Posts Tagged ‘swimming’

The Art Of Swimming

Thursday, July 7th, 2011

Anthropologists say that man evolved out of the sea and it is absolutely a fact that our prehistoric ancestors swam according to interpretations of cave drawings in Sura, Egypt. However, the earliest written references to swimming are from about 2000 BC, but people should have been bathing, swimming and fishing long before that.

Swimming competitions began in Europe about the turn of the Nineteenth Century, but there are certain to have been swimming competitions long before that in Europe and in other continents around the world. John Arthur Trudgen made the front crawl well-known in 1873, although it is likely that this style was being used in other parts of the globe.

Until 1873, the breast stroke was the favourite style of swimming in Europe and America. The crawl, which was first known as the Trudgen, became an Olympic sport in 1896, the first of the modern Olympics, which were held in Athens. The butterfly stroke was introduced in 1952, before which it was considered as a variation of the breast stroke.

The vast bulk of our bodies is composed of water and there is a great deal of oil too. This means that the body is less dense than water, which also means that the human body floats under normal circumstances. So, the body will float in fresh and salt water at or 50%-ish below the surface.

You can rise above this level by paddling water downwards, which will push the body up or you can move forwards by pushing water behind you. A blend of both of these actions will propel a swimmer forward at or above the surface of the surrounding water.

It is easier to swim in salt water than fresh water, because the salt makes the water denser which means that your body will float higher in it. Decent swimmers or rather fast swimmers have subtle hips.

Swinging from one arm to another in the crawl, which is the fastest stroke, depends on hip action not on large arm muscles. After all, the amount of water that you can move with your hands is not that heavy.

Thigh muscles are important for a continuous, rhythmic beat and co-ordination is equally important. There are diverse styles of swimming the crawl, some swimmers prefer to draw the water back with cupped hands, others with flat hands and yet others with fingers slightly splayed.

Breathing is essential for any form of continuous exertion. It is best to control the breathing so that you breathe in on one stroke, hold it for a stroke and breathe out over the next two strokes. This means that you just have to raise your mouth out of the water every four strokes.

Swimming is an excellent exercise because it exerts numerous muscles at the same time, but does not put pressure on hip, knee or ankle joints. It also increases the amount of oxygen in the blood., as do most exercises, but swimming encourages the partaker to hold in breath which means that the swimmer gets all the advantages from that air.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on several topics, but is currently involved with Speedo Swimming Costumes. If you would like to kcurrently more, please visit our website at Swimwear For Big Busts.

Scuba Diving And Snorkeling Vacations

Saturday, June 25th, 2011

Numerous people who enjoy scuba diving and snorkeling decide on their vacation destinations with their leisure pursuit in mind. Some of the top vacation destinations for scuba diving and snorkeling are the Caribbean, Mexico, the Mediterranean and Thailand. Most people like to go to observe the aquatic wildlife, which means that the water has to be relatively clean.

Most divers like to look for marine animals and scenery, whilst others like to look for wrecks. As it happens fish and plants like to colonize wrecks too because they offer protection from predators.

So diving wrecks offers excitement and the chance to observe wildlife. However, there is the added excitement of treasure hunting.

If you fancy the concept of diving wrecks and searching for artefacts and treasure, you have to know that wrecks are perilous, because you can be caught on railings, trapped in rooms or even get your oxygen line cut by some jagged edge, causing you to surface too quickly, which could give you the bends.

Not just that, but it is frequently illegal to go treasure hunting on wrecks that are not in international water (that is, more than fifteen miles off shore) and that normally means deep water where there is little chance of you being rescued if you become a cropper. Diving wrecks without a guide is a very dangerous business indeed.

However, most countries where scuba diving and snorkeling are popular holiday pastimes also have diving schools, schools and instructors on the beaches or associated with the better hotels.

For example, in Thailand, there are literally hundreds of diving schools for holiday makers in Pattaya, Phuket, Hua Hin, Ko Samui and Pi-Pi. You can either approach one of these clubs yourself or ask your hotel to suggest one.

