Triathlon - Deep fear of water with fish in it

So, that's what I have, but I want to start doing Triathlons.

I'm good in a pool, but there seem to be very few serious pool oriented tri's.

Any advice?

Day before tri + dynamite + lake = win.

Hopefully by the next day it won't be too smelly...

Yes, when you enter the ocean, you enter the food chain. But I wouldn't worry too much about the fish and the sharks, no, you actually stand a much greater chance of drowning than being eaten by the fish. Although I am mostly clowning around here, there are open water clinics out there that you might want to check out.

there are open water clinics out there that you might want to check out.

That's an excellent idea - that and hypnotherapy!

nonsense. (http://www.maneatingsharks.com/Images/GreatWhite/gws1.jpg)

^^sorry, had to.

Work on focusing your thoughts while working out in the pool then try to do the same in open water. baby steps.

nonsense. (http://www.maneatingsharks.com/Images/GreatWhite/gws1.jpg)

Yeah, seeing jaws in HS was a bad thing for me. My father used to tell me I was scared the minnows would eat me when I was two.

This goes WAAAAAY back! :(

1) Stay out of saltwater, for now. 2) I know this is more of an emotional issue than logical, but you might try snorkeling. Getting down 10 or 12 feet and seeing how afraid most of these fish are of you, might help you realize you don't need to be afraid of them.

Maybe try spending more time around the water, before going into it? I like going to the seaside and watching the wildlife. If it's a beach with a lot of fish around the area, it's fun to watch them.

I tried snorkeling about 10 years ago off of Key West - it didn't work out too well. I got about 6 feet from the boat, looked down and saw all the fish, turned around and saw the classic movie image of a bottom of a boat with a propellor, and a lovely panic attack ensued.

Granted, I wasn't as good a swimmer then as I am now, and I have bad eyes, so some was fuzzier than now with contacts and goggles, but the memory is etched in my mind.

Funny thing is, I love being by the water - probably the most relaxing place I can think of. In it is hard though.

I also came close to drowning in the ocean in HS. Big waves and rip currents after a hurricane went up the east coast. A friend pulled me in.

It all adds up to panic.

I tried snorkeling about 10 years ago off of Key West - it didn't work out too well. I got about 6 feet from the boat, looked down and saw all the fish, turned around and saw the classic movie image of a bottom of a boat with a propellor, and a lovely panic attack ensued.

Granted, I wasn't as good a swimmer then as I am now, and I have bad eyes, so some was fuzzier than now with contacts and goggles, but the memory is etched in my mind.

Funny thing is, I love being by the water - probably the most relaxing place I can think of. In it is hard though.

I also came close to drowning in the ocean in HS. Big waves and rip currents after a hurricane went up the east coast. A friend pulled me in.

It all adds up to panic.

Your fears are irrational and you know it. Intellectually, you know that fish pose very little, if any danger to you. So no matter how many times or ways we tell you that swimming in the ocean is relatively safe, it won't make a difference in your behavior because we're just telling you what you already know.

I had a cousin that was very afraid of flying. His family tried over and over to make him understand that statistically, he was safer in an airplane than a car. He knew this, and could even cite statistics to back this up, but it did nothing to ease his fears. His fear was irrational, as is yours. You can't reason away irrational fears.

You can try to do self-therapy, but it would probably be much quicker and less painful if you saw a psychologist that specializes in overcoming phobias. It's very unfortunate to see someone being held back from a personal goal because of a phobia. I hope you get the help you need to get past it and do a triathlon.

Would you be afraind of swimming in water that you can't see anything? I've heard people say they are more afraid of seeing what is there then just not being able to see anything. try doing tris that are in lakes or rivers with low visibility?

You can try to do self-therapy, but it would probably be much quicker and less painful if you saw a psychologist that specializes in overcoming phobias. It's very unfortunate to see someone being held back from a personal goal because of a phobia. I hope you get the help you need to get past it and do a triathlon.

I think you are correct. I'd hoped it wouldn't come to that, but it has. Thank you, I'll look into it in the morning.

Would you be afraind of swimming in water that you can't see anything? I've heard people say they are more afraid of seeing what is there then just not being able to see anything. try doing tris that are in lakes or rivers with low visibility?

Yeah, dark water is also a non starter. I remember trying to join friends out on a floating lake dock 100 yards or so off shore. Couldn't do it. I even tried floating out in an inner tube, but it wasn't happening.

Oh well. Time to talk to the phobiologist! Nice new word.

So, that's what I have, but I want to start doing Triathlons.I'm tempted to just say HTFU :D but I am curious to know what the fear really is - is it sharks or fish?

The thing to consider in a tri is you'll be surrounded by (potentially) hundreds of people all thrashing away and the last thing you'll be worried about are fish. You'll be way more occupied trying not to get run over, sighting the buoys or catching your breath. As far as sharks, they ain't gonna be interested in hundreds of people thrashing around - and even if they were, you only need to be faster than the slowest swimmer to be safe ;)

Sign up, jump in, go hard - your fear might give you a great swim split.

