See earlier article for part one where I talk about jumping into the deep end of the pool, treading water, the backstroke, and the front crawl. When I published the first part, I didn’t actually know the breaststroke yet, but I thought I could learn it in the lessons I had left in August 2024. I was so very wrong. Just, like, comically wrong. Learning is hard.
5. Swim two laps using the breaststroke
I still can’t do this, guys.
The breaststroke is difficult because you have to turn your ankles outward and keep your knees outside your ankle. It’s the most technically complex of the strokes. Timing is key.
I’m not coordinated, so breaststroke is a real challenge for me. You have to breathe out through your nose when you’re underwater, which is not how I do it for the front crawl stroke, so I had to learn a whole new skill. And frankly, when I finally turned my attention to learning the breaststroke, I was three years into consistent swimming lessons and sort of done with the whole thing mentally, so I took some time off.
In the two years since, I’ve tried some more learning of this stroke and it still confounds me. I’ll keep trying, but not very hard. Mark says nobody cares about this stroke.
6. Touch the bottom of the deep end of the pool with my hand
This sub-bucket list item of touching the bottom of the deep end of the pool with my hand seemed impossible. First, I’m very buoyant and float easily, so getting down under the water is physically not that easy.
Second, and more importantly, I learned you have to exhale out all your air and then you’ll sink. Which sounds insane to me! If I breathe out all my air, won’t I not have air? That was my fundamental disconnect.
I touched the bottom of a five feet, two inches deep pool in July 2023 by kicking off the side of the pool, exhaling out most of my air, and then fighting like mad to get to the bottom. A year later, I was able to touch the bottom of a ten foot deep pool pretty easily. Now, years later, I do it without thinking; My favorite thing to do now is swim between people’s legs. Practice.
7. Jump off a diving board
Jumping off a diving board is like jumping into the deep end, except on steroids. I’m not afraid of heights, but the water at the end of the height made this one tricky. There was a diving board when we went to Glenwood Springs hot springs. I saw it, gathered up all my courage, climbed the ladder and then, before I had time to think, I jumped. I completed this goal in May 2024. The board was not super tall, maybe a few feet, but it was a majestic moment.
We’ve visited Glenwood a few times since then and I’ve jumped more. By early 2025, I was diving headfirst into a deep pool from the edge. Persistent, steady practice.
8. Go scuba diving
I took scuba diving classes in Denver at a deep pool. I’m all about the classes. It was scary at first, but if you trust the equipment, I guess it’s okay. I told you about this. I did it in May 2025.
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Cost
I spent $497.75 on swimming lessons, taking eleven sets of lessons, two days a week, 30-45 minutes a day, four weeks at a time over three plus years from the Denver Parks and Rec center.
I can’t tell you how euphoric it is to learn something new, especially something you thought was impossible. It shakes off the plaque in the old brain cells and makes you feel alive again. I highly recommend.
You have to change your identity from a non-swimmer to a swimmer and that mindshift shift takes time.
I always felt like I was missing out when I was traveling because I couldn’t swim. Now I play in the pool, in the deep end. I jump in and I actually have fun. It’s amazing!
After all that, am I comfortable in the water? The answer, if I’m being honest with myself, is still no. I wouldn’t dream of going surfing or jumping off a high diving board. I now have a very healthy fear of the water instead of an incapacitating fear of the water.
And I know I say this a lot, but I don’t think I would have been able to achieve this goal if it weren’t for early retirement. I tried and took swimming lessons all throughout my adulthood. I couldn’t juggle so many balls while working, and a ball I initially hated – swimming – would drop pretty quickly when other things came up. Based on past experience.
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What about you? Are you a good swimmer? Can you do all of the items I listed in these articles? Is there anything else I should add to the list? I could probably do with a few more lessons.
Yay! I’ve thought about scuba diving but haven’t gotten around to it. I do fine in the water and definitely don’t sink, but I worried that if I somehow wanted to do a triathlon I might sink in the swimming part. Fortunately I have no desire to do a triathlon. Also haven’t bothered doing breaststroke, but can do all the other things.