Most of the diving schools in these popular seaside resorts in Thailand are run from bars by ex-pats, but this does not mean that they are not completely professional. People like to dive in the warm sea in the morning and early afternoon and then retire to the bar to eat something and plan the next day’s journey. Most of these bar-diving schools either have their own boats or share a boat with friends.

Membership is normally free or it may be a nominal amount in order to comply with local laws, but it is unlikely to cost over $10 for a fortnight. If you do not have your diving equipment with you, you can normally rent it or if you have never been diving before, you can earn your basic diver’s certificate during your holiday.

Numerous divers use the diving trail to see southern Thailand. The destinations that I mentioned above are not very far apart. You could drive it in a hire car, travel in a bus over night from one to the other or fly from one resort to the next in 30-40 minutes. Car hire, VIP bus travel and internal flights are pretty cheap in Thailand.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is now engaged with BodyGlove swimwear. If you would like to know more about Body Glove Wetsuit Sales, please go over to our website for some impressive bargains.

Deep Sea Diving: Trimix

Tuesday, May 10th, 2011

One of the most important aspects of scuba diving that a diver has to study is how to set up the breathing tank. Divers do not use oxygen in their tanks, they use (or, increasingly, used to use) compressed air. However air is roughly 70 percent nitrogen and 30 percent oxygen and the nitrogen can cause nitrogen sickness under pressure, so more and more divers are turning to Nitrox.

Nitrox is not air, but it is still composed solely of nitrogen and oxygen, although not in the same ratio, which you can change. The problem with raising the amount of oxygen in the mix is that there is a greater chance of suffering from oxygen poisoning the deeper you go. Therefore, the trade off is that the more oxygen you use, the shallower you may swim.

It sounds like a rough decision, you can suffer from either nitrogen or oxygen toxicity, take your pick. However, there is a third option and it is known as Trimix. Trimix is the ‘air’ that deep sea divers make use of. It is a mixture of three gases, as its name implies: nitrogen oxygen and helium.

Helium is used as a kind of filler. It does not do us any injury and it does not do us any good either, but it allows divers to take a lung full and it reduces the volume of nitrogen and the volume of oxygen thereby reducing the likelihood of sickness.

The only problem with helium is that it conducts heat five times more than oxygen and nitrogen. This leads some deep sea divers to suffer from a condition known as hyperbaric arthralgia. Hyperbaric arthralgia is a kind of joint pain that a number of divers experience as they go deeper than 100 feet in salt water.

Deep sea divers have to learn about the various Trimixes as part of their course, because one day they will be accountable for choosing the mix they use. The option is not just compressed air, nitrox and Trimix, because there are different ratios of the gases in Trimix to take into the equation as well.

For instance, a 10/70 Trimix will be composed of 10 percent oxygen, 70 percent helium (and 20 percent nitrogen). This form of mix is suitable for diving to a depth of 330 feet in salt water or 100 msw (metres in salt water). Fresh water is a little lighter than salt water. This does not count at lower depths, but it does after a hundred feet.

Breathing and gases are merely one aspect of diving that you will have to master if you would like to go diving. Another aspect of diving that is associated with diving is the speed of ascent. Divers used to get taught not to rise faster than their smallest bubbles, which is around 60 feet per minute. However, many instructors now think that this is still quite fast and recommend 30 feet per minute with a three minute wait at 15 feet.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a lot of topics, but is currently occupied with Body Glove cases products. If you would like to know more about Body Glove Wetsuit Sale, please go over to our website for some impressive bargains.

Scuba Diving Holidays In Hawaii

Sunday, May 1st, 2011

Hawaii is a beautiful place, we have all seen the films and the vacation photos. The above ground scenery is stunning, but what not so many individuals know is that the sub-aqua scenery is equally as beautiful. The good thing is that you do not have to know precisely where to go to enjoy diving because the diving is good everywhere on the islands.

