Doraemon has been finally set free (I am told) but it seems I was been enslaved in a different sense when I somehow forgot that… I can’t swim… in the middle of a video shoot… and I will never recover from the embarrassment… maybe.
Like a deer in headlights
The scene is on the set on a short film I am (secretly) involved in. Its a beautiful day, I am in a wetsuit, paddling out into what felt like the open option with water at least 50 metres deep below me. I am excited, I am happy and I have an 11-year-old helper happily swimming beside me and she would be responsible for taking the paddleboard away once I was at the spot I needed to be. It’s all going well, the water is warm (surprisingly for Autumn) and we arrive at the spot and its time to leave the paddleboard to assume the floating position so the drone can do its thing. I try to leave the board but my body refuses to obey, a few seconds pass, then a few minutes – everybody on the shore is calling out to me and my little helper is saying “board please, board please” and I am frozen like a deer in headlights, why? I can’t swim!
I can’t swim!
How could I have forgotten this piece of information before waddling out? I was excited, I was honoured to be a part of the project but here I am embarrassing myself with everyone just short of breaking out into laughter (or worse). The day is saved (kind of) when a life jacket is produced and after a wall robe change and ego repairs I manage to go out again for the shots though it will take time for my ego to fully recover.
Can you swim?
Tweet me @Jamaipanese and let me know if you can swim our share any similar embarrassing experiences. I really need to learn to swim!