature 😅

[TheRealPepperPotts]

@HawkPerception That's so true! I remember years ago at the Grand Canyon, there were signs everywhere with a photo of a young, athletic and good-looking guy. Underneath it read something along the lines of, "These are the type of people we have to rescue". :D The Colorado river is deceptive but powerful, and so many people die thinking they can swim it. They also think they can go down into the canyon and back in one day, without taking the altitude change or heat into account. But it is easy to overestimate, especially during the "invincible" years, ha.

[TheRealPepperPotts]

@HawkPerception Thanks for the MHO. :D

[DizzyDesii]

I thought this was a play on thatassaphobia 🤣

But yea i dont fck with deep water nor water i can't see through. I’ll stick with pools that are 3-5 foot deep lol

[HawkPerception]

3-5 feet deep 😂 Guess you're chillin in the kiddie pools 😂

[DizzyDesii]

Its not a kiddie pool. I’m 5’2 so that would touch my neck

[HawkPerception]

Fair 😂 Do you enjoy swimming underwater?

[DizzyDesii]

I ike jumping into inground pools but would never try a diving board. When i jump in, i sink underwater but I know how to swim up. I also know how to swim forward if i push my feet from off the pool wall. I probably couldn’t swim in an ocean/lake since there's no wall to push my feet off of. Plus they look so unsanitary. I’d have to be in the Caribbean or something with water i can see through. I like wave pools because when they slam my body under, I’ve gotten used to swimming up against it

[DishLady]

Well... Let's just say I'm not literally hopping off the titanic any time soon, so I'm fine. I don't generally think about being afraid of something.

[HawkPerception]

Fearless lady. I respect it. Ever went cliff jumping?

[DishLady]

No, but skydiving. Loved that.

[HawkPerception]

I've always wanted to. Even though I've never skydived before, there was a time where I thought being a wingsuit instructor was a really cool job to have, but then I was deterred at the amount of jumps and money it takes to do it.

[DishLady]

Oh, it's AWE-SOME. You have to try it. Ask about "In Tandem" jumps. It's not something I'd do again any time soon, but it was an experience I'll never forget.

[avery58]

To a small degree. Lakes at night are scary 😅

[HawkPerception]

Haha that's the truth. Any body of water at night when it's pitch black is a little spooky 😂

[ChicoFromThe305]

I don't think I got it but I think it would be scary to look at to most, it's not necessarily a comfortable sight or feeling to be in a body of water where you can't see the floor

[bowenw]

Yes and the things that live in it.