In all seriousness, I know it seems real now, but I reckon it will vanish when the start gun fires.

/k

That's an excellent idea - that and hypnotherapy!

Here's an open water clinic for you: http://www.terrischneider.net/clinics/html/swimming.html. I don't really know how good that particular one is, but it is in California and I'm sure it would help you.

I'm tempted to just say HTFU :D but I am curious to know what the fear really is - is it sharks or fish?

The thing to consider in a tri is you'll be surrounded by (potentially) hundreds of people all thrashing away and the last thing you'll be worried about are fish. You'll be way more occupied trying not to get run over, sighting the buoys or catching your breath. As far as sharks, they ain't gonna be interested in hundreds of people thrashing around - and even if they were, you only need to be faster than the slowest swimmer to be safe ;)

Sign up, jump in, go hard - your fear might give you a great swim split.

In all seriousness, I know it seems real now, but I reckon it will vanish when the start gun fires.

/k

Sharks aren't looking for the slowest, there looking for the one that looks lame, so swim with good form and they go after the one thrashing around. But really they want no part of that mess of swimmers up there.

There are shrinks that specialise in phobias. Consider therapy. I was surprised at how cold the Pacific was (only been there once). And the second thermocline, YEEOOWW! (a thermocline is a layer of water... below that ayer the water is a lot colder. The second layer reminded of a pond in Maine I used to live on. The second thermocline there was like walking into a freezer wet and naked)

You're more likely to get hit by a semi. And less likely to survive...

I see that you're in Fresno, so I'm assuming that your first tri won't be in ocean water. Try taking a friend with you to a local reservoir. Most of the ones that have public swimming have swim lanes that are still in shallow water (but sometimes seeing the bottom doesn't help). I always feel more comfortable with a friend in the water with me. Also, the swim portion of the tri is kind of like a rugby match in the water, so I don't think trying to break yourself on your first tri would be a good idea. Just my $.02

Brian,

Fear is fear you have to decide to put it out of your mind. Don’t think about it and train where you can face your fear. Swim in the ocean. I’ll tell you this I know of NO Triathlete that as been bitten or eaten by any sea creature. Fear is the mind killer.

Thank you, and I agree.

That said, just a few miles north of Pacific Grove, at a State Park, my father-in-law was bit in the thigh by a sea lion while he was swimming about a half mile off shore.

Took a large chunk of his thigh with him.

That was 30 years ago though.

That said, just a few miles north of Pacific Grove, at a State Park, my father-in-law was bit in the thigh by a sea lion while he was swimming about a half mile off shore.

Took a large chunk of his thigh with him.

That was 30 years ago though.
I use to dive at Pacific Grove and Monterey Bay and around the harbor. The seal lions can get aggressive around mating season. Use to take my fish when I was spear fishing. They were really cool to watch underwater.

Brian, when I was a WSI I use to teach kids and adults to swim. Most had no inhabitations about the water. Granted it was a pool. Those few that were fearful would loose it slowly by getting in the water. I would make them put their faces in the water and float on their back. Of course I supported them and reassured them. It takes time, BUT you got to do it.

Open body’s of water like the ocean may be to much of a leap. So maybe a clear spring lake that’s deep enough. Swimming well and with confidence is important. You’ll get there if you really want it.

I've been thinking about vineman. It takes place in a dammed (better than damned, I guess) section of the Russian River where everything is 4 to 5 feet deep. That makes sense to me.

So, that's what I have, but I want to start doing Triathlons.

I'm good in a pool, but there seem to be very few serious pool oriented tri's.

Any advice?

I had the same problem but when you are in the water and there are hundreds of people around you 1) the chances of a fish coming near you are slim to none and 2) the fear tends to leave just because there are so many other around you

Vineman might be a good option for you...but it's a lot longer than Pacific Grove :)

There are some parts of the swim where you literally touch the bottom with your stroke. It annoyed me but I suspect you will like it. It gets really hot on the bike and run though.

Your fears are irrational and you know it. Intellectually, you know that fish pose very little, if any danger to you. So no matter how many times or ways we tell you that swimming in the ocean is relatively safe, it won't make a difference in your behavior because we're just telling you what you already know.

I had a cousin that was very afraid of flying. His family tried over and over to make him understand that statistically, he was safer in an airplane than a car. He knew this, and could even cite statistics to back this up, but it did nothing to ease his fears. His fear was irrational, as is yours. You can't reason away irrational fears.

You can try to do self-therapy, but it would probably be much quicker and less painful if you saw a psychologist that specializes in overcoming phobias. It's very unfortunate to see someone being held back from a personal goal because of a phobia. I hope you get the help you need to get past it and do a triathlon.


I'll just jump in here and second this answer. No amount of rational argument, reasoning, or hints and tips is going to overcome this fear. It doesn't really matter [U]why[U] it is, either. What sets these kinds of phobias in motion and what keeps them going are not the same thing.

