a realm of abstract sphere hyperspace
If the Water Condition Exceeds the Swimmer’s Ability
Not one of the seven seas has calm water.  The best swimmer is still in danger every time he dives or swims. Every time a diver sets his foot on the shore, he sets his foot on his grave.   And every time a man explores an ocean, he allegorically buries himself in the abyss of corals and sands.  The water’s condition of every terrain feature in the world’s surface is a treacherous place.  Think of lakes, pools or lagoons.  Think of a placid shore. And imagine its history of someone drowning.
Visualize your inability to shout underwater.  The current, the turbulent and the waves that you must fight in order to survive drowning.
But I love the sea.  Someone told me that the sea, having an unexplored depth, is comparable to life.  Mysterious beings under the ground level hadal region with lotsa strange fishes and monsters.  I still love the sea with all its profundity and peril.  I am not a fish man, I could not really swim, but the sea attracts me as how insanity does.
And this sea killed a lot of people.  But I am not giving up discovering what the sea offers.  If the worst comes to worst I have three choices.
Either I will invent an anti-sinking/buoyancy supply gadget, or;
I will become a superhero, able to breath underwater;
Or I will let someone save me.
Because if the water’s condition exceeds the swimmer’s ability, it means drowning, and I all I can do is trust that some being out there will come and take me to safety.

Not one of the seven seas has calm water.  The best swimmer is still in danger every time he dives or swims. Every time a diver sets his foot on a shore, he sets his foot on his grave.   And every time a man explores an ocean, he allegorically buries himself in the abyss of corals and sands.  The water’s condition of every terrain feature in the world’s surface is a treacherous place.  Think of lakes, pools or lagoons.  Think of a placid shore. And imagine its history of drowning someone.

Visualize your inability to shout underwater.  The current, the turbulent and the waves that you must fight in order to survive drowning.

But I love the sea.  Someone told me that the sea, having an unexplored depth, is comparable to life.  Mysterious beings under the ground level hadal region with lotsa strange fishes and monsters.  All of these combined, I still love the sea with all its profundity and peril.  I am not a fish man, I could not really swim, but the sea attracts me as how insanity does.

And this sea may have killed a lot of people.  But I am not giving up discovering what the sea offers.  If the worst comes to worst I have three choices.

Either I will invent an anti-sinking/buoyancy-supply gadget, or;

I will become a superhero, able to breath underwater;

Or I will let someone save me.

Because if the water’s condition exceeds the swimmer’s ability, it means drowning, and I all I can do is trust that “some being” out there will come and take me to safety.

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Categories: Alatires Tree, Free Writing -

172 Comments to “If the Water Condition Exceeds the Swimmer’s Ability”

  1. Ax says:

    this one is supposed to have a photo but I am not on my brother’s PC. I am using my sister’s laptop. I do not have any files stored here. yay.

  2. jayr.santos says:

    and have been drowned once…

    BUT:

    my 4 pe’s in UP Diliman are:
    life-saving, basic swimming, skin diving and scuba diving

    i co-founded the only existing scuba diving student org in Diliman. Still an active alumnus.

    i am part of the Philippine Finswimming Federation Inc until today.

    has contacts with Phil Coast Guard and Phil Life Saving Society.

    my longest dive time is 60mins. Deepest is 110 feet. Have done mostly reef dives and 1 wreck dive in Subic. The rest 30+ dives are in Anilao.

    i have been working for 2 years in the largest shipping company in the world – Maersk Line.

    Now, is it coincidence? Or is it love?

    (at hindi matagal ko ng sinabi sa inyo na i’m willing to teach you how to swim? :)

  3. jason says:

    One thing that i assure everyone here is that – I may lack the consistency of holding my breath, but i have the capacity of manipulating my buoyancy in water. I have proven that the mechanism in my own nervous system is one source of interruption towards my ace in swimming.

    teka. hehehehe

    pero alam ko masmadali ka raw mamamatay sa tubig tabang kasi mabilis kang lulubog. Kesa sa sea water na may salt, madali kang makakaahon at matagal ng konti kang lulubog.

  4. if i were in your shoes, i would trust that someone out there wuld see me drowning BUT i would also make sure that before i set foot in the water, i would have an anti-sinking gadget.

