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[ParaSeoul]

 

[Zeroing]

I was born a island! I had to learn to swim because that was the only way I could get out of the place! Joking

I mean I expect most people to not know how to swim, specially if they lived all their time in a place without a lake, ocean ….


Fun fact, babies know how to swim. Then they loose that ability!

 

[Cyberpunkd]

100% depends on the school district. Poor school districts don't have money for swimming pools.

It’s as simple as that. I know how to swim but when I was growing up my school didn’t have a swimming pool, only the gym. So you had to plan and sign up for some pool nearby.

 

[BigBooper]

If you don't go to pools, no need to swim. I can swim, but I wouldn't want to test my skills in a survival situation.

Nearly half of adults can't swim well enough to save themselves

Only 56% of adults can perform the five basic skills needed to swim and exit the water safely.

www.local3news.com

That actually seems pretty good to me for the US. Most people have no need to go near water.

 

[NinjaBoiX]

I dunno man, it’s not the easiest thing to grasp and it’s something you rarely actually “need” in life.

I’m not at all surprised that a lot of people never properly learned how TBH, I never did.

I feel like I could swim myself out of danger if I fell in a fairly small body of water, but in an emergency situation I’d definitely need help!

 

[DelireMan7]

In primary school, we went to swimming pool every week. But I am still afraid of deep water and would not define me as "someone who can swim".

In recent years, I took confidence in swimming pool and can swim but as soon as I know I don't have the safety to stand up in water, I tend to panic a bit and quickly go back to safety.

But honestly, I don't think in our modern life swimming is that important or "essential skill" to have (except if you live in an area revolving around deep water).

 

[Rockondevil]

I've always been blown away by the amount of people from island nations that can't swim.

 

[Prison Mike]

Get ready to implode, OP.

I don't know how to swim.

I never learned how to ride a bike.

I don't know the rules to football.

I don't know the rules to any sport, actually.

I didn't use cell phones until 2017.

I don't wear shoes, solely boots. Ha. Solely.

I think mayonnaise sucks.

I've never eaten fish.

BURN IN MY HELL FIRE

Chuck Nolan we salute you.......

 

[Prison Mike]

I probably wouldn’t have learned to swim if it wasn’t for my sister taking me to swimming lessons at the local YMCA when I was like 8 years old. It’s a useful ability for sure.

Were you a YOUNG MAN.......

 

[Star-Lord]

I don't know how to swim either, but neither can Tommy Vercetti, and if that means I'm like Tommy Vercetti, then I'm OK with it.

 

[FunkMiller]

Having mainly been brought up in the UK, where you’re never that far from a body of water, learning to swim was unavoidable. But I love it, so all good.

 

[GymWolf]

I live in an island so i had to learn swimming even before learning how to jerk off.

 

[V1LÆM]

we got swimming classes in school here in the UK.

 

[Big Baller]

Watch Blue Lagoon

 

[Saiyu]

I can swim in my dreams if that counts

 

[Nitty_Grimes]

I find it mind boggling that some people cannot use a knife and fork properly either.

 

[Mossybrew]

I find this even more surprising given that I live in Southern California, right near beaches and swimming pools are incredibly common.

Yeah our kids learned to swim before they learned to ride bikes. Growing up and also raising our kids in SoCal that's just how everyone did it as far as I knew, but there's always outliers.

 

[Mossybrew]

Honestly who gives a shit? Worry about yourself man, you're not good at everything. I'm disgusted that people drink soda and don't know how to squat properly, which I'd argue is a fundamental human skill just as you see swimming to be, but I'm not out here screaming about it and openly judging others.

Uh, it's kind of a fundamental skill because it can literally save your life, not comparable to beverage choice or squats. Weird post dude.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Swimming for some is a rare situation, it’s a lot of calories burned and one of the best workouts.

 

[dr_octagon]

I live in an island so i had to learn swimming even before learning how to jerk off.

 

[GymWolf]

Exactly.

