#relax

*Reaper then gives Geno a smile, honestly, he's never had anyone care about him like this not until he met the glitch* Love..I'm not lying this time..*that makes you sound like you are though* I am better now, everything is okay, you need to relax alright? *he then places a hand atop the Tsuns* I wouldn't still be here if it wasn't for you..tibia honest, I was expecting to go out just like Life did..I knew I wasn't gonna make it through that..but then you came in and saved me..you made sure I didn't die there..your the reason I'm still here.. and that's also why I'm worried about you.. you worked yourself to literal Death to make sure I was okay..are you alright? Sometimes I think you forget your the one with the Soul shard, not me..
Even if mine has a few problems, it's still in better working order than yours

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But to answer your question I would say being able to tread water/not drown for at least 15 minutes in any depth of water. Hold your breathe underwater for at least 30 seconds. If are afraid of the deep end at the pool then I wouldn't get on a board.
Swimming is the best preparation for surfing you can do that doesn't involve a board. You don't have to be a competitive swimmer (though at least one Olympic swimmer was also the top surfer in the world) but you have to be able to swim comfortably in surf as big as any you hope to paddle into, under conditions of fatigue and stress (eg just wiped out and held down by a set wave).
You need to be prepared for the surf you're in. If you're not a good swimmer, the worst thing you can do is go out in rough waters. If you can swim decently without exerting too much energy, then use your best judgment on what you think you can handle. If you have to question yourself, it may be too rough.
I am 36M and reasonably lean, and work a busy desk job. I grew up in India and so never had the ability to learn to swim. Pools are rare and my parents were already paying for private education that was very expensive for them. I have lived in Australia for over 17 years, a nation with a great swimming culture and teachers. So I finally took the plunge in Sep 2019 and joined a Masters Club. The first few sessions felt like I could not keep my body above water. But as I learned to relax, I gained more confidence. Also watching tonnes of free content on YouTube was helpful. The pool that I train in is 50m and mostly quite shallow, so I could do drills safely and practice myself several times a week without paying for extra lessons. You can also ask lifeguards to watch your technique and give you tips. And I train with the Masters club 1-2 times per week. Great bunch of people! Now after about 20 months (including the Covid closure for several months through 2020), I can do up to 2.4K per session and keep up with the others. My fastest is 50m in 40sec freestyle. So I believe with consistent practice and some coaching you will be able to achieve Masters level ability in say 12-18 months. Hope this helps! Good luck :-)
I started swimming at 41, I am 55 now. It took about 2 years of swimming almost daily to become OK. It took 3 years to become average masters swimmer, but it took about 7 years to be in the top 30% of competition in my favorite events. I am still improving my stroke and efficiency and have not slowed down from when I was in my late 40's.
Still working on being able to do a crawl without feeling like I'm dying halfway across though... Pool getting closed for 4 months due to Covid restrictions just as I was getting good put a big brake on my progress.

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Before covid I used to go away during the Easter holidays, and for a month in the summer. People underestimate the cost of it though! I can only really go away for a month in the summer because we have a 2nd home (my family is dual-national), so I pay flights but not accommodation. My rent and bills don’t stop just cos I’m out of the country and school hols are a really expensive time to travel.
I will go on the odd break away. My friends are going inter railing in august so I’ve managed to arrange it to join them for some of that, for example. But otherwise, I just relax. I’ll catch up on some of the series I’ve not watched yet, I’ll go for long drives to listen to my music, I’ll go for walks in places I like, or I do some of the arts/crafts I’ve been too tired to do during term time (for example, I like diamond painting, but I’m still currently on the one I started towards the end of the summer because I haven’t got the energy or patience to sit down and complete it at the moment). You may be different, but I really find I need time to just switch off.
I go on holiday. Every holiday except Christmas. Usually book a flight for the friday evening and aim to be back 3 days before work to do the work I told myself I was going to do and my washing! I sadly have no plans yet for the summer and due to rising bills I probably won’t be able to afford anywhere.
This hobby is also useful for completely shutting down most students when they ask you what you did over half term when they should be getting on with something. Just give them an honest, cripplingly boring reply. Works every time.

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