    …sa totoo lang, short-distance swimmer lang ako nyahahaha…tipo bang 1-2-3-4 okay nalulunod na ako, panic attack na nyahahahaha

  5. bluguy says:

    my love for the sea goes beyong the principle of bouyancy ….my love for the sea is its mystery unraveled by men…but most of all…its similarity to the womb of a mother….a the bottom of the sea there lies the eternal bliss…

  6. Mon says:

    I love the sea. I love the oceans. I love it being underwater. I love snorkling. I love scuba-diving. hmmm. ako yata ay isang dolphin o kaya laman-dagat dati. LOL

  7. TSI says:

    All i know is that the principle of buoyancy was defined by the great mind of Archimedes,[name seems familiar] hohuum..

    echos!

    Oist ax, haya been?

    • Ax says:

      hoy tsi! oks lang naman! eto, pauwi na! nag check lang ng comments! hehe.

      i think its a crown that accidentally fall into the tub when archimedes discovered.. yay. parang mali na yung sinasabi ko!

      oks lang! oist, kaw na ang nangunguna sa pakontest ni kuya orphic ah!

      drowned na mga kalaban mo!

      • Eureka! Medyo tama na mali kayong dalawa… hehehe :D
        TSI you must be referring to the “Archimedes’ Principle” which states that a body immersed in a fluid experiences a buoyant force equal to the weight of the fluid it displaces…

        Ax, it was actually an unverified anecdote ni Archimedes na pinapadetermine sa kanya ng hari kung tunay or peke ang golden crown na pinagawa ng hari sa isang goldsmith… So habang naliligo si Archimedes napansin nya ang pagtaas ng tubig sa tub… And since water cannot be compressed, the volume displaced = volume submerged. Applying doon sa crown, malalaman ni Archimedes using the displacement yung volume ng gold na ginamit. Malalaman din niya yung mass ng gold via weighing scale… With these two, he can compute for density. If the density he obtains is lower than the density of gold itself, then nangloko ang goldsmith ng hari… With this realization, the anecdote goes on to tell that Archimedes ran down the roads naked shouting “Eureka!” (Greek for ‘I have found it’)…

        Sinasabing unverified anecdote ito kasi wala talaga ito sa mga actual writings ni Archimedes… :D

        Walang duguan ng ilong… hehehe…

        • TSI says:

          ang alam ko rubber duck sa bath tub niya hehehe bobo ako eh
          tapos lumabas sya ng bahay nagsisigaw sa na-discover niya, naked!!! hahaha juk ba yun?

          ax click pa! toink

  8. para naman akong nahilo sa post at sa kababasa ng comments… para lang chatroom eh… hehehe!

    anyways, I am not much of a sea lover. I like taking pictures of shore lines, boats on water, etc… but not that excited in dipping although marunong naman akong lumangoy… :D

    mas gusto ko actually ang mga malilinis na sapa at ilog… :D

    mas gusto ko yung maupo lang sa bato at ilublob ang aking mga paa sa malamig at umaagos na tubig… :)

    • Ax says:

      coolwater pa naman ang pseudonym mo kuya! hehe. oo nga, ang galing mo ngang mag take ng photos! panalo ang mga captured photos mo!

      sea lover ka pa rin naman, since part pa rin ng sea ang shore! maganda nga yang ganyan, tapos makakakita ka ng sirena na naglalakad. yay.

  9. .poOt! says:

    Or I will let someone save me.

    uhhmmm…sino kaya?

    - – -

    di rin ako marunong mag-swimming kaya pag hinulog mo ako sa pool na may lalim na 10 feet eh siguradong (toot) na ako. hehe.

  10. livingstain says:

    (kailangan hindi ako magpahalatang hindi na naman ako nagbabasa….)

    alam mo ax alam ko yang bouyancy na yan, natatandaan ko nung high school tinuro yan samen ni Teacher Gregorio, Law of Bouyancy ni Achimedes, na ang tubig daw sa dagat ay level, hindi pweding mas mataas sa isang part at mababa naman sa isang lugar.(medyo hindi na halata)

    anyway, dont be afraid to swim, im always here to help you in times of trouble, kung hindi man kita mailigtas, at least dalawa tayong maalulunod…

    (anak ng food chain may ganon pa) nyahahaha… joke lang!!!

