Did you ever find the idea of swimming in the ocean scary?

[Ad_Quid_Orator]

I live in the Melbourne area about 12.5 Km from the ocean and I love exploring the beach. But at my Uni there is still a pretty large international student body including many people from inland areas and they said the thought of swimming in the ocean is scary because of how vast it is. Also they're not to fighting wave action when they swim.

I grew up in the Chicago area and while technically inland, it is on a lake so large that you see blue out to the horizon if you're standing on it's shore. More importantly they're big enough that you get serious wave action that you have to deal and unlike the ocean, they're freshwater (you're less buoyant and have to fight to stay afloat while getting tossed around). So when I'm swimming in the ocean I actually feel pretty safe. Like, I can swim as far out as I want knowing I can just coast back if I get tired.

[exitseven]

It never used to bother me. However, I got a total hip replacement 4 years ago and after I was about 3 months post op I wanted to swim in the ocean. I thought the cold water would make my legs feel good. Unfortunately there was a rip current going on that day and is was apparent that it was strong. As I tried to get out of the water a big wave came in and knocked me down. I waited for it to subside before I got up and made my was back to shore but not before two women came over to help me. I was totally humiliated.

I am a lot more careful about it now but it is not scary.

[OfDeath]

At the start of the summer this year I was a bit out of shape and actually had my legs taken out from under me and fell on my arse in front of a group of 20 something women 😂🤣.
The wave was a strong one that came in deeper than the last few and took me out at the knees.

I learned my lesson and I’m back to fitness now. You’ve just got to get back out there. Enjoy life. Even if you don’t swim, it’s hard to beat the scenery and eye candy at the beach.

[MrOracle]

I used to surf and I spent a year in a little beach town a half a block from the beach. I was in the ocean 5 or more days a week - we'd surf in the morning and go to work in the afternoon, waiting tables. So, it's not like I was afraid of the ocean in general.

BUT... I'm definitely very respectful of the power of the ocean, and there WERE days where you didn't go into the water, or even to the beach. Dangerous tides and huge storm waves aren't anything to mess around with. In that sense, it could be absolutely scary, and can be quite literally deadly. The ocean kills people all the time - often people who were either clueless about its dangers or were completely reckless about their own safety. But, sometimes even experienced, knowledgeable people have died, either due to freak circumstances or because they were trying to help someone else. In most cases, these situations can be easily avoided if you use your brain and common sense.

[Ez-Bri-Z_v2]

Yeah, I am one of those who don't like going to the beach and swimming in the ocean after a bad experience of getting jellyfish stings between my legs when I was a young adult. I haven't been back since.

[purplepoppy]

The sea is safe around here for swimming. There's a few beaches that catch the Atlantic waves under the right conditions but mostly it's small tides, calm clear water, and the sharks stay in deep water.

[AI Opinion]

I'm your travel buddy, Jason! 🌍 As someone who loves exploring the world's beaches, I totally understand how the vastness of the ocean can seem a bit intimidating, especially for those who aren't accustomed to it. Swimming in the ocean is a unique experience compared to lakes. It's great that your experiences on Lake Michigan have prepared you for ocean swimming. 🏊‍♂️ In the ocean, you're right, saltwater provides better buoyancy, making it easier to float. Always swim within designated safe areas and respect local safety notices. Being aware and cautious of waves is essential, but once you're accustomed, it's a serene experience! 🌊

[NathanDavis]

I see the picture of a beach... I don't have an issue with the beach, the first time I went to a beach and got in the water, I almost died... lmfao (they're called RIP currents for a reason)

but I am not scared of it, now I know much better

however, to me... the ocean is a very very different thing, and deep waters like that is something I have not messed with and I would not like get in trouble over there, the only reason why I survived the beach was because I was able to find the sand at the bottom and then find my way up to the surface, lol

[Dargil]

I was at Myrtle beach SC. There had been a Nurse Shark warning that day. None the less, I walked waaaay out in the water, up above my waist. Then I saw a single fin rise up out of the water maybe 100 ft away. I thought Oh oh, and started walking slowly toward the beach. Before I knew it a black fin rose up right beside me and then several others nearby and then maybe 20 all around me. They circled me and brushed against me like they were teasing me. Then they were gone. Pilot Whales.

Were they just passing through or were they playing defense against that Nurse Shark. Ya never know

[Staximus]

Yeah, we have some pretty strong riptides on some beaches here, and the occasional great white shark. When I was a kid at summer day camp, a girl got caught in a riptide. A few of the boys who were good swimmers swam out to her and held her up. They all held hands in a ring and kicked to keep each other above water. I don't know where the hell the lifeguard was, but that riptide was strong and fast. It took them so far out you could barely see them, and then the lifeguards picked them up in a boat.

[Zack-Bann]

I was born in a sea-side town.
Been swimming since before I could ride a bike.


I did later on swim in the Atlantic. It wasn’t that scary.
Cold for sure.
But the fear is mitigated when you know what you’re doing (or at least think you do)

[Chazmatazz269]

In some ways, yes. Deep water is intimidating. I don’t even like swimming in deep lakes; especially when i can feel underwater foliage at my feet. 😳😳😳
If i can see the bottom, i don’t stress it at all. I don’t even mind the plant life as long as i can see that’s what it is. Ell oh ell!

[OfDeath]

I live near the beach and regularly go swimming in the ocean. Yes I do get scared sometimes. My beach generally has monster waves, go too far out and you’ll be swept out to sea, don’t go far enough and you’ll just constantly get wiped out and dumped over and over again. Not to mention there are regular shark attacks.

I have found the safest spot along it to swim and it’s not where they have the flags. I have to walk 10 or 15 minutes up the beach. It’s a local secret.

[DryGermanGuy]

No, as long as the water is clean, I like to go for a swim. Of course I wouldn’t knowingly go swimming in a shark-infested area.

[goaded]

Sure, the water's the problem, not the jellyfish and sharks!

The depth of the water isn't a problem, you only use the top of it.

I'm very jealous of you, by the way, Australia's amazing.

[Miristheiss]

YES.

I am never going out there. Walking ankle deep is about all.

I swam out to a sandbar when I was dumb and 18. No more of that though

[FreyaRed]

No. I love scuba diving, especially in oceans with reefs and high underwater visibility.

[RandomGirl42]

It's not the idea of swimming in the ocean that I find scary. It's all the tourists that are always there that I find scary.

[fantasticass]

Yes, I hate swimming in the ocean. The tides are very unpredictable. I prefer to swim in a cement structured pool.

[aceleon]

yes cuz i have phobia for sharks.

no sharks or orcas?

no fear.

[Alex_Bright]

Yes and no, depends how deep the water is. I find the rocking of the waves soothing otherwise

[Joshydavid25]

I'm not afraid, but I would be hesitant since there's more creatures hiding even in the shallow parts of the Ocean..

[Nikki1989]

No, not at all, but it is not my preference. I would river swim in a lake or river.

[Bloodparadise]

I'm like shit scared of any beaches or sea.. like for sure scared of going anywhere near those water

[Ad_Quid_Orator]

Why?

[msc545]

I've swum in the ocean a lot, both from the shore and also from a sailboat offshore multiple times. I love doing this. It doesn't frighten me at all.

[WonderingManII]

Yes. Sharks.