 

[SlimySnake]

Fuck you too OP

 

[GymWolf]

Fuck you too OP

You are a disgrace for your entire race

 

[West Texas CEO]

My bones are heavy, though

 

[Jeeves]

I can swim just fine, but my body is not capable of floating. People don't believe me when I tell them. I've spent hours practicing treading water to no avail. I can swim up, down, all around, but I can't keep my head above the water reliably enough to buy myself more than a few extra seconds of breath (usually with some water mixed in). Trying to remain at the surface wears me out very quickly. My body just wants to sink. No buoyancy. Even people who float very easily will begin to sink if they try to hold onto me in the water.

I enjoy swimming though, fun to dive to the floor of a pool and swim across it that way. Even do underwater flips and rolls.

EDIT: And if someone asks what happens if I just relax all my muscles in the water? I will end up face-down with just my shoulder blades barely breaking the surface of the water, like a corpse.

 

[Ma-Yuan]

My best friend couldn't swim either. I tried to teach him on a vaction in Thailand in the hotel pool. He always just went under like a rock. Was a total mystery to me how he did this.

I guess also he chose this lack of swimming knowledge as a way to end himself. Since they never found his body when he disappeared 2 years ago near a lake

 

[Pakoe]

I can't swim, my parents didn't have the money for lessons.
I'm getting lessons now though, and I gotta admit it's kinda fun. Seems I'm also a fast learner.

 

[poppabk]

Uh, it's kind of a fundamental skill because it can literally save your life, not comparable to beverage choice or squats. Weird post dude.

Diet and exercise are likely to have a vastly greater impact on your survival and quality of life than being able to swim. I can swim, but there are a limited set of circumstances where it might save me, and most I would probably only get in to because I can swim.

 

[SafeOrAlone]

I avoided lessons or letting anyone "handle" me in the pool when I was younger. Guess I'm not very trusting. So I'd stand in the shallow end of deep pools.

But I definitely learned by the end of elementary school, just from hanging out in pools. Spend enough time in water and I don't see how you'd fail to learn. It's just so natural.

 

[PaddyOCanager]

I didn't know the percentage of people who don't know how to swim was so high. If you'd asked me before this thread I'd guess like 10%....I've only known one person who couldn't swim and that was just when we were kids. I live in Ohio.

 

[Soapbox Killer]

I spent 3 years active duty on a US Navy ship and I can't swim a lick.

 

[ResilientBanana]

I know one that can't ride a bike, let alone swim.

 

[K' Dash]

I can't swim.

I take my 11 month baby girl to swimming classes 2 times a week so she can save me in the future.

 

[Bitmap Frogs]

Swimming lessons aren't mandated nor usually covered in my country, but my parents covered the private lessons.

 

[Rival]

Swimming classes are covered in schools in Australia. They don’t do this in the US?

No they only teach us how to use guns here.

 

[dr_octagon]

 

[-Minsc-]

I failed swimming lessons as a kid. If I had one on one private lessons I probably would have fared better.

 

[DragoonKain]

I never once needed to learn how to swim or ever worried about it in the sense of being taught by anyone. I jumped in a pool and took it from there and figured it out on my own. Though I don't swim often because getting water in your ears is one of the worst feelings for me, I hate it, and also I've never perfected going under water without getting water up my nose, and I hate the feeling of that as well. So whenever I do swim it's purely from the neck down.

I think most of it is psychological and people panic and cause themselves to sink and inhaling water and choking.

But swimming is a good skill to have. Better to know how to do it than not. Especially since you can learn it completely in a day and you'll have it for life. It doesn't take much investment to have a valuable skill like that in case you need it.

 

[Boaty McBoatface]

I'm 50 and still can't swim.

When at school there were around 30 plus in the class, and it was the teacher who took the lessons.The school didn't have a private swimming pool, so we took the trip to the local public baths. Travelling, plus getting changed, left us little time to really get a good lesson in. So, anyone who couldn't swim was pushed to the shallow end, given arm-bands and floats and the teacher crossed his fingers you didn't drowned that lesson.

I very rarely remember any one to one from the teachers back then; they had enough kids to be in charge off and it was easier to teach those who could compared to those who couldn't. Those were the days.

