enjoyable to a good swimmer than
floating. Especially is this true while bathing at the seashore, when
the sea is often rough and the breakers high.

[Illustration: FLOATING POSITION]

The positions for floating or for swimming on the back is practically
the same, the only difference being that in floating the body lies
perfectly motionless, while in swimming on the back the limbs are
constantly in motion. There is no position more comfortable to a swimmer
than floating; it is the position of rest, and no bed is so soft as the
ocean. To be able to lie perfectly at ease with only the toes and the
lower part of the feet peeping above the water is one of many pretty
accomplishments in swimming. Yet it requires considerable practise to
become perfect in the art.

[Illustration: INCORRECT FLOATING POSITION]

After the novice has mastered the back stroke, it is essential that he
should learn how to float in different positions. Begin then by
extending the arms above the head, thumbs locked, and back hollowed;
then bend slowly backward until the back of the hands and head rest in
the water, when, by giving the feet a slight push forward, the legs will
rise slowly to the surface. Keep the mouth open and breathe deeply, as
the more air injected into the lungs the higher the body will float.
The head, being the heaviest part of the body in the water, should
therefore be kept well back. Should the legs show a tendency to sink,
extend the straightened out arms under the surface in line with the body
above the head; this will counterbalance the legs.

[Illustration: EASY FLOATING POSITION]

Another method is to draw the heels up close to the body, spreading the
knees wide apart so that the heels will touch each other. Should the
body roll from side to side, spread the arms until the body is steadied;
sometimes a slight stroke from the side which is rolling is sufficient
to maintain the balance. As women float much easier than men on account
of the smallness of their bones, stout persons are more buoyant in
floating than slim ones. Floating in fresh water is more difficult than
in salt water. Few male swimmers can float in fresh water at all.

To regain the feet in floating seems to be a difficult thing for
beginners, and yet it can be done with comparative ease and little
splashing if the arms are brought in front, using the hands as a scoop
while pulling the body forward from the waist up. By bringing the body
and the head