Can't swim or float! :(

Temen · 12-22-2013, 11:50 PM

Guys, don't worry about the swim qual. I NEVER in my life swam until about 2 months before I shipped out to RTC. And I only practiced a handful of times, my abilities were pushed just floating on my back and swimming in a semi-straight line. As long as you can stay calm and do the back stroke, then the first part of the test is easy.

The 5 minute prone float felt like forever for me, again I am not used to being in water and I panicked badly my first try. You just have to learn to trust your body and the life guards around you. They won't let you drown, as hard as that is to believe at the time. It's all about learning to calm your breathing and heart, you are given plenty of chances to take a breath so just remind yourself that you can come up for air at any time.
It took me about 5 tries to pass the prone float, but I know a lot of people in my division were still going to swim classes up until the last week of boot camp.

You'll all do fine and you'll quickly learn that they will do all that they can to NOT kick you out of the navy. Even if it means being pushed back a few times, you will graduate.

FutureSailor316 · 12-24-2013, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Temen

Guys, don't worry about the swim qual. I NEVER in my life swam until about 2 months before I shipped out to RTC. And I only practiced a handful of times, my abilities were pushed just floating on my back and swimming in a semi-straight line. As long as you can stay calm and do the back stroke, then the first part of the test is easy.

The 5 minute prone float felt like forever for me, again I am not used to being in water and I panicked badly my first try. You just have to learn to trust your body and the life guards around you. They won't let you drown, as hard as that is to believe at the time. It's all about learning to calm your breathing and heart, you are given plenty of chances to take a breath so just remind yourself that you can come up for air at any time.
It took me about 5 tries to pass the prone float, but I know a lot of people in my division were still going to swim classes up until the last week of boot camp.

You'll all do fine and you'll quickly learn that they will do all that they can to NOT kick you out of the navy. Even if it means being pushed back a few times, you will graduate.

Good to hear! I will be starting swim classes hopefully next week. I intend on swimming 4 or 5 nights a week after work.

LT Guppy · 12-24-2013, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FutureSailor316

Good to hear! I will be starting swim classes hopefully next week. I intend on swimming 4 or 5 nights a week after work.

They really just want to see that you won't panic in the water.

Entorres · 12-28-2013, 02:01 PM

Another question that just popped up, for those who already graduated and didn't knew how to swim before bootcamp, I know you were asked if you knew how to swim or not, did you get separated and put in a division with others who doesn't know how to swim as well?

savphoto · 12-28-2013, 07:25 PM

You will stay with your division all the way until you can't pass a test, get injured, etc. At the start of swim qual, you get separated from your division and get taught how to swim, along with all of the other non-swimmers in your brother division. Brother division is the division across the hall from you that has the same training schedule as yours. Even if you do not pass qual, you stay with the division, all the way until it is time to graduate and haven't passed qual yet.

mlroehl · 12-28-2013, 09:28 PM

You'll get opportunities to swim if you don't pass your initial qualification....but you'll miss training time. I think we asmo'd 7 people just cause they couldn't swim. And you'll irritate your yeoman cause he/she will always be writing you inter-station passes to go find Nemo (j/k)

Auridan · 12-29-2013, 03:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlroehl

You'll get opportunities to swim if you don't pass your initial qualification....but you'll miss training time. I think we asmo'd 7 people just cause they couldn't swim. And you'll irritate your yeoman cause he/she will always be writing you inter-station passes to go find Nemo (j/k)

You're not going to miss any mandatory training (live fire, marlinspike, firefighting, etc.), but you will be swimming while the division does almost everything else. Mostly that means you'll likely be behind the curve on drill. Missing PT won't hurt you much, since swimming's such a good workout.

We had one guy who failed every single swim qual because he was too dense to float. At the very end, after he got ASMO'd, they finally gave him some personalized attention, and he ended up graduating on time with a different division. So unless you really are genetically 7/8ths rock, you'll pass eventually.

12-22-2013, 11:50 PM	#1
Temen Active Duty Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: NAS Lemoore Posts: 145 Rep Power: 0	Guys, don't worry about the swim qual. I NEVER in my life swam until about 2 months before I shipped out to RTC. And I only practiced a handful of times, my abilities were pushed just floating on my back and swimming in a semi-straight line. As long as you can stay calm and do the back stroke, then the first part of the test is easy. The 5 minute prone float felt like forever for me, again I am not used to being in water and I panicked badly my first try. You just have to learn to trust your body and the life guards around you. They won't let you drown, as hard as that is to believe at the time. It's all about learning to calm your breathing and heart, you are given plenty of chances to take a breath so just remind yourself that you can come up for air at any time. It took me about 5 tries to pass the prone float, but I know a lot of people in my division were still going to swim classes up until the last week of boot camp. You'll all do fine and you'll quickly learn that they will do all that they can to NOT kick you out of the navy. Even if it means being pushed back a few times, you will graduate.

12-28-2013, 02:01 PM	#4
Entorres Newbie Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Yonkers, NY Posts: 11 Rep Power: 0	Another question that just popped up, for those who already graduated and didn't knew how to swim before bootcamp, I know you were asked if you knew how to swim or not, did you get separated and put in a division with others who doesn't know how to swim as well?

12-28-2013, 07:25 PM	#5
savphoto Newbie Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 15 Rep Power: 0	You will stay with your division all the way until you can't pass a test, get injured, etc. At the start of swim qual, you get separated from your division and get taught how to swim, along with all of the other non-swimmers in your brother division. Brother division is the division across the hall from you that has the same training schedule as yours. Even if you do not pass qual, you stay with the division, all the way until it is time to graduate and haven't passed qual yet.

12-28-2013, 09:28 PM	#6
mlroehl Newbie Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 9 Rep Power: 0	You'll get opportunities to swim if you don't pass your initial qualification....but you'll miss training time. I think we asmo'd 7 people just cause they couldn't swim. And you'll irritate your yeoman cause he/she will always be writing you inter-station passes to go find Nemo (j/k)