MY mother wasn't a big swimmer, as I'd never seen her swim oh holiday for example. My father left when I was around 2 so didn't have that Male father figure, who in those days, chucked you in at the deepend and you learned quite quickly.

Growing up, I had friends who, in the summer holidays, would grab a towel and 20 pence and spend an hour at the baths, or jumping off bridges into the local docks. It never really bothered me.

I've never been attracted to the water, but I don't shy away from walking along a canal or the sea. I'm just careful and not stupid enough to risk anything near water. I've been on ferries and such, and not really thought about it.

Would I like to learn, sure; mainly as an exercise not out of fear of being in a watery predicament. I'm not embarressed about not being able to swim, I just say I don't swim. People are suprised, sure, but hey ho that's me.

My school in UK was word for word same as this. We just didn't learn to swim, now living in Australia and everyone looks at me like an alien when I say I can't swim. It's funny to see how different people grow up, their experiences and what they think is normal.

 

[dr_octagon]

My school in UK was word for word same as this. We just didn't learn to swim, now living in Australia and everyone looks at me like an alien when I say I can't swim. It's funny to see how different people grow up, their experiences and what they think is normal.

We were fortunate having lessons at primary and secondary school, I've found it useful.

I've encouraged others to learn, for social reasons if not being a valuable life skill. You don't want to panic in water and someone may not be around to help.

 

[Fugitive Sex]

My school in UK was word for word same as this. We just didn't learn to swim, now living in Australia and everyone looks at me like an alien when I say I can't swim. It's funny to see how different people grow up, their experiences and what they think is normal.

They probably assume you would take the time later in life to learn a valuable and basic skill.

 

[cormack12]

I haven't swam for years. I assume I still can. In the UK teachers are generally shit on teaching you how though. And just throw you a float.

Then three lessons later ask why you still can't swim. Still, after open swimming I think it's more important to learn how to tread water etc. I remember trying that and sinking like a wet turd multiple times.

 

[GeekyDad]

In my experience there is a sharp ethnic and presumably socioeconomic, divide between kids who can than those who can't. Obviously access to pools, lakes, or the ocean is kinda a prerequisite so urban inner city kids and desert/farmland rural kids might be hard pressed to get to swimming.

Bingo.

I grew up in Miami, FL, and was swimming by 4-years old. My wife, however, grew up in a rural town in SC, and doesn't know how to swim. Likewise, we raised our children in a rural area in GA, and they never expressed much interest in or made time to learn. Not forcing shit on my children. So, people can have their mind boggled. Their choice. But it sounds fucking painful.

 

[p_xavier]

I dont know what it's like now, but swimming classes were definitely not covered by the government in Canada way back. You paid a fee and went to community centres to do 1 hour classes. Each level you'd get like 8-10 classes. And every level (badges if they still have them) costs money. To get the ultimate badge, you'd have to pass probably at least 10 levels.

They were for me as part of the normal curriculum. We had mandatory swimming classes in Grade 3 for gym. We had a bus taken us to a public pool. Reminding that we were the last graduating class who got the education program from 1953. We had wood shop, plumbing, dactylo, mechanics, cooking and mechanics class. Cohort after had common core courses and removed all the hands on stuff.

 

[dr_octagon]

 

[killatopak]

probably depends on where you live.

I live in an island nation so 99% of the people will sooner or later learn to swim.

 

[Boaty McBoatface]

They probably assume you would take the time later in life to learn a valuable and basic skill.

yea nah

 

[Gp1]

Depends on their culture from my experience. I notice most Africans and East Asians don’t know how. Talking to my friends at work it seems like it mostly comes down to lack of places to swim. They don’t grow up with pools and so on.

At least here (Brazil) the vast majority of the population is at least 60 miles from beaches, rivers or public pools so I believe that almost everyone knows how to swim. But at the same time I know a lot of people that fears large bodies of water.
I did private lessons for 7 years at a when + hit the beach every now and then so I think I can handle myself even at the ocean.

 

[p_xavier]

You are a disgrace for your entire race

Ah good old urethral fish.

 

[Mondai]

What’s the point of learning to swim if you live in the mountains or no where near an ocean or any body of water?