  11. Mars says:

    great post about bodies of water,
    in life you are sometimes under the wave trying to get on top of them, you swim strong as you can to see the daylight, imagine your drowning, and its true that sometimes you have to really on some body to come and save you.

    what if no one… until you consume the last oxygen that keeps your whole body being alive?

    • Ax says:

      the waiting. naiisip ko pa lang, ang isang minutong pakikipagtunggali sa alon at sa tubig ay ang isang pinakamahabang minuto na mararanasan ko sa buhay ko. the feeling of waiting for someone to save you, probably not that bitter..

      because i will die anyway.

  12. Fauxx says:

    si erpats seaman, pero ayaw akong ipag-PE ng Scuba diving. lol. Yun daw lagi yung nakikita nya eh.. mga divers na nalulunod. haha.

  13. Allen says:

    Ako kahit mahilig ako magswimming (though di ako magaling lumangoy), may takot padin ako sa dagat. Sino bang hindi natatakot sa dagat? LOL.

    Anyway, kain ka nalang ng gillyweed para magka-temporary gills ka. (courtesy of Harry Potter). hehe

  14. J.Kulisap says:

    Huwag mong hayaang talunin ka ng takot.
    Maraming naidudulot na maganda sa katawan at isipan ang paglulunoy sa dagat o kahit ang simpleng pag-upo sa baybayin ay nakapagpapakalma ng napapagod na katawan at isipan.

    Hindi natin alam kung kailan darating ang kapahamakan ngunit makapagsasaya pa tayo nang may pag-iingat.

    • Ax says:

      ang takot na naninirahan sa ating puso ay isang parasitiko na lumalamon ng ating kaligayahan. hindi ko hahayaan na maging pagkain ng mga uod ang aking mga pangarap.

      nasa puso mo pa rin ang liwanag ng alitaptap. huwag nating hayaan magdilim ang ating puso.

      salamat kaibigan.

      • J.Kulisap says:

        Nagiging rosas sa bango ang iyong mga salita.Inaangkop mo sa nagpipilit na kulisap ang iyong mga salita.
        May punto naman tayo hindi nga ba? Maraming nagpapadaig sa parasitiko, kung kaya’t unti unting nilalamon ang himaymay ng ating mga pangarap.
        May antisiptikong lunas, malapit lamang ngunit minsa’y mailap matuntunan, maaring sadyang manhid o lutang ang ating kaisipan.

  15. lio loco says:

    the sea, they say, is an indirect allusion to one’s liking to sex and carnal pleasure.

    i love the sea. huhlolz!

  16. “Someone told me that the sea, having an unexplored depth, is comparable to life.” I agree. There is indeed a lot yet to be discovered. Funny how man have explored space and yet, not what’s within the depths of the sea. I love the sea as well. Too bad I don’t know how to swim.

    • Ax says:

      it also amuses me that we have gone to the moon but never on the deepest part of sea.

      now it makes me think, which is farther?

  17. azul says:

    hmmmm ang alam ko lang nalunod na ko dati sa dagat kaya takot akong mag mega swim swim sa dagat..

  18. CM says:

    ang freaky line nung inability to shout underwater… comparable to life as well, sometimes you’re trying hard enough, but nobody would even lend you a glance…

  19. PM says:

    someone like free willy? LOL

  20. jason says:

    little sonny water…

    ilang araw magtatagal ang tao ng walang pagkain at tubig sa gitna ng karagatan?

  21. bipolarsisa says:

    ngayon lang ulit ako nakapagbloghop. hehe. anyway, takot ako sa tubig. (though naliligo naman ako). araw araw, kinatatakutan kong maubusan ng tubig (though hindi naman nangyayari samin yun.) exag. hindi rin ako marunong lumangoy. dahil natatakot akong mamatay sa tubig. siguro, hihintayin ko nalang nga ang sarili ko na magkaron ng lakas ng loob.

    it’s a nice post. the metaphor..the meaning..they’re so real.

    • Ax says:

      oks lang kahit ngayon ka lang nakapag bloghop. sows. oks lang yun.

      tera, swimming tayo. hindi kita lulunurin. pero pag nalunod ka baka di kita masave. hehe.

