Do You Worry About Creatures in The Water?

[Bibsoutdoors]

I've read all comments here with interest. Sadly nothing said calms my soul. I don't know if it's just the water or some unseen "thing," mostly in the dark aspects of my mind, that in reality holds no merit. When I was a toddler with my family on a picnic at a lake, someone said, "Where's Tom?" The search just got underway when (as told to me by my parents) my mother took off at a dead run to the beach. The rest of the people stopped to see what she was doing when they noticed my small body floating face down. My mother ran into the water slicing her feet badly on rocks, grabbed me, flipped over a very blue boy and did mouth to mouth. Taken into the hospital, I turned out (tongue in cheek) fine. My mother received numerous stitches on her feet. I've never been comfortable in water, is this some deep seated fear received back then or some other abnormality? The idea of swimming in a lake or river unsettles me, seemingly always has and continues to this day. Is it the imagined creatures? Is it childhood subconscious fears? I honestly don't know. What I do know is when you all are out having a load of fun swimming and splashing around, I'll be watching from the shore. My mind, snakes, fish, turtles, crocodiles, hippos or even Loc Ness itself something dark stands in my way to the water.

 

[Northern Dancer]

Wow..that's a story and a half. One can appreciate the circumstance and reasons why you might feel uncomfortable around water. I on the other hand love it. Though I do follow the safety stuff carefully and insist those with me do the same. Things can go wrong quickly without warning. That's probably one of the reasons why the canoe might waken some of those fears in you.

We don't really have any creatures in the water in my neck of the woods that will harm you. Accept for the sweepers. Sometimes called a strainers. They can be ugly and I know of people who have been killed by them. A sweeper in a downed dead tree in the river. They are like icebergs with a little showing at the top but with branches that can clutch hold of you should you go over.

 

[killeroy154]

Yeh for sure. Ya never know what might be lurking in the deep dark depths of a river or lake.

 

[rz3300]

I am not sure that I will ever not worry about things like this, although the more that you get out there the more you realize the risk is not really there. I am just that type of person though, who will worry just because it makes me feel more normal I guess.

 

[killeroy154]

I do think about what's in the water, like if I catch it would it be better fried with a little breading, cooked over an open fire, grilled with herbs and a little bit of olive oil, oh the possibilities go on. Yum yum

 

[happyflowerlady]

When I was living in Idaho, I didn’t have to worry about anything hurting you that was in the water. Sometimes a little fish would come up and nibble on my toes, usually a bluegill; but there were no venomous snakes or any other kind of dangerous fish or animals to worry about.
When I lived in Western Washington, we swam in Lake Mayfield, and it had been planted with tiger muskies. Some of those got over 3 feet long, and they liked kind of like a barracuda when they swam through the water.
I never knew of anyone that got bitten by one of these fish; but there were stories that sometimes the larger ones would grab someone’s leg or arm if the Muskie was swimming close to shore.
I remember seeing one swimming underneath me when I was out floating on the lake on my air mattress. Just the sight of that sharp-toothed fish drifting past was enough to have me yanking my hands up out of the water !