Posts Tagged ‘swimming’

Swimming Pool Bars

Monday, April 11th, 2011

Millions of people give garden parties every year, but pool parties are even better. You must have been to a pool bar in a hotel on holiday where one of the bars faces onto the water and there are seats in the water, normally totally submerged so that the imbibers can sit at the bar in the water and enjoy their drink. Imagine holding a party in your garden with a pool and an in-pool bar!

These bars are known as pool bars or swim up bars and can be seen in hotels, holiday complexes and the gardens of the well-to-do and the skillful-with-their-hands.

It is doubtful whether anyone knows for sure where pool bars first turned up but they have been in the Caribbean, Portugal and Spain for a long time. I have also seen them on cruise holidays.

The first option is to build, have built or purchase pre-formed. Then you can select the style that you like. If you are going to buy a kit and have the vendors install it for you, then you only have to make an appointment and a week later, the bar will be complete. If, however, you are going to use a local contractor or do-it-yourself, you will need a drawing, plan or design.

You will be able to get plenty of hints from the Internet and you could download images of styles of pool bars that you like. You can download these images and print them off, but it is better to download them into a folder or onto a flash card or memory stick so that you have them all together and you can take them with you to confer with friends, family and contractors.

It should not need to be pointed out that all the materials used in your pool bar must be impervious to and totally unaffected by water and chlorine, which is particularly corrosive. This usually leaves a choice of concrete, resin and stone.

Concrete being the cheapest and stone being the most expensive material to use. If you go for concrete, you can have it covered with ceramic tiles. if you pick the correct ceramic tiles, it can look quite stunning or yo could select riven stone tiles which would be cheaper than solid stone or slate.

If you want some sort of entertainment at the bar such as a television or projector, this can be accomplished despite the amount of water, but you will require to call in an expert in these matters.

Otherwise, you could just enclose the electronic devices in a box like a fish tank, but do not forget that electrical apparatus needs ventilation, so you will need a few holes in the sides and a couple of fans driving air into the housing.

It is certainly not a problem to construct your own in pool bar and it should be a priority if you already have a pool.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on several topics, but is now involved with Speedo Swimming Costumes. If you would like to know more, please visit our web site at Swimwear For Big Busts.

Scuba Diving Reefs In Mexico

Thursday, April 7th, 2011

If you are searching for a warm, friendly country with a bit of a difference, you could do worse that add Mexico to your short list. If you are wondering what there is to do in Mexico, well, there is plenty of history, delicious food, culture and beautiful, beautiful, deep-blue seas. If you are looking for a bit of adventure in your holiday, scuba diving in Mexico could be it.

If you are not already a scuba diver, that is not a problem, because you can learn from square one at lots of the diving schools and diving clubs in Mexico.

However, if you want to get the most out of a diving holiday abroad, you could attempt to learn the basics before you climb on the jet.

You see, you can learn everything in Mexico, but not a lot of clubs would take you out into the sea, until it is safe for you to do go; until you were proficient. This may take longer than your two weeks holiday. So if you could get the basics out of the way before you went, you would enjoy sea diving more.

There are loads of diving features in Mexican waters that can be seen by scuba divers, even beginners, but one of the great thrills that a great deal of beginners crave is swimming with dolphins and turtles and this you can do in Mexican coastal waters.

However, besides these larger sea creatures, there are thousands of species of fish: some small and some very big. There are also reefs, plants and wrecks.

One of the easiest methods of finding a reliable diving club, is to book the diving at the time you book your vacation or through the hotel whilst you arrive there.

You could also book via the Internet before you left and check on a club’s reputation by entering into a search engine: “worries with ….” or “disputes with …”, where ‘…’ is the name of the club.

If you are already vacationing in Mexico and you would like to have a go, why not ask about a local club with a good reputation for being safe divers at the local yacht club or marina?

People who spend a lot of time on the water and who own boats locally are certain to know someone who will take you on. They might even take you out personally.

No matter where you go on the shoreline in Mexico, you will find scuba diving clubs and teachers, so do not let that put you off. If you do not have your own diving gear, do not worry – very few beginners have a full kit.

