How to get out of the ocean, gracefully!

[cotatica]

I don't know why I didn't ask this before. My travel mate uses a cane to keep herself steady. I use a cane for short walks but I have to use a walker on board ship. I have found the pools that I can walk down into and back out but haven't figured how to get out of the ocean once I get in. So I haven't gone in and I really miss it. We both have knee problems so we can't see ourselves able to get up and walk out of the water. We are going on the Oasis of the Sea and Emerald Princess to Eastern Caribbean soon. Next year Kauai. I know someone out there has the answer. Thanks so much.

[katisdale]

See if any of the beaches offer use of a beach wheelchair. You can then be wheeled (I've never seen one you could do without a pusher.) into the water. My only caveat is that if you do this don't use the seat belt as the chair starts to float when you get in the water and you will want to slip out of it. I buckled in one time and flipped my self face down into the water. That was scary at the time but quite funny now. We call it woman with chair attached to bottom bobbing in the waves. When getting back out your assistant brings it out into the water and you get in the chair and they can then pull you out.

[Umbarger]

I can so relate.

 

My disabled mom just loves the beach but cant enjoy it anymore as she can not get in and out of the water gracefully. So many people just sit on the beach watching us struggle. I try to help mom but I just couldn't take her weight. I finally asked a big hunk of a man to help me. They are usually very happy to help when asked. He took mom's one arm and I took the other. It was still hard but we managed. If we are on a private beach with no one looking Mom would love to just be able to crawl in and out. She gets covered with sand but what can you do?

 

If you are lucky enough to go to a beach that has a beach wheelchair they can help but you need another person to push the chair. However the beaches we went to never had any.

 

Good luck. :D

[cotatica]

thank you both for responding. I recognized you both right away as foundations for this link. I had a knee replaced a year ago and it has to be replaced and I have yet to get down on the floor even at home. I take a water therapy class 3 days a week, love the water. I can see in my mind's eye getting into the ocean, start to fall go backwards into the water and swim around. But the getting out I just can't figure out what I would do to not use my knees and then the balance problem on dry land will be magnified in the water and sand trying to walk. grrrrr Maybe someone else has found a way to accomplish this. I'm even probably ready to not even care if it is gracefully...I just want to enjoy the ocean/beach.

[IRL_Joanie]

This is just a thought but....

 

What about putting a belt on over your swim suit and attaching a rope or some sort of tie to it that can also be attached to your cane (I have a metal one with holes in it I bought from Walgreens). That way you can get into and out of the water much easier and not have to worry about holding onto the cane while you swim....

 

Just a thought....

 

Joanie

[kyriecat]

If you are able to climb two or three steps, you might consider a snorkel tour. It's not the beach, but you would be able to swim in the ocean for a while, even if you don't want to snorkel. I've been on several catamarans that have a set of steps that drops into the water between the pontoons. This provides some protection from the waves and is easier than climbing up a ladder. Away from the beach, the waves aren't as forceful. If your knees can't take any weight, this idea probably won't work for you.

 

Several years ago (I wish I could remember the island), we were on a snorkeling tour and the boat had a bos'n's chair that they used to pull people with limited mobility from the water. It might have been St. Maarten, but I'm not positive.

 

My mom is not interested in the ocean so I haven't researched options for her. Neither my husband nor I have mobility issues so when we take water-tours, I don't pay as much attention to the accommodations as I do when we're doing a land-type tour that my mom might enjoy later.

[ZellaLamb]

I love the water and I am a scuba diver and snorkeler. I understand exactly what you mean about getting out of the water. I agree with what has already been suggested and here are some of the things that I've tried and had success with:

 

Go on boat tour. It is wonderful to just jump in. Climbing back up can be a challenge but the boat crew is usually right there to haul you on up.

 

Docks can be good to go off of, but only if you can handle a ladder.

 

Beach wheelchairs are wonderful and they are getting easier to find at the public beaches. My husband just pushes me in and dumps me out. When I want to come in he pushes the chair out into the water, I climb aboard and he pushes me back up the sand to our chairs. (warning!! we tried to do this at Labadee and were told that we weren't allowed to use the water chairs in the water. They actually took it away from us while I was in the water and I had a terrible time getting back out. It was crazy.)

 

In a pinch, my husband has brought down a plastic chair from the beach and set it in the water. I am able to get myself up into the chair and then I can usually stand up from there and inch my way back out of the water with my crutches. The chair is always by my side so if I lose my balance, I just sit down.

 

I hope that these hints helped.

 

Kate

[kitty9]

I can't walk on sand (I fall down a lot) so I can't do the beach tours either. But, see if they have the beach wheelchairs as they seem to do a great job.

[MissRabbit]

for me. the only way i can get out of the ocean when the floor has a steep incline is to time your forward movement with the waves. Instead of fighting against the waves, work with them.

 

The worst ocean for me to get out of was in St. Maarten as the ocean floor dropped a couple feet just a little ways from shore. Even my fit husband had trouble. But once we timed it with the incoming wave, between him, me and the force of the wave, i was able to get up and over that drop off.

 

You need to remember that you are only a fraction of your weight when you're in the water. The strain and pressure that's on your knees on land, is next to nothing in the water. If the ocean floor is a slow gradual incline, you should have no probs whatsoever. If it has a drop off like St. Maarten had for us, use the incoming waves to your advantage.

 

I like the idea suggested above in attaching a water-friendly cane to your waist. Sure, it might be a bit annoying while in the water, but it'll be incredibly helpful in keeping your balance on moving sand and moving water.

[cotatica]

Thanks for another great idea. There have been several good suggestions and I hope they are helping someone else besides me. I liked the idea of the chair also. If there are 3 of us at the water two could go in and one could take care of the chair. My friend said we need to find a boat ramp but usually there are piles of rocks on either side with those and that would be almost impossible to climb over. I hope there are more suggestions. Thanks everyone.

[mclinns04]

Having trouble getting out isn't always a terrible thing. Every time I tried in Cozumel, the pull of the wave would get me off balance. I was getting really frustrated until a VERY muscular guy came up and told me to put my arms around his neck. When he straightened up, I came up with him. I may be old, but I still secretly enjoyed it just a bit. Hehehe.

[kyriecat]

Having trouble getting out isn't always a terrible thing. Every time I tried in Cozumel, the pull of the wave would get me off balance. I was getting really frustrated until a VERY muscular guy came up and told me to put my arms around his neck. When he straightened up, I came up with him. I may be old, but I still secretly enjoyed it just a bit. Hehehe.

WOO-HOO!! Now that's what I call graceful! :D;)

[cotatica]

That's what I'm talking about!!!!!!

[EileenN]

On our last cruise to Cosumel four of us entered the water easily, but noticed the algea on the rocks all over the entry point. We swam and fanny dunked for about an hour. My DH and I decided to head to shore but both fell on the stones and slid all over the place. Being more bouyant and heavy weight, I immediately rolled on my back and could not get up or over. Then the laughing started. Our two friends joined us to help and ended up rolling and floating and laughing. It took half an hour for all of us to get out. From now on, I will check out if there is a shower instead to cool off. Then I can laugh at the others struggling to get out of the ocean.