I was walking around the pond and saw a few bugs that looked like an aquatic version of a walking stick. A quick internet search led me to discover that they are from the genus Ranatra. They were submerged and clinging to shallow underwater structure but started to "swim" when they saw my shadow. They are pretty inefficient swimmers, a lot like me.
Reading the article below, it seems that they are referred to as "water scorpions" and are predatory insectivores and harmless to humans thankfully.