Not merely is the sub-aqua scenery beautiful, but the water is warm as well – all year through. You will find millions of fish, aquatic flora, coral and ship wrecks, everything that divers like to look at. There will never be a diver that regrets having taken a diving vacation in Hawaii.

Would be divers can best study the hobby in Oahu. There are lots of diving schools and instructors there that have the right to grant a diving certificate after a day or two’s instruction. This is very fast, but the courses are comprehensive, so you can safely go shallow diving after earning your certificate. While shallow water diving, you will see lots of fish, plants and coral.

There are also a number of wrecks at Oahu, so you will be able to investigate these too, if you have a bit more experience. There are some huge ships down there and millions of fish.

One of the best places to go scuba diving is Ka’awaloa Cove, which is in western Hawaii. The cove is only accessible by boat, but that is not a problem because there are several small boat companies that offer a ferry service. Kona is another great diving spot on the big island.

Both of these locations cater for both the novice and the expert. Kona is chock a block with plankton, which may not sound interesting in itself, until you realize that the plankton attracts giant manta rays. The rays are especially spectacular when seen on dives at night.

Red Hill and Kona also offer fantastic opportunities for diving because there are underwater lava flows. The lava flows are best seen by daylight because that is when the sun reflects off them giving them their name of Red Hills. They are just accessible by boat, but then that is not difficult either.

The smaller island of Maui also has great diving sites. Check out Molokini and its underwater volcanic crater. The crater is home for reef sharks, majestic sea turtles, numerous tropical marine fish and the spectacular giant manta rays again. This is one of the best dive sites on Hawaii and really has to be on your short list of must do dives.

The best thing about diving in Hawaii is that there is so much to see and do wherever you are situated. OK, the well-liked attractions are just that, very popular, but many people like being with plenty of other individuals – after all there is safety in numbers, but Hawaii also has quiet spots which you can discover if you look and the diving will be great there as well because the fish are the same and the water is as warm.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a lot of topics, but is currently occupied with Body Glove cases products. If you would like to know more about Body Glove Wetsuit Sale, please go over to our website for some impressive bargains.

Swimming Laps At Home In The Pool

Saturday, April 30th, 2011

It is a close call whether the world’s favourite way of keeping fit is hiking or swimming, but simply because not everyone has access to enough safe water to swim in. I think that walking is fine, but we do it each day, it is too normal; swimming, on the other hand, launches you into a totally different world where you require a different set of skills to stay alive.

Hiking is very good for massaging the internal organs and exercising the legs, lungs and heart, but swimming exercises every limb and muscle and massages the internal organs too. In short, swimming is probably a better exercise than walking, but hey, you can do both, eh?

Most people just have the local swimming pool to go to, and unfortunately they can be a real pain to use now that people are not as considerate of others as they used to be. It is not so bad if you can go when the children are in school or if the pool keeps a few of lanes free for serious swimmers, but otherwise, swimming at the local pool is a bore.

Of course we cannot all have our own pool in the yard, we do not even all have a yard and we can not all live near the sea. The next best thing is to become a member of a private spa or swimming club. However, if you have a small patch of ground, you might be able to squeeze in a lap pool. A lap pool is long and thin, somewhere you could get one or two lanes in, which is plenty of room for swimming up and down.

A lap pool such as this would not be very costly because it need not be deep for diving and you will not require a diving board or slide. Just a ladder or steps at one end. Four feet of water would be enough for swimming as well.

Therefore, the lap pool does not have to be deeper than four feet or wider than six feet, but it should be as long as you have space for. Having a lap pool like this does not mean that you cannot only float or stand in it when the weather is hot. If you do not have room for this but would still like something, you could look into acquiring a swim spa.

It sounds fantastic and terribly expensive, doesn’t it? Well, they are excellent, but they are cheaper than purchasing and maintaining a garden pool. A swim spa is the equivalent of of a treadmill. A motor pushes water at you and you swim into it, so that you are held in one place by the current and your own efforts. You get a free water massage thrown in free too!

