My sister is afraid of the ocean?

Question

My sister is almost deathly afraid of the ocean, mostly the waves and the threat of riptides. She is 13 years old, and would like to overcome this problem. She says she i mostly afraid because one she was sucked under a large wave for 15 seconds, and hasn't been able to go in the ater since then. Any help with this fact? She keeps telling me sooooo many people die in the ocean each year, and I'm trying to tell her that if she treats the ocean with respect, and is cautious, she will be perfectly fine. Any ideas?

Answer 1

Toss her in the ocean, hoping she realizes nothing can go wrong.  It is like saying "I am going to stay home where it is safe, there are murderers out there and i dont want to get killed"

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Just toss her in a couple of times, but sure she'd hate you but you love her enough to get rid of her unnecessary paranoia right?  She would thank you later in the future though, when she realizes this.

Answer 2

Maybe  if you get her into different water sports like surfing, wakeboarding, jetskiing, and other stuff like that she might find it fun and forget about the dangers. Because I have taught a couple of people how to surf that are kinda of scared of the water and after they told me they really liked it and that they wanted to try it again. But I guess it depends on the person and how scared of the water they really are.

Answer 3

swim with her near the life guards and tell her if she ever gets scared to wave towards the life guards and they can help. its what theyre there for.

Answer 4

15 seconds is an totally a wives tale. Get held down from a big wave for 15 seconds and it feels like 3 minutes. Tell her to relax in the water, and the water will just flow with you, fighting things like being held under or a riptide only makes you more tense and feel like you are out of control. Calm=Safe.

Answer 5

You can't force her if she doesn't like the water.  Don't worry, I'm sure the paranoid stage will pass.

Answer 6

Take your sister on a beautiful ocean day, show her the positive side of King Neptune, The fun , enjoyment and socializing on the beach. If you respect the beaches, positive result will happen slowly. Never rush someones fear, she will get over it soon. Remember, the fun and enjoyments of the beaches. Stay away from the  rip tide, under tows ...etc., until your sister can handle the currents and tides.

Answer 7

Well that's not true actually. You'd be lying to her if you told her that if she's cautious and treats Kekai with respect she will be fine.

The truth is, anything can happen. Respect doesn't work with sharks. They just want a bite to eat. Caution is exactly what several scuba divers were practicing in Thailand but it didn't save them from the last tsunami. Some were spared, some weren't.

A lot of things can go wrong. I think therapy or water safety classes of some kind would be very beneficial. A phobia is a psychiatric disorder and if she wants help, then help is available.

With water safety classes she can gain more confidence in handling herself in the water when problems arise. Learning to be a better swimmer, even if it's in a controlled environment like a pool, can do wonders for her.

I wouldn't put her anywhere near open water until she's worked on her issues out of the water. All lifeguards and watermen agree, anytime you put someone in the water who is not able to remain calm and who is fearful, the more likely you are to have an injury or death.

I'm a firm believer in life jackets no matter what you're doing, but that's just me. If she wears one, there is little for her to fear, but there will still be risks. That's just life.

Answer 8

show her how fun it is to play in the ocean.

Answer 9

tell her how many people die in car accidents every year, the ocean is one of the safest places to be you just need to respect it

Answer 10

Just take it step by step. Lay out on the beach first. Then everyday get closer and closer untill she does it. If she can't even get on the beach, you're out of luck.

Answer 11

Unless your sister obtains professional help to deal with her fear (and becomes a *very* strong swimer (and a knowledgeable one - like swimming 90 degrees to the direction of the rip current to get out of it), she will never "recover" from the fear.

It will *never* go away without serious help.

Next time she starts going on about how many people die in the ocean, you could tell her that more people die from bad drivers on the road than from drowning. Assuming you don't think that that statement would make her too scared to ever enter another car.