Community Chat

[RedTop]

All the times my husband and I took our girls to the beach during Spring Break, I never walked on the beach or came in contact with ocean or pool water. Not my thing at all. I just enjoyed getting away from work to a different location, and as long as we made a stop at a crafters mall, Bass Pro Shop, and the Christmas store, I was content.

[Desert Lily]

@On It  I fear the ocean, too.

When my mom was a teen, she went on vacation with my great-aunt's family. My mom nearly drown swimming in the ocean. She never went swimming again.

When I was a Buyer, I won a trip to Maui. My husband & I snorkled & saw white-tip reef sharks in the morning. In the afternoon we went on a 3-person catamaran. The wind picked up and the catamaran capsized!

I was thrown 15-20 feet in the air and then plunged down deeper than that in the ocean water. I thought for sure I was going to die & it seemed to take forever to get to the top. I made it to the surface & the 3 of us hung on to the catamaran. All I could think of was the reef sharks we had seen hours earlier. I could see all the people on shore sunning and screamed for help & waved. None of them did a thing.

Over an hour later, the wind calmed. The guide had us re-tip the catamaran right-side-up; it took 3 tries.

I couldn't even stand to get wet from the shower during the rest of the trip. I'd close my eyes & see the depth of the ocean. I called my mom & she helped me get the courage to fly back home at the end of the trip - over the ocean. I will never go near the ocean again.

[Goldengate8361]

@On It @I agree with you 100%. I would never want to swim in the ocean. I also don't like swimming in lakes or rivers where I can't see what might be near my feet or legs. Yikes! 😳 There is nothing wrong with you for feeling this way.....

[Rockycoast]

Love the ocean. Would not want to live anywhere that is not a short drive from it. Glad we chose to live and raise our family in a beach town. It has a beauty all its own. Being a Pisces, I guess that could be just one reason why I love ponds, lakes and especially the Oceans.

[CANDLEQUEEN]

I don't have a fear of the ocean, but am not a strong swimmer, and my 1st time to Hawaii, I was out in the ocean, not far out at all, as I said not a strong swimmer, and a tide came up and pushed me further out, I couldn't catch my breath, I was so panicky and since then, I tread very carefully in the ocean.

We live right on Lake Michigan, and I go into the lake, but never too far out...All 3 of my grandchildren swim very well, 2 of them live very near a lake, and my son in law's parents own a lake house where the girls go every day in the summer boating, and swimming and tubing,etc.....They love it.....My grandson swims a lot too and loves the water, so I am Thankful for that.... 

[Estellee]

@On It I remember the scariest thing that happened to me I was in a small boat off shore in about 20ft of water and saw a small shark about 6ft long swimming toward our boat. Fortunately, he just swam on by.

[Zwervend]

I don't fear the water, but I respect it for it's power.

I absolutely love sitting on my balcony or in my living room and watching it storm in the Gulf of Mexico when I'm in Florida. I've been thru a couple of tropical storm/category 1 hurricane situations and it is absolutely amazing to watch the water during the storms. 

I also swim in the Gulf, but never at dawn or dusk. 

[SoCal Bred]

Photoshopped or not, when I first viewed this photo it brought instant goosebumps, I cannot swim and I do fear big open waters especially the ocean and never had any desire to go on a cruise.  

[Kachina624]

I don't fear the ocean.  I just don't like it.  All that dirty water and gritty sand with all sorts of creatures dying to bite, sting, pinch, or eat you.  Think of the huge piles of fishy-smelling whale poop and industrial waste in which people swim.

I spent a week cruising the Western Caribbean and, while the water and waving palms were pretty, I never touched the water.

Just give me the high and dry mountains.

[bmorechick]

If you can't swim, I can definitely see being skeptical.  But for those of us who do swim, swimming in the ocean is great exercise.   We live 20 minutes from the coast and have a small oceanside beach condo.  At 68, I still hang out on the beach and swim regularly in the ocean in summer.  When the water is warm, you just find a reason to stay in.  As kids, we learned to swim and water ski and I am grateful to my Navy vet dad who insisted we learn to swim at a young age.  He himself was a senior Olympic swimmer up until the age of 90.  He is now 98, and while current health conditions prohibit him, he still wishes he could get back in the pool.

When I was a teenager, my friends and I would swim in the ocean at night when we came to the beach to party. It was a wild experience, but yes foolish and I am wise enough now to know never to do that.