Can you swim?

[jro]

Watched a handful of movies lately where "I can't swim!" is a key plot point. At first I was like bullshit, everyone can swim. Then I saw an article on CNN where the author lamented the fact that their parents had both drowned and they also couldn't swim and not swimming was going to cause humans to die out.

When I was, dunno, like about 9-12, I had swim lessons every summer, no questions asked, sometimes semi-private with a lady, sometimes semi-private with a dude in a Speedo, I digress(!). I always tended to pull to the side on a crawl stroke but I'll get there sooner or later and I can also dang well tread water for a pretty long time.

Genuinely curious. Or, other version, if you have kids, can they swim? Always seems so weird to read about people drowning but it doesn't stop happening. I mean, I get that a rip current is a bitch either way but, y'know.

edit "semi-private" was me and one other student at like 4x the rate of a regular class. When I was 10 I did not think that was at all weird.

 

[HeavyMachineGoob]

Yes

 

[jro]

You sir are no Jason Statham.

 

[LoneSage]

Sure, because I'm white.

Dated a black woman many years ago, went to a water park for a date, no go. Because of the hair. So that's a real thing.

Majority Chinese can't swim because never had the opportunity to learn. Not like there's a YMCA in every city, even then most of them think swimming is dangerous.

Meanwhile I've always been a fish. Moral of the story? God bless America.

 

[LoneSage]

I'll say this though. I consider myself a good swimmer. Not scared of the ocean, even been scuba diving few times. But about ten years ago I swam too far from the beach, and got carried out to sea. No matter how hard I swam, couldn't get to the beach. But I never freaked out, just swam in a different way back to the beach. Still remember it though. Yeah it can be scary if you're out of your element.

 

[Heinz]

I taught myself as a kid and I do alright but I've never really tested it like getting caught in a rip and swimming back kinda thing.

 

[famicommander]

Yes, I am a decent swimmer. I do have super low body fat, though, which means I pretty much sink like a rock if I don't tread water hard. I can't float on my back at all without kicking. No buoyancy at all.

My dad is a much stronger swimmer. He grew up always near major bodies of water (Pacific Ocean, Great Lakes) and is super good at swimming, diving, boating, fishing, etc. He's still a licensed scuba diver. I went scuba diving once but only in an olympic sized swimming pool, not in the ocean or anything cool.

By the way, if you get caught in a riptide you always swim parallel to the shore until you get out of it, then turn in and swim back. I've never actually been in a riptide but my dad repeated that enough times to make it stick.

 

[terry.330]

Majority Chinese can't swim because never had the opportunity to learn. Not like there's a YMCA in every city, even then most of them think swimming is dangerous.

Even if there is a pool in the area they couldn't learn to swim if they wanted.

 

[LoneSage]

ffs

 

[StevenK]

Even if there is a pool in the area they couldn't learn to swim if they wanted.
View attachment 69004

Can you find Sage's stripy sock?

 

[Heinz]

Can you find Sage's stripy sock?

Where's Loney!

 

[StevenK]

I can't float on my back at all without kicking. No buoyancy at all.

Skill issue

 

[GutsDozer]

Sure can. I feel like on a planet of water it's an imperative skill. The real question is can you swim like the Frog Suit Mario? Also why can Mega Man swim in MM8 when the only time you have a chance to use it is in the prologue stage? God that game is terrible.

 

[Neo Alec]

Even if there is a pool in the area they couldn't learn to swim if they wanted.
View attachment 69004

There was a hot tub when I was at Ocean World in Korea that was more people than water. People soup. A 3-5 hour wait for a 45 second slide.

Yeah, white people in the U.S. usually can at least tread water, but that's not the case in all cultures around the globe.

 

[Syn]

A longtime ago I was a registered Lifeguard.

 

[fake]

XD

 

[Lagduf]

I can swim poorly.

Definitely had swim lessons as a kid. Got both the swimming and (water) lifesaving merit badges as a young Boy Scout.

Damn, really must be a white people thing lol.

 

[Lagduf]

PS: LEARN TO SWIM, LEARN TO SWIM

 

[Syn]

I went to school and had the Lifeguarding class with black students, male and female, so you guys sound pretty ignorant, lol.

 

[Lagduf]

I’m sure there is data that supports access to pools and water increases with wealth and that on average white Americans have more wealth than non-whites.

 

[famicommander]

I friend of mine is 6'6" and he refused to get in the pool at a party we were at because he can't swim. The pool was only 6 feet deep.

 

[StevenK]

I friend of mine is 6'6" and he refused to get in the pool at a party we were at because he can't swim. The pool was only 6 feet deep.

Maybe he just wanted to stand at the pool edge and have a laugh watching you sink like a hairy golf ball

 

[Lagduf]

It’s more likely his friend was an idiot.

 

[famicommander]

It’s more likely his friend was an idiot.

Just terrified of the water. We were like 17 and he had never been in a pool, lake, ocean, etc a single time in his life.

 

[StevenK]

Is swimming not a part of the education system in america? You're not supposed to leave school without being able to swim here.