  22. cruxrifter says:

    tol ax! nice post.. parang what im getting from this post ehh ung “collect and select” concept. HAHA

    “But I am not giving up discovering what the sea offers”

    ang sea parang love lang pala no. naks. galing ng metaphor..

  23. [...] we convinced you yet?  If not, I’d be forced to seek the expertise of Ax. He has nifty ideas about using the art of water-boarding just so Lio can be “convinced” [...]

  24. Chris says:

    eto pala seryosong comment tohh na related sa topic

    may barkada pala..ung tito ng barkada nya kasama tragedy nung last na lumubog na commandos na bangka papuntang puerto galera..ayun swimmer un nung college sya pero wala syang nagawa at di nya naligtas ung anak nya..kasama sa mga namatay ung 2 anak nya..kakalungkot lang..it means kahit magaling na swimmer hindi sinasanto ng karagatan.

    • Ax says:

      ow, sorry to hear the sad story. oo nga naman, kahit siguro isa ka sa pinakamagaling na swimmer kung ang kalaban mo naman ay kalikasan, ano nga naman ang magagawa ng isang immortal para kalabanin ang mundo di ba?

  25. TSI says:

    may nalulunod pa ba?? :)

  26. flamindevil says:

    can i tell you a secret ax?

    I am a merman.

  27. Ax says:

    teka lang. mahina ang kalaban! yay.

  28. jan geronimo says:

    Nakakaaliw naman dito. Ang ganda ng simula at pagkahain ng post – biglang pumasok ang balyena, sirena at seks. Hehehe. Kasi nga naman, Ax, medyo may kalaliman yata ang post mo. Natetensyon mga tao. Kaya dito na lang kami sa salpukan ng alon, dun sa hanggang bukong bukong lang ang abot ng tubig.

    Maraming salamat sa pagdalaw sa amin. “,)

    • Ax says:

      salamat kuya Jan. oo nga, napag-usapan na rin pati boyfriend at current events.

      oks lang. lagi ako dadalaw sa kuta mo! yay.

  29. joyo says:

    mejo nalalaliman ako sa post mo… sisirin ko muna.. ;)

  30. K.noizki says:

    Your posts are very hyperactive. I don’t know where and how to react. Either I’m stuck at being scared of water or just go with the flow. I mean the scariest place on earth is water. We live in the island and I don’t even know how to swim, more so if trapped in a small floating object in the middle of atlantic. I’m gonna die in panic not drowning.

    re: your comments here nakaka-drown kaya minsan I don’t leave comments na kasi parang wala na akong mai-add. Seems like you live inside your blog all day, haha.

  31. dencios says:

    AX AKO ANG SASAGIP SA IYO!

    ako ang superhero na puedeng arkilahin hehe

    seryoso, may problema ka ba? or meron kang bagay na hindi mo masabi o makuha kaya dinadaan mo sa mga ganyang entries mo

    • Ax says:

      yay. actually wala. practice lang yan dahil gusto ko mag publish ng book.

      pero mukhang wala naman akong tiyaga para tumapos ng libro.

  32. jayr.santos says:

    just done with 4 dives this weekend. ^__^

    at Monday na bukas! ayoko ng magwork!

    diving = love

  33. eloiski says:

    naks! akalain mo bang ako’y isang savior ng aking pinsan. kasi nalulunod siya noon tapos ayun sumigaw ako! eh kung lalangoy ako baka mamaya pati ako malunod..
    hakhak!

    but i love water. i love the sea! i love the ocean! nyahahaha!

    • Ax says:

      talaga? isa ka palang superhero kung ganon! hehe.

      i love water and i love sea! i love the ocean too.

      ow, i love bathtub!

  34. Cjoyz says:

    swimming tau sa ilog pasig, matirang buo panalo…

  35. being an aquarian, i also love water aside from fire..ang sayang maligo sa hot spring..

  36. wait says:

    ang masasabi ko lang mahilig ako mag lakbay lalo na sa magagandang dagat dito sa pinas pero ang problema di ako marunong lumangoy.

  37. DSP says:

    charming post. due one unimportant where I contest with it. I am emailing you in detail.

  38. [...] with something heavy. With something so heavy, it decided to free its fall and be swallowed by the sea. As the sun slumber on its grave, the night cloaks the earth and my vision darkened. It was [...]

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