It is costly to be able to take advantage of water sports at home, but the consolation is that you will not have to pay to get into the local pool, you will not have noisy kids hindering your way and you will be fitter.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on several topics, but is now involved with Speedo Swimming Costumes. If you would like to know more, please visit our web site at Swimwear For Big Busts.

Scuba Diving In Mexico

Wednesday, April 13th, 2011

If you are searching for a warm, friendly country with a bit of a difference, you could do worse that add Mexico to your short list. If you are asking yourself what there is to do in Mexico, well, there is plenty of history, delicious food, culture and beautiful, beautiful, deep-blue waters. If you are searching for a bit of adventure in your holiday, scuba diving in Mexico could be it.

If you are not already a scuba diver, that is not a difficulty, because you can learn from scratch at lots of the diving schools and diving clubs in Mexico.

However, if you want to get the most out of a diving vacation abroad, you could try to learn the fundamentals before you climb on the jet.

You see, you can learn everything in Mexico, but not a lot of clubs would take you out into the sea, until it is safe for you to do go; until you were proficient. This may take longer than your two weeks holiday. So if you could get the basics out of the way before you went, you would enjoy sea diving more.

There are many diving features in Mexican waters that can be seen by scuba divers, even beginners, but one of the great thrills that a great deal of beginners crave is swimming with dolphins and turtles and this you can do in Mexican coastal waters.

However, besides these larger sea creatures, there are thousands of species of fish: some small and some very large. There are also reefs, plants and wrecks.

One of the easiest methods of finding a reliable diving club, is to book the diving at the time you book your vacation or through the hotel whilst you arrive there.

You could also book via the Net before you set off and check on a club’s reputation by keying into a search engine: “problems with ….” or “disputes with …”, where ‘…’ is the name of the club.

If you are already vacationing in Mexico and you would like to have a go, why not ask about a local club with a good reputation for being safe divers at the local yacht club or marina?

People who spend a great deal of time on the water and who own boats locally are sure to know someone who will take you on. They might even take you out themselves.

No matter where you go on the shoreline in Mexico, you will find scuba diving clubs and teachers, so do not let that put you off. If you do not have your own diving equipment, do not worry – very few novices have a full kit.

Most individuals rent in the start until they are sure that they are hooked on the sport, because a full set of diving equipment is not cheap, although you could get your first wet suit second hand.

Look in diving clubs and on eBay for second hand diving apparatus, you will definitely save a heap of money until you are sure that scuba diving is for you.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a lot of topics, but is currently occupied with Body Glove cellsuits. If you would like to know more about Body Glove Wetsuit Sale, please go over to our website for some impressive bargains.

In Pool Bars

Monday, April 11th, 2011

Millions of families give garden parties every year, but pool parties are even better. You must have been to a pool bar in a hotel on holiday where one of the bars faces onto the water and there are seats in the water, usually totally submerged so that the drinkers can sit at the bar in the water and enjoy their drink. Imagine holding a party in your garden with a pool and an in-pool bar!

These bars are known as pool bars or swim up bars and can be found in hotels, holiday complexes and the gardens of the well-to-do and the clever-with-their-hands.

It is doubtful whether anyone knows for sure where pool bars first turned up but they have been in the Caribbean, Portugal and Spain for a long time. I have also seen them on cruise holidays.

The first alternative is to build, have built or purchase pre-formed. Then you can choose the style that you like. If you are going to purchase a kit and have the vendors install it for you, then you just have to make an appointment and a week later, the job will be finished. If, however, you are going to use a local contractor or do-it-yourself, you will need a drawing, plan or design.

You will be able to get plenty of ideas from the Net and you could download images of styles of pool bars that you like. You can download these pictures and print them off, but it is better to download them into a folder or onto a flash card or memory stick so that you have them all together and you can take them with you to confer with friends, family and contractors.