Most individuals rent in the start until they are sure that they are hooked on the sport, because a full set of diving equipment is not cheap, although you could get your first wet suit second hand.

Look in diving clubs and on eBay for second hand diving equipment, you will definitely save a bundle of money until you are certain that scuba diving is for you.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a lot of topics, but is currently occupied with Body Glove cellsuits. If you would like to know more about Body Glove Wetsuit Sale, please go over to our website for some impressive bargains.

The Theory Of Swimming

Tuesday, November 16th, 2010

Anthropologists say that man evolved out of the sea and it is certainly the case that our prehistoric ancestors swam according to interpretations of cave drawings in Sura, Egypt. However, the earliest written references to swimming are from about 2000 BC, but people should have been bathing, swimming and fishing long before that.

Swimming competitions began in Europe about the turn of the Nineteenth Century, but there are certain to have been swimming competitions long before that in Europe and in other continents in the world. John Arthur Trudgen made the front crawl famous in 1873, although it is probable that this style was being used in other parts of the world.

Until 1873, the breast stroke was the favourite style of swimming in Europe and America. The crawl, which was first known as the Trudgen, became an Olympic sport in 1896, the first of the contemporary Olympics, which were held in Athens. The butterfly stroke was introduced in 1952, before which it was thought of as a variant of the breast stroke.

The vast bulk of our bodies is made up of water and there is a lot of oil as well. This means that the body is less dense than water, which also means that the human body floats under normal circumstances. So, the body will float in fresh and salt water at or 50%-ish below the surface.

You can rise above this level by paddling water downwards, which will push the body up or you can move forwards by pushing water behind you. A blend of both of these actions will propel a swimmer forward at or above the surface of the surrounding water.

It is easier to swim in salt water than fresh water, because the salt makes the water denser which has the effect that your body will float higher in it. Good swimmers or rather fast swimmers have subtle hips.

Swinging from one arm to another in the crawl, which is the fastest stroke, depends on hip action not on substantial arm muscles. After all, the amount of water that you can move with your hands is not that heavy.

Thigh muscles are important for a continuous, rhythmic beat and co-ordination is equally important. There are different styles of swimming the crawl, some swimmers prefer to draw the water back with cupped hands, others with flat hands and yet others with fingers slightly open.

Breathing is essential for any form of continuous exertion. It is best to control the breathing so that you breathe in on one stroke, hold it for a stroke and breathe out over the next two strokes. This means that you just have to raise your mouth out of the water every four strokes.

Swimming is an excellent exercise because it exercises numerous muscles at the same time, but does not put pressure on hip, knee or ankle joints. It also raises the amount of oxygen in the blood., as do most exercises, but swimming encourages the partaker to hold in breath which means that the swimmer gets all the benefits from that air.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on various topics, but is currently involved with Speedo Swimming Costumes. If you would like to kcurrently more, please visit our web site at Swimwear For Big Busts.

I’m In Love With A Mule

Sunday, November 14th, 2010

I am reminded why living in California is so desirable now that the rainy, cold days of winter have been replaced by the pleasant temperatures of spring . The hillsides are cloaked in vibrant green grass and dotted with mustard flowers. Our beaches are impeccably clean and belong to the locals while they are still too chilly for water sport seeking tourists. On the horizon stand our snow capped mountains that reflect the peachy-pink sunsets and velvet blue night skies. It is beautiful countryside.

. We have delighted in spur-of-the-moment picnics in meadows flanking Ortega Highway and quick trips to Big Bear to engage in snowball fights. We have spent evenings at the beach roasting marshmallows after fatiguing days spent peddling our beach cruisers back and forth on the boardwalk between the Huntington, Newport and Balboa Piers, Yes, life is good.

We pack an arsenal of supplies for each of these little journeys. No trip is complete without lip balm, munchies, cans of pop, water bottles, Frisbees, a deck of cards, blankets and beach towels.

