Q&A for How to Stay Underwater in a Swimming Pool

It depends on how much chlorine in the pool, and how sensitive you are to it. It's quite possible your eyes will feel irritated for a while.

I find that spreading my legs and arms out (almost like a starfish) helps, as well as taking a deep breath before entering. If you can, try floating on your back, breathing, and then turning over.

First, take a deep breath. Then get into the water. Slowly let air out of your lungs until you begin to sink.

Get a kickboard and practice kick drills back and forth in a pool. You could also do leg-strengthening exercises like squats and lunges.

Push off the bottom of the surface with your feet, and shoot up toward the top of the pool.

The chlorine and salt in the water can ruin your eyes so I would strongly recommend using goggles.

How long it is safe to stay underwater for varies by person. Personally, I have practiced holding my breath and can now stay under for about two minutes, but if you haven't trained your lungs or are just starting to practice, you should stay under a maximum of 30 seconds, or until your body screams at you for oxygen, whichever comes first.

It really depends on your weight. This can make it easier for me, so give it a try and see if it works for you!

That actually isn't possible if the pool is over 6 feet deep, even if you weigh 400 lbs. Humans are naturally buoyant. Relax your body, and you will automatically float to the top.

Do not let your head move and make an hourglass pull. If your arms get tired, pick up your kick and lax your arms. Do the opposite if your feet get tired.

No. Humans do not posses gills like fish and sharks, so we need to use oxygen tanks. Keep in mind that even aquatic mammals like dolphins and whales need to come up to the surface to breathe.

You can hold something that sinks, such as a large enough rock, which will bring you with it as it sinks. However, tying yourself to something that's more dense than water to sink is not recommended, in case you get stuck and lose the ability to swim back up.

Try and let the air out of your nose slowly. This will help you sink. Holding air in your lungs will make you float.

Pinch your nose with your finger and thumb and blow into your nose. This will help to equalize your ears with the water pressure in deep water.

You can try pushing yourself against the wall slightly so that you can hold your body in place.

Typically yes, because fat floats and muscle sinks. Males generally have more muscle than females. Though not to be sexist, you could say that it is easier for people with a higher body fat percentage to swim than it is for people with a lower body fat percentage.

Try breathing out of your nose like you're blowing into a tissue (gently) when underwater. This will keep water from going into your nose. Also, try not to breathe underwater, even slightly. Just barely sniffing will cause water to gush into your nose.

The most relaxing way is to simply float on your back. Do so by relaxing your body and getting into a lying position near the surface. Gently blow air out of your nose (so water doesn't go in) until your face breaks the water. Try to look up and not forwards, which will cause you to sink. You can also tread water or lift your chin up as high as you can and gently kick with your legs if you want to see your surroundings. However, these will require more energy than floating on your back, unless you use a pool float or other artificial floating device.

Dolphin kicking is kicking with both of your feet together and using your hips to drive your body forward. Don't kick with your knees, because it won't get you anywhere.

Alert the lifeguard first, if there is one, as soon you see someone in trouble. If you decide to go in to help, first alert anyone else around to call the emergency services while you perform the rescue. If you indeed have a floating device, see if you can throw it to the drowning person. Most of these have a fairly long rope attached to them, so use that to pull the victim towards you. Failing all that, use the rope to tie the device to your shoulder, freeing up your arms to swim faster. If even that is not possible, swim with two legs but just one hand, or place the device under your body to paddle.

Try to hold your breath longer on land first. After you feel you have mastered that, try it in the water. If you think you didn't hold it long enough, try again.

No. It's all about how much air is in your lungs. Exhale a little more to stay under more easily. If you have things like bars, ridges, edges to hold on to, they will help. But breast size does not influence this equation much.

Both. Mouth is easier, but through the nose gives you more control of the sinking speed, as you exhale less air in a given time. But both is the best way to exhale a lot of air quickly.

A dolphin kick is where you keep your legs clamped together side by side and kick up and down while rolling your back (so that you look a little like a dolphin). You can probably find a video on YouTube.

The approach can vary from person to person. It also depends on whether you are going head first or feet first. Head first is easier for beginners, because it allows them to use their arms to pull and their legs to kick. Also, spend some time with breath training. If you struggle to make it to the bottom because you run out of breath, do breathing exercises and work on your lung capacity. As for without goggles, close your eyes and occasionally open them a second or two to see how far down you are.

It depends on whether or not you are coming off of the blocks. If that is the case, position yourself on the block (your dominant leg should be the leg you push off with), then bend your head until your chin touches your collarbone. Fully lock and extend your arms, making sure your ears are covered by your arms. Lean over slightly and place your hands together. Push off your back leg and dive into the pool. Always dive into deep water; you can injure or kill yourself if diving into shallow water.

Yes, you can! Swimming has no age limit, and it is a healthy exercise that can help if you have weight issues, arthritis, etc., as the water buoys you up. Talk to a local swim school, YMCA/YWCA or community pool for information about lessons.

Yes, it's normal to have that happening! You can try to go back to the surface and take some deep breaths. Then, try to release some of the air to see if you sink.

Many people swim in chlorinated pools without goggles. It will sting a bit but once you get used to it, you can swim without goggles with no problem.

No. The purpose of goggles is to protect your eyes and make it easier to see underwater. Therefore, you should not have infected eyes when wearing goggles.