It should not need to be pointed out that all the materials used in your pool bar must be impervious to and totally unaffected by water and chlorine, which is especially corrosive. This usually leaves a choice of concrete, resin and stone.

Concrete being the cheapest and stone being the most expensive material to use. If you go for concrete, you can have it covered with ceramic tiles. if you pick the correct ceramic tiles, it can look quite stunning or yo could select riven stone tiles which would be cheaper than solid stone or slate.

If you want some sort of entertainment at the bar such as a television or projector, this can be accomplished regardless of the amount of water, but you will require to call in an expert in these matters.

Otherwise, you could just enclose the electronic devices in a box like a fish tank, but do not forget that electrical apparatus has to have ventilation, so you will need a few holes in the sides and a couple of fans driving air into the housing.

It is definitely not a problem to build your own in pool bar and it ought to be a priority if you already have a pool.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on several topics, but is now involved with Speedo Swimming Costumes. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Swimwear For Big Busts.

Pool Safety For Children

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

Owning a swimming pool in your house or garden is a fantastic way to have fun for yourself and indeed your entire family. However, despite that, it can also be very dangerous to your children around. If you can, you should wait until your children are at least five years old or more until you put a swimming pool on your property. On the other hand, if you already have a swimming pool, there are ways that you can safe-guard your children.

One thing you should always remember is to never, ever, allow your children to be alone near your pool. Children tend to be attracted to water and all it takes is a slip for them to fall into the swimming pool. If you and your children are at your pool side and you have to leave the area for a second, you must always take your children with you.

To be completely safe, you should always ensure that you have loads of safety equipment around your pool at all times. Safety gear is essential to have on the poolside, as they could save the life of a child or in fact, anyone else who can’t swim.

You ought to buy a shepherd’s crook as well, as you can use it to drag someone out of the water. Having a telephone at your poolside is also a wise investment, since you can easily call for help in case of an emergency.

If you don’t already have a fence around your pool you should look into getting one. A fence is a useful way to keep children from your pool. If you have a protective fence up, you won’t have to worry about little children falling in, while you are away from the pool. When you put your fence up, you should always make sure that it’s at least 6 foot high, with a locking gate. This way, no one can get into the pool without a key, which you have to keep with you at all times.

You could learn artificial respiration too. Even though you hopefully will not ever need to use it. It is always great to know CPR in the event of someone falling into your pool that is unable to swim. Whenever you have people you know can’t swim at your pool, you should always stay near them, so you can react instantly if they fall in. A minute can make all the difference to saving someone’s life.

Always bear in mind that swimming is fun, although you should always think in terms of safety first. Once you have finished using your pool for the day, make sure that you secure the poolside well – and padlock the gate tight so no one can get in too.

If you are concerned about child pool safety or Child Safety in general, please visit our web-based resource.

Elite Cruises

Monday, March 15th, 2010

Vacationing on a cruise liner is rightly considered to be elite and luxurious. It is certainly the best kind of vacation that I have ever had. The luxury far surpasses staying in a five star hotel. On the other hand, it is like an elite all inclusive holiday, because once on board, all the entertainment and all your meals are free. Alcoholic drinks must be paid for, but then they are duty free.

If you have never been on a cruise before you really must try it. I would not recommend it as a family vacation, but I have seen families on cruises. Cruising might suit a family with older children or you might find a cruise which is designed with children in mind. However, in my experience, the typical cruiser is over 50 and married.

I know that they do 18-30 cruises and all kinds of themed cruises, but if you just go on a normal cruise, most of your fellow passengers will be older. Many of them are celebrating something too – retirement, Golden Wedding Anniversary, 70th birthday, that sort of thing. These people want a relaxing time and do not really want children running around and jumping in and out of the pool. Dinner can be late and the evening’s entertainment is not child orientated either. If you want to take children, look for a specialty cruise.

A cruise is tranquil and all about pampering. Luxury and pampering and world class food. I put on five pounds on a two week cruise and friends said that was abnormally little! I will tell you about the food on my last cruise.