That makes me feel better. We should make an everything but breast stroke club.
“I can’t tell you how euphoric it is to learn something new, especially something you thought was impossible. It shakes off the plaque in the old brain cells and makes you feel alive again. I highly recommend.”
Thanks for this life lesson. I have always tried to do new things. Travelling is a great way to practice this. But as one gets older, somehow it gets more daunting… Reading your post made me remember how important it is to keep doing new things.
Yes! New things keep your brain young and pliable.
I am a swimmer. It’s almost 3:45 am here near Seattle. I get up this early so I can have some coffee and relaxing time before I leave home. I pack my bag and set it by the door the previous day. When I get up, I put on my swimsuit; then my clothes go over top of it. I try to leave at 4:50 a.m. to arrive by 5:15. Practice starts at 5:30. This is on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. We have a coach. My rule is I swim 3200 yards each practice day, so if the workout is 2800 yards, I swim 400 additional yards on my own. That’s when I truly enjoy the weightlessness of swimming. I also pair my ab workout with my swim. I automatically do an ab workout on deck after swimming. One thing: I do not like cold water, so it’s painful to get in. The shower water that early is cold, too. I wish I could jump in like everyone else. Once I’m in and swim for 200 yards, I like the cool water. Second thing: accountability for me is everything. My teammates expect me to show up. If I don’t, I’ll inevitably get an email asking where I am and if everything is okay. I don’t even let myself *consider* not going. Going is a given. You could try using fins sometimes. You can go extra fast with fins. It’s fun. I’ve been doing this for years. I swim breaststroke when the coach puts it on the board. My timing is still off. I’m not a golfer, but I imagine it’s like learning to play. Tweak one small thing, and things change. Swimming this stroke can be frustrating. It’s okay. Some people are really good at it, and they do care about it.
Thanks for the long comment! Sounds like a great group and a great way to socialize and get in shape at the same time! And yes, I love fins. One of my swimming teachers gave me some fins and they are so fun to use! They just take up a lot of space in a suitcase, so I don’t travel with them.
I couldn’t find adult classic where I live. I probably should check around again. I only know how to float and doggy paddle. I was taught by some kids when I was 14.
Floating and doggy paddling were my specialty before I started swimming lessons. :-0
Breast stroke might be technically demanding, but it’s far less physically demanding than front crawl; which can be handy at times.
When I was a kid I used to prefer the diving pool to the swimming pool; and the high board (concrete platform) was always the challenging/scary one. My eyesight was bad but, of course, I had to take off my glasses when I went swimming. So, although I could see the lines at the bottom of the diving pool I couldn’t see how far away the surface of the water was, which made it even scarier. And once, I couldn’t see that there was still someone in the pool below me and landed on top of him: he was not a happy bunny.
Heh, the happy bunny made me laugh. And you’re absolutely right about breaststroke! It requires a lot less energy if you can do it right. Big if.
That’s such great progress!!
I’m a very very casual swimmer; I LOVE lake swims and enjoy going to the pool when it’s too cold for outdoor swims, but I only had maybe one summer of lessons as a kid – I never learned to do the front crawl at all. I do my version of the breaststroke but I am sure it is improper – my head stays above water, which makes it perfect for swimming with friends and chatting.
I don’t know if this is helpful/a good idea, but I wonder if it would be worth learning a slightly wrong but less technically demanding version, just so you can enjoy the ease of swimming this way?
For context, I barely swim laps when I do go to the pool, and I don’t go fast, but I find the breaststroke so effortless, I can keep it up for literal hours. Just a thought!
Congratulations again on your new skills! 🙂
I love this idea. Now I just need someone to teach it to me!
I love this for you but please don’t dive into the Glenwood HS because of naegleria fowleri. Very rare but it has happened.
Oh, goodness! I had no idea. Thanks for the heads up.
Congratulations 🎈
I would love for you to hug your cat for me!
Gladly! I haven’t seen him in a bit. :-/