cjbruin

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.

DScott

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:
https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pho...272/DSECTION=1
https://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!

merlinextraligh

Tri Aid Swim safe. https://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.

Niskybigcat

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.

BikeSwimLaugh

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!

CCFISH81

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.

Hardheadmandca

I'm working hard on:

5. HTFU

Thanks! ;-)

andygates

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.

cyclezealot

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.