Of all these little necessities, my most beloved is the Ice Mule. My husband picked up our Mule at a hunting/fishing outlet (which is funny because he would never hurt a fly). Thinking it was something we could use one day, he brought it home. He was right.

This remarkable cooler bag has kept our refreshments icy cold for extremely long periods of time. In fact, I recently realized that it had been left in our SUV overnight and was not looking forward to removing the deviled eggs that surely would emit offensive fumes upon removal from their Tupperware tomb. To my delight the eggs and the water bottles inside the Ice Mule were still nice and cold, even though they had been in the bag for over 24 hours!

Now I take the Ice Mule with me to the grocery store. I transfer the cold items into my Mule and continue my errands around town before returning home. I truly love this thing!

It won’t be long now till the beaches become jam-packed, noisy meccas for the tourist traffic and the grassy green countryside will turn golden brown. . Tourists will be looking for parking spots nearest to the beach (hint, these don’t exist in the summer) and traffic on Pacific Coast Highway will be reduced to a snail’s pace.

When we do feel brave enough fight the crowds, you can bet that our Mule will be with us to keep our drinks, munchies, sun tan lotion and temperaments cool. Yes, it will soon be time to relax by the pool with our diet sodas, frozen yogurt and lemonade as the temperature climbs past 90 degrees. To minimize effort during the lazy days of summer, I am planning on using my Ice Mule poolside, even though the kitchen will only be a few feet away. In fact I might not leave my lounge chair all summer long.

Written by Windy Reigns Mom, Author and Creative Consultant Cooler Bag Online College

Pool Safety For Children

Friday, May 21st, 2010

Owning a swimming pool in your house or garden is a great way to have fun for yourself and indeed your whole family. However, in spite of that, it can also be very dangerous if you have children around. If you have the patience, you ought to wait until your kids are at least five years old or more before you put a swimming pool on your property. On the other hand, if you already have a swimming pool, there are ways that you can safe-guard your children.

You should always remember to never, ever, allow your children to be on their own, unsupervised near your pool. Children are drawn to water and it just takes is a slip for them to fall into the water. If you and your children are at your pool side and you need to leave the area even for a second, you must always take your children with you.

To be on the safe side, you must always make sure that you have loads of safety gear around your pool at all times. Safety gear is essential to have on the poolside, as they could save the life of a child or in deed, anyone else who can’t swim.

You should invest in a shepherd’s crook as well, as you can use it to pull someone out of the water. Having a phone at your pool is also a good investment, as you can quickly ring for help in the event of an emergency.

If you don’t already have a fence around your pool you should think about making one right away. A fence is a useful way to keep children away from your swimming pool. If you have a protective fence up, you won’t have to worry about little children falling into it, while you are away from the pool. When you put your fence up, you should always make sure that it’s at least six feet high with a locking gate. In this way, no one can get into the pool without a key, which you should keep on you at all times.

You could also learn CPR. Even though you may not ever have to use it. However, it is always great to know in the event of someone falling in your pool that is unable to swim. Whenever you have children or people you know can’t swim at your pool, you should always stay within reach of them, so you can react instantly if they fall in. A minute is all it takes to save someone’s life.

Always keep in mind that swimming is fun, although you should always think in terms of safety first. Once you have finished using your pool for the day, make sure that you lock up the poolside well – and padlock the gate tight so no one can get in too.

If you are concerned about child pool safety or Child Safety in general, just visit our web-based resource.

Luxury Caribbean Cruises

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

Vacationing on a cruise ship is justly considered to be elite and luxurious. It is definitely the best type of vacation that I have ever had. The luxury far surpasses staying in a five star hotel. On the other hand, it is like an elite all inclusive holiday, because once on board, all the entertainment and all your meals are free. Alcoholic drinks must be paid for, but then they are duty free.

If you have never been on a cruise before you really must try it. I would not recommend it as a family vacation, but I have seen families on cruises. Cruising might suit a family with older children or you might find a cruise which is designed with children in mind. However, in my experience, your average cruiser is over 50 and married.

