Scared of the Sea.. HELP!?

Question

what can I do?

I love going in the sea and swimming about but when I get deep and I look underwater it's so dark and daunting.

I love sealife, love the fish and I'd even love to go swimming with sharks.

I don't know why it scares me though.

In the swimming pool I go to it went down to four foot and there was a large slope. I swam up to the slope and then saw the dark water and had to swim up because I was scared.

Of what though?

I love the water, the sealife, the exploration of the unknown. But I still get scared. When I go down I tell myself I have no fear and carry on but I'll still have the sense of panic. Help?

Answer 1

Sorry I don't have a solution for you, but I have the exact same fear.  I love swimming in pools, but I panic in water where I can't see the bottom.  It's probably an inherited fear that helped our ancestors to survive (like fear of snakes/spiders/heights).  Natural selection eliminated the humans that didn't have this fear early on, so most of us today are stuck with it to some degree.  It may not be rational, but it's definitely real.

Answer 2

just relax and don't think of the deeper water another tip would be to buy a darker tinted pair of goggles and then all the water around you will be the same colour

Answer 3

Yeah, I can't even go into sea water etc. because I don't like not knowing whats below the surface..

I always think there could be bodies or sharp, rusty objects under the water, which freaks me out, but I really have no idea why!

Hope you get someone that can help, but I thought I'd let you know, I'm sort of the same ;)

peace

Answer 4

I know what you mean... I'm fascinated by the sea, but it still scares me. The coast closest to me is FULL of jellyfish, and ever since I learned that (luckily I haven't been stung!) I have been SOOOO scared of getting into it. Seriously, it seems everyone who's been there has a jellyfish horror story. The "safest" water I've gone swimming in (in my opinion) is in Destin, Florida. I went snorkeling at Panama City Beach as well, but that was a little scary since I had goggles and could clearly see all these sea urchins and stuff - plus I was scared of the dolphins, because the person on the boat told us that they're not always friendly like most people think, especially if they're hungry!

Do you already wear goggles when you go swimming? Thats' the only solution I can think of, that way you always know what's around you.