The good news is that phobias are one of the most succesfully treated problems psychologists see. The best treatments work very, very well. However, it's important to see people who specialize in these kinds of problems.

Info:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/phobias/DS00272/DSECTION=1
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/phobias.html



You might consider contacting your doctor, or one of these groups for referrals:

Alliant University in Fresno (psychologist training program): (559) 456-2777

Stanford's OCD clinic might be able to help: (650) 498-9111


Good luck!

Tri Aid Swim safe. http://www.triaids.com/

It's a belt you wear around your waist. Triathlon legal. Inflates with a CO2 cartridge if you pull a handle.

you could use that while you practice in open water, with the reassurance you have back up if you need it. And you can race with it if you want.

Won't help much with the fish though.

One way to deal with phobias is incremental exposure. You might try this: Buy some guppies or little gold fish and then fill your tub. Put one gold fish or guppy in and then put your finger in for 5 to ten minutes; drain the tub. Next day, do the same thing, but this time put both hands in, etc., gradually over a period of days moving to a point where you can get in with the guppy or goldfish. Then add more fish, starting over again with the whole process and only moving fast enough to be comfortable. When you've gotten comfortable with the little fish, buy some bigger fish and do the same thing. Eventually you should be able to get in a tub of fish. It might be particularly helpful to buy some colorful fish, whose beauty you can admire, as that would be a very nice extension of this process of getting comfortable with fish. Study them before you buy them, to select the ones that are most attractive. This might work by itself, or in combination with this, you might want to work with a therapist who specializes in phobias. A final thought on this approach, is that you might consider getting some anti-anxiety/stress reduction/self-hypnosis tapes, which you can memorize and incorporate in this process. These then become anchors for calmness when you get in the water. Oh, and one final thing, if you can get a big enough fish at some point, you might want to eat it after hanging out with it in the tub, just another way of appreciating fish.

Fear is fear.....you instinctively have an inclination to preserve your life, so why would you get into dark waters that potentially hold what Hollywood and some rare incidents have confirmed can be real? I hear ya, I feel ya....I won't get into the lake when it's dark out...or even into a swimming pool when at night w/o the light on. It is what it is. Kudo's to you for being able to openly admit & discuss it.

Yeah, there's therapy....so you could look into that. On the flip side, you can just deal with it....you'll be in the water with many other people and shark incidents are extremely rare and almost entirely based on the shark thinking you're some kind of seal. My suggestion, don't wear an all-black tri-suit and swim with others who are! Might wanna try a nice light color that could never be mistaken for a seal and one of those nifity pictures of jaws with a red circle & slash through it....ya never know.

Not sure how practical this is, but I swim with an ipod in an underwater case...just hear the beat, do what you do and submit to the low statistics and concept of destiny. Hey, it's not like your mother-in-law is moving in with ya! :D

After years and years and years of swimming in the open ocean during the night, during the day, doesnt' bother me a bit.

My suggestion is as follows;

1. Only use clear goggles- They let you see more that tinted goggles, and leave less to the unknown. After a while of seeing nothing but bubbles you will get bored and get over your fear.

2. Swim small amounts at a time, but often. 5 minutes a day, twice day, whatever... just get wet as many times as possible a day. If you can get in three times for 5 minutes, that beats 1 time for an hour. As many times as possible.

3. Concentrate on beautiful stroke, not your underlying fear.

4. Time every workout you do. Make everything you do revolve aroudnt he clock. So swimming those buoys if it took you 10 minutes the first time, concentrate on 9:50 the second time...

5. HTFU

6. Get a lifeguard buoy- swim with that.

7. Train with Fins- Some people find that protecting their feet make them feel less vulnerable

8. Train with a partner

9. I could write a book.

I'm working hard on:

5. HTFU

Thanks! ;-)

Something that helped me with sea-swim anxiety was just hanging out with friends in the water. They took me surfing, and we gooned around and basically turned a Scary Place into a Fun Place in my head.

So I say, get some kayaking buddies and a case of beer, and play in the river.

Oh, and HTFU. :) If the fishies ain't eaten everyone else, they ain't going to eat you.

Yes, when you enter the ocean, you enter the food chain. But I wouldn't worry too much about the fish and the sharks, no, you actually stand a much greater chance of drowning than being eaten by the fish. Although I am mostly clowning around here, there are open water clinics out there that you might want to check out.

When you walk in an Alaskan forest you enter the food chain. Wear a wet suit. Its more likely you'll be nibbled at by some of those dam little gobbies rather than a shark. Divers hate gobbies. Small, small, small mouths , but sharp teeth. They like the taste of human flesh. They are just trying to protect their babies and snoopy as all get out. Still, I'd recommend, swimming with those small gobbies Don't go nakid. How many shark attacks happen in all the world each year. A dozen or so on average. Can't get over your phobia. They do have tri's in fresh water lakes.