What is the worst swimming-related experience you have ever had?

When I was about 6 or 7 years old, my family did a vacation at a lake in upstate New York called Schroon Lake. The week before that I had just completed (but failed) the beginner red-cross swimming course. In spite of that failure, I still thought I was capable enough to jump off the diving board at the hotel pool. My father and mother (who could not swim) had the 8mm movie camera going. I jumped, and came up right away, but immediately started to panic and flail. They kept the camera rolling. Eventually another guest jumped in (there were no lifeguards) and hauled me out. We have it all on film. Now it's a family heirloom. That same week my sister and I were playing in the lake. We had our blow-up life-rings on, so no threat of drowning. We started kicking and found ourselves moving away from shore. We couldn't figure out how to turn around. We shouted to mom and dad who were laying on a blanket on the shore. "Just kick with one leg and you'll turn around..." was their answer. Try as we might, we just kept goung farther and farther out. My dad tried to wade out to up until it was too deep. They had to get a boat to get us. You'd think after that week I would have ended up so traumatized by water that I would have never learned to swim. I guess somehow I got over it!

When I was about 6 or 7 years old, my family did a vacation at a lake in upstate New York called Schroon Lake. The week before that I had just completed (but failed) the beginner red-cross swimming course. In spite of that failure, I still thought I was capable enough to jump off the diving board at the hotel pool. My father and mother (who could not swim) had the 8mm movie camera going. I jumped, and came up right away, but immediately started to panic and flail. They kept the camera rolling. Eventually another guest jumped in (there were no lifeguards) and hauled me out. We have it all on film. Now it's a family heirloom. That same week my sister and I were playing in the lake. We had our blow-up life-rings on, so no threat of drowning. We started kicking and found ourselves moving away from shore. We couldn't figure out how to turn around. We shouted to mom and dad who were laying on a blanket on the shore. "Just kick with one leg and you'll turn around..." was their answer. Try as we might, we just kept goung farther and farther out. My dad tried to wade out to up until it was too deep. They had to get a boat to get us. You'd think after that week I would have ended up so traumatized by water that I would have never learned to swim. I guess somehow I got over it!