I know that they do 18-30 cruises and all kinds of themed cruises, but if you just go on a normal cruise, most of your fellow passengers will be older. Many of them are celebrating something too – retirement, Golden Wedding Anniversary, 70th birthday, that sort of thing. These people want a relaxing time and do not really want children running around and jumping in and out of the pool. Dinner can be late and the evening’s entertainment is not child orientated either. If you want to take children, look for a specialty cruise.

A cruise is relaxing and all about pampering. Luxury and pampering and world class food. I put on five pounds on a two week cruise and friends said that was abnormally little! I will tell you about the food on my last cruise.

Breakfast lasted from 7 AM to 10 AM and there was a buffet with food from all around the world: fruit, porridge, toast, bacon and eggs, ham, cornflakes and all the variations, sausages, rice, Chinese food, prawns, fish and more. Elevenses started at 11 AM and had tea, coffee, cakes and biscuits, help yourself.

Lunch was a two hour affair commencing at 1PM consisting of four courses. There was a choice of set plans, but if you wanted to mix and match you could – I think the plans were only to make it easier for the elderly to make up their minds. With 1,200 people to feed in two sittings, the waiters try to speed selection up in very clever ways, but never outwardly. High tea was from 4 to 4:30PM: tea, coffee, cakes, biscuits and sandwiches.

Dinner was at 6:30PM and was a five course meal in the same vein as lunch and at midnight there was a barbecue on deck until 2AM. Everything that was presented was first class and there was no restriction at all on how much you could eat.

Entertainment was after dinner and there were two shows to match the two dinner sittings, but you could sit there for both shows if you liked. There was a different show every night ranging from solo artistes to bands. There were theater plays and musical shows, it was very grand. There was also a piano bar playing jazz and a disco every night

I would recommend a cruise to anyone, but it is a good idea to check what sort of cruise you are booking as some are themed and if you do not like the cruise’s theme, you may not get the full enjoyment out of it.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with St Croix Hotels. If you are interested in St Croix Vacation Rentals in the US Virgin Islands, please click through to our site.

The Luxury Of A Caribbean Cruise

Sunday, March 14th, 2010

People work harder these days than ever before. If not physically harder then longer hours and we are entitled to a break from that once in a while. The majority of us go on holiday and we look forward to it months in advance and we plan for it even further ahead. Where do you like to go or what do you like to do? I personally like to go on a cruise and a Caribbean cruise is a good choice.

People think a cruise, specially a Caribbean cruise as being expensive, and cruise operators want to uphold that elite image, but I see the cruise as being an up-market all inclusive holiday. Probably, it is the original all inclusive holiday, because once you walk up and off that gang plank, everything aside from drinks is free. Everything and everything is first class hotel style too! We are not talking pizza and chips here, but five or six course meals and five or six times a day.

It is common knowledge, that if you go on a cruise you can expect to gain a pound or two a week (I put on five pounds on my last cruise), unless you do some exercise. What exercise? Cruise liners have swimming pools and gymnasiums! Not only one but several. Some even set aside a deck for running at certain times of the day. There really is no excuse for not exercising on a Caribbean cruise.

Caribbean cruise liners provide more sports facilities than just gymnastics too. In fact, except for horse riding, I think that most sports are catered for. Basketball, volleyball, swimming, clay pigeon shooting, fishing, bird watching … You name it. Caribbean cruise liners also have Internet connections, games machines and full office amenities. During the evenings there are first class shows, often two a night, movies in a cinema and a casino.

If you have never been on a Caribbean cruise, it is difficult to explain the amount of luxury that is on offer. It is more than a first class hotel. In a first class hotel, you pay first class prices for everything too, but on a Caribbean cruise liner, everything but drinks is free and even drinks are cheap because they are duty-free. The cruise liner will have a shop too where everything it sells is duty free!

Some Caribbean cruises are themed and it is worth noting this fact. Also some times of the year, especially early February are predictable. I once naively went on a Caribbean cruise for a fortnight which spanned St Valentine’s day. I was a single man then and the other 1200 were amorous couples. There was only one single woman on the cruise and there was no rapport between us. I did not not enjoy that Caribbean cruise, because people took we under their wing, but it made me think about the time of year when I next booked up.

