Tried competitive underwater basket weaving, almost drowned in lane 3

Signed up for a beginner session at the community pool in Austin after seeing a flyer. Thought it would be dumb fun. Turns out holding your breath while weaving wet reeds is way harder than it sounds. I popped up after 20 seconds gasping, and the instructor yelled "stay down, the pattern isn't done!" The basket looked like a mangled bird nest. Learned that my lungs are only good for about 4 feet of water. Has anyone else tried a water-based hobby and immediately regretted it? What's the actual trick to not panicking?

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the_drew6d ago

Twenty-two seconds was my record before I decided swim lessons were just me paying to swallow pool water. Honestly, I thought water aerobics would be chill, but it turns out the "water" part makes every move twice as hard, and I gave up after one class. The trick seems to be forgetting you can breathe, which is the opposite of everything I knew about existing.