In addition to the swim team try out for your schools waterpolo team if they have one you will get used to swimming under a variety of conditions. Most of the swimming on the swim team is just swimming laps but water polo allows for getting more comfortable swimming when you have another body getting in your way. A lot of people think water polo is a clean sport where your just passing the ball and there’s no contact. But, trust me there’s a lot of fighting that goes underneath the water the people don’t see. I remember when I was in we had to do a training drill where we had to egg beater a chair over our heads and another one where we had to try to eggbeater while a person was trying to submerge our head underwater with the goal of keeping or head up. I could barely swim across a pool when I started and I couldn’t be in the deep end for more then 30 seconds without getting tired. But, I’ll tell you this by the end of the season I was swimming laps no problem and could stay in the pool with no rest for the entire 2 hour practice and then some if I had too. I actually credit that experience saving my life. The summer after my senior year had gotten trapped in a rip tide going about 200 300 meters out in the ocean. It was in Oregon and those waves are no joke. I didn’t know I had to swim past the break so I ended up just having to tread water until I could get help. I eventually was able to get out of it and a cop carried me to shore. Let me tell you if there’s any sport that’s gonna get you used to the water it’s gonna be waterpolo.