Caribbean cruises, particularly the better ones, will fill up quickly, so this is one holiday that you really ought to book well in advance. A year in advance is not too early. I like to book my Caribbean cruise a year in advance, but put my name down for any last minute cancellations, in case I can pick up a bargain.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with St Croix Hotels. If you are interested in St Croix Vacation Rentals in the US Virgin Islands, please click through to our site.

Pool Safety For Kids

Friday, July 24th, 2009

Having a swimming pool on your property can be a great way to have fun for yourself and your entire family. However, despite that, it can also be very dangerous if you have children about. If you have the patience, you should wait until your kids are at least five years old or more before you put a swimming pool on your property. On the other hand, if you already have a swimming pool, there are ways that you can safe-guard your children.

One thing you should always remember is to never, ever, allow your children to be alone near your pool. Children tend to be drawn to water and all it takes is a second for them to fall into the swimming pool. If you and your children are at your pool side and you need to leave the area for a second, you should always take your children with you.

To be on the safe side, you should always ensure that you have loads of safety equipment around your pool at all times. Safety items are essential to have around, as they could save the life of a child or anyone else who can’t swim.

You should invest in a shepherd’s hook too, as you can employ it to pull someone out of the pool. Having a telephone at your pool is also a wise investment, as you can quickly ring for help in the event of an emergency.

If you don’t already have a fence around your pool you should look into getting one right away. A fence is a great way to keep children away from your swimming pool. If you have a protective fence up, you won’t have to worry about small children falling into it, while you are away from the pool. When you put your fence up, you should always ensure that it’s at least six feet high with a locking gate. In this way, no one can get into the pool without a key, which you should keep on you at all times.

You should also learn CPR. Even though you may not ever have to use it. However, it is always great to know in the event of someone falling in your pool that is unable to swim. Whenever you have children or people you know can’t swim at your pool, you should always stay within reach of them, so you can react instantly if they fall in. A minute is all it takes to save someone’s life.

Always bear in mind that swimming is fun, although you should always think in terms of safety first. Once you have finished using your pool for the day, make sure that you lock up the poolside well – and padlock the gate tight so no one can get in too.

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Swimming Pool Safety For Children

Monday, July 20th, 2009

Owning a swimming pool in your house or garden can be a great way to have fun for yourself and indeed your whole family. However, in spite of that, it can also be very dangerous if you have children around. If you can, you ought to wait until your children are at least five years old or more before you put a swimming pool in your garden. On the other hand, if you already have a swimming pool, there are ways that you can safe-guard your children.

One thing you should always remember is to never, ever, allow your children to be alone near your pool. Children tend to be drawn to water and all it takes is a second for them to fall into the swimming pool. If you and your children are at your pool side and you need to leave the area for a second, you should always take your children with you.

To be completely safe, you should always ensure that you have loads of safety equipment around your pool at all times. Safety items are a necessity to have around, as they could save the life of a child or in fact, anyone else who can’t swim.

You should invest in a shepherd’s crook as well, as you can use it to pull someone out of the water. Having a phone at your pool is also a good investment, as you can easily call for help in the event of an emergency.

If you don’t already have a fence around your pool you should think about getting one. A fence is a useful way to keep children from your pool. If you have a protective fence up, you don’t have to worry about small children falling in, while you are away from the pool. When you put your fence up, you should always make sure that it’s at least 6 foot high, with a locking gate. This way, no one can get into the pool without a key, which you have to keep on you at all times.

You could learn artificial respiration as well. Even though you hopefully will not ever need to use it. It is always good to know artificial respiration in the event of someone falling into your pool that is unable to swim. Whenever you have people you know can’t swim at your pool, you should always stay within reach of them, so you can react instantly if they fall in. A minute can make all the difference to saving someone’s life.

Always bear in mind that swimming is fun, although you have to always think in terms of safety first. Once you have finished using your pool for the day, make sure that you lock up the area well – and lock the gate up tight so no one can get in.

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