Yesterday I'd patched a small leak on the side of the pool so I went out to investigate it today & see if it had held. It seemed to be doing fine, but there was an awful lot of water on the ground around one side of the pool. Upon closer inspection, I noticed there was some water flowing out from the bottom. Murray came out and confirmed it AND found a 2nd one.
There was $200 worth of water at stake here and it was up to me to save it! Murray can barely tolerate the ocean in the middle of summer so I knew he couldn't go in. Surely it would be cold but I'd be in and out quickly so how bad could it be????????? Oh. My. Word. I have never experienced cold like that in my life. It was practically heart stopping cold!
I stepped off the ladder & the water was almost to my waist. It was freezing and my legs numbed quickly. Murray got the patch ready for me while I scrubbed the spot with a rag held in my toes. I wasn't going under any sooner than I had to. I dreaded it but putting it off really wasn't helping my situation and I sure as heck wasn't going to go back in and try again later. It just had to be done. I took a deep breath, grabbed the patch and plunged under the surface and promptly lost my mind. The intense and shocking suddenness sent my brain into a tailspin. Instead of sinking to the bottom and letting my air out slowly, I blew it all out in one shot and jacknifed to the surface without even thinking about it. It was pure instinct and every fibre of my being wanted me out of that water. I tried to calm myself and went back under. The same intense and instant panic fought my efforts to get to the bottom and I couldn't hold my breath nearly as long as usual. Apparently fighting off hypothermia takes a lot of oxygen! After a 3rd try, I got the patch in place but wasn't able to stay down long enough to smooth out the wrinkles and any air bubbles that may have been there. The bad news is that I was only half way done!! I still had one more patch to do. I was getting better at overriding the panic mode though and the 2nd patch went a little more smoothly if not pleasantly!
I got out of that pool PDQ, and hit the shower and felt much better! and do you know what I found out tonight???? Murray tells me he was completely prepared to let all the water leak out & just get more later. Ummmm yeah, you should have mentioned that before I almost died of shock or just kept that to yourself for a few years!
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