I feel your pain. I was a competitive swimmer for my entire childhood. I grew up on a large body of water and feel like I could swim before I could walk.

My solution? I bought a fitted, comfortable, kayaking life jacket. I wear it anytime I’m in open bodies of water (no exceptions). It felt a little dorky at first, but now I can joke that I’m floating in my “luxury lounger” while people around me are treading water to stay afloat.

As for pools: this is a risk I’m torn on. I’m willing to swim in a pool without a life jacket only with my family (my parents although in their 60’s are physically fit and made both themselves and my siblings attend lifeguard training when we were young to ensure we had the skills to keep each other safe due to our proximity to water). I personally feel like it would be too much of a burden to expect anyone else to have to skills/strength/focus on me to get me safely on land. Would your husband be willing to enroll in lifeguard courses to ensure he could perform a safe water rescue?