Breakfast lasted from 7 AM to 10 AM and there was a buffet with food from all around the world: fruit, porridge, toast, bacon and eggs, ham, cornflakes and all the variations, sausages, rice, Chinese food, prawns, fish and more. Elevenses started at 11 AM and had tea, coffee, cakes and biscuits, help yourself.

Lunch was a two hour affair starting at 1PM consisting of four courses. There was a choice of set plans, but if you wanted to mix and match you could – I think the plans were only to make it easier for the elderly to make up their minds. With 1,200 people to give food to in two sittings, the waiters try to speed selection up in very subtle ways, but never outwardly. High tea was from 4 to 4:30PM: tea, coffee, cakes, biscuits and sandwiches.

Dinner was at 6:30PM and was a five course meal in the same vein as lunch and at midnight there was a barbecue on deck until 2AM. Everything that was presented was first class and there was no restriction at all on how much you could eat.

Entertainment was after dinner and there were two shows to match the two dinner sittings, but you could sit there for both shows if you wanted. There was a different show every night varying from solo artistes to bands. There were theater plays and musical shows, it was very grand. There was also a piano bar playing jazz and a disco every night

I would recommend a cruise to anyone, but it is a good idea to check what sort of cruise you are booking as some are themed and if you do not like the cruise’s theme, you may not get the full enjoyment out of it.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with St Croix Hotels. If you are interested in St Croix Vacation Rentals in the US Virgin Islands, please click through to our site.

Caribbean Cruises

Friday, March 12th, 2010

People work harder these days than ever before. If not physically harder then longer hours and we deserve a break from that once in a while. Most of us go on holiday and we look forward to it months in advance and we plan for it even further ahead. Where do you like to go or what do you like to do? I personally like to go on a cruise and a Caribbean cruise is a good option.

People believe a cruise, specially a Caribbean cruise as being expensive, and cruise operators want to maintain that elite image, but I see the cruise as being an up-market all inclusive holiday. In all probability, it is the original all inclusive holiday, because once you walk up and off that gang plank, everything aside from drinks is free. Everything and everything is first class hotel style too! We are not talking pizza and chips here, but five or six course meals and five or six times a day.

It is common knowledge, that if you go on a cruise you can expect to gain a pound or two a week (I put on five pounds on my last cruise), unless you do some exercise. What exercise? Cruise liners have swimming pools and gymnasiums! Not only one but several. Some even set aside a deck for running at certain times of the day. There really is no excuse for not exercising on a Caribbean cruise.

Caribbean cruise liners offer more sports facilities than just gymnastics too. In fact, except for horse riding, I think that most sports are catered for. Basketball, volleyball, swimming, clay pigeon shooting, fishing, bird watching … You name it. Caribbean cruise liners also have Internet connections, games machines and full office facilities. During the evenings there are first class shows, often two a night, movies in a cinema and a casino.

If you have never been on a Caribbean cruise, it is hard to explain the amount of luxury that is provided. It is more than a first class hotel. In a first class hotel, you pay first class prices for everything too, but on a Caribbean cruise liner, everything but drinks is free and even drinks are cheap because they are duty-free. The cruise liner will have a shop too where everything it sells is duty free!

Some Caribbean cruises are themed and it is worth noting this fact. Also some times of the year, especially early February are predictable. I once naively went on a Caribbean cruise for a fortnight which spanned St Valentine’s day. I was a single man then and the other 1200 were amorous couples. There was only one single woman on the cruise and there was no rapport between us. I did not not enjoy that Caribbean cruise, because people took we under their wing, but it made me think about the time of year when I next booked up.

Caribbean cruises, especially the better ones, will fill up quickly, so this is one holiday that you really ought to book well in advance. A year in advance is not too early. I like to book my Caribbean cruise a year in advance, but put my name down for any last minute cancellations, in case I can pick up a bargain.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with St Croix Hotels. If you are interested in St Croix Vacation Rentals in the US Virgin Islands, please click through to our site.