“Dying mushroom float”

Most swimmers will probably know what a mushroom float is — basically the swimmer hugs their knees to their chest and floats face-down in the water. I was asked to do this on Monday evening. The the bemusement of both myself (I’ve not tried it in years) and the coach, what I’ve just described doesn’t happen to me. My body rotates in the water so my trunk is pretty much vertical, feet facing the pool floor and the crown of my head barely breaking the surface of the water. At first the coach suggested I was breathing out whilst my face was under the water. I reckon I’d notice if I were doing that though.

Quite what it is about my physique that causes this to happen I really don’t know. I’ve been aware for a while that I can’t actually float on either my front or my back because my legs just sink to the bottom of the pool and I assume these two things must be connected. Presumably my legs must be exceptionally heavy or something. Unless it was the Chicken Kiev with chorizo and wrapped in Serrano ham that I’d eaten for dinner weighing me down.

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