+60 People NEED to learn to swim, amirite?

by Anonymous 2 days ago

My mom's friend had a pool, and if you wanted to use it you had to tread water in front of her for 5 minutes or no dice. My aunt actually died saving my nephew who refused to wear a life jacket and then got into trouble trying to retrieve his dinghy in a lake.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I had to tread water at my summer camp as a kid for 7 minutes as soon as I got to camp, or you woupd have to be the boy who has to wear a lifejacket in the water. I remember one year I almost didn't make it not because I was a poor swimmer but the cold water and physical exertion triggered my athsma. But I couldn't say anything or I'd be lifejacket kid so I pushed through it while barely being able to breathe lmao

by Chris02 2 days ago

A local swim park in my youth made you swim the length of the pond and back before you could swim in the deep area with the floating docks. I did it but I'm fairly sure I was exhausted after that and didn't go to the deep end that day. The rest of the summer I took full advantage.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Bro 😭

by Sweaty-Mousse 2 days ago

How do you tread water in front of her for 5 minutes without using the pool?

by Aohara 2 days ago

VR headset

by Corkeryfelicita 2 days ago

Well played

by Anonymous 2 days ago

They obviously mean in order to use it without supervision

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Yep. Though you should never leave kids unattended in water even if they are strong swimmers.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

In winter when the pool is drained

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I'm sure they mean use it freely. Context clues.

by Immediate_Staff 2 days ago

Bathtub man. Come on. Common sense.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I know it's silly but I learned from Mario in Mario 64 lol. I kinda just copied what he did with his legs and it worked.

by Different-Toe-1913 2 days ago

That's also how I learned to swim

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I love that game

by AsidePlenty3234 2 days ago

My kids are on swim team because they like it, but also it's an athletic activity and life skill all in one. You can't say that about many other sports

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Love it, I'm jealous that I didn't learn at a young age. School district didn't offer it.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Idk who John Wayne is but I had a Bosnian father who was decent enough rank to be rubbing shoulders with Arkan and other war criminals. (Maybe John Wayne is cooler than those guys???)

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I have to disagree, almost every sport has life skills attached. Any team sport has communication, responsibilities, and a work ethic. Any single sport has cognitive work or self-care. I am a certified lifeguard in a country that takes that type of thing seriously, and I have presented research on using swimming to treat ADHD. I love swimming. I think it is awesome. But, we dont have to put down other to love what we love.

by Charming_Froyo 1 day ago

yep. it's a good sport for growing too. works all the muscle groups and doesn't bulk you up. people i know who wanted to get jacked, now in middle age they look like melted wax figures. or people who wrecked their ankles playing catcher or have a bum knee after a football injury. got my first job teaching swim lessons at the ymca. one of their staff came to a swim meet and told a few of us to apply.

by Parkercyril 1 day ago

Hunting, fishing, fencing, lumberjacking, target shooting, all are skills too.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Building a fence or following the strict rules of the Olympic sport?

by Anonymous 1 day ago

If you want to keep them at it, just remind them that Bud Spencer used to be a swimmer... THEN show 'em Hill&Spencer movies. ;)

by HopefulLeadership442 1 day ago

What a peculiar thing to say, all sports teach you life skills, just more generally they are soft skills and not hard skills. But I'd argue kinaesthetic ability to be a hard skill, and literally every single sport teaches you how to control/move your body

by Anonymous 1 day ago

How is this an unpopular opinion lol

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Probably because plenty of people haven't learned to swim

by oda24 1 day ago

Thats surprising. I figured learning to swim was like riding a bike and everyone figures it out eventually. Do they just avoid going to beaches, water parks, pools, lakes, etc?

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Some places are not near water and people are too poor to pay for pools or water parks.

by Della24 1 day ago

I don't know why this is so hard for people to understand. There are lots of people who never learned how to throw a baseball, because they didn't play in an organized or casual way. They've very easily lived life without stepping on a baseball diamond. Water is the same way. If your parents don't take you to the beach, lake, or pool - you've just never encountered a situation where you've been expected to swim!

by Maymie39 1 day ago

Weird to think about as someone who lives in the great lakes region, I could drive 30 mins and pass like 5 public beaches

by Sea_Hair_6596 1 day ago

I would read up on this but swimming has been used as a tool of oppression. Like, I live in Nashville. Nashville used to have tons of public pools but they were filled in with concrete when it was time to integrate. They have some now but you have to pay to use them. Some people literally have no money for that. And going further back it was illegal for enslaved people to learn how to swim since it could help them escape to freedom. See a trend?

by oda24 1 day ago

Found the person with no black friends.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

In several European countries it's part of the school program. Or offered for free outside of school.

by Any-Lab 1 day ago

Cool. Here in America our public school systems are barely funded. We also have a history that includes filling in public pools instead of integrating them.

by oda24 1 day ago

I've had this conversation with many people because I love to swim and whitewater boat. Turns out black Americans were systematically excluded from access to swimming pools and resources. Also, certain hair types are very difficult to deal with when wet.

by RepulsiveMatch 1 day ago

Yeah. I don't think any reasonable person would argue that learning to swim is a bad idea.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

there is a difference between "learning to swim is a bad idea" (obviously wrong and unreasonable) and "not everyone needs to learn how to swim" which is the actual opposite of OP's opinion

by StudentGlobal 1 day ago

I think the issue is OP is implying you need to take classes in order to learn how to swim.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Yeah, I think this is pretty popular among everyone outside of Darwin award candidates.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I would just argue against the formal training spent. "My day just threw me in and I learned" or otherwise just learning by doing is a perfectly legitimate way to learn how to swim, preferably with supervision.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

As a former lifeguard, I 100% agree. The problem is not everyone has the financial means or access to a pool. There are solutions, but that would require a 0.0001% reduction in military and ICE funding and we'll not have that!

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I definitely need to learn to swim properly and I'm getting there. Doggy paddle is easy but it's so draining, swim 10-15 meters and I'm wheezing Is he a god or cardio or has not noticed how hard it is to keep up?

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Swimming is 90% technique. Learn proper technique and you can swim a lot farther than you think you can.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

If swimming in a lake is the measure of swimming ability I'll never be able to swim because I am never going to go into a filthy lake.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

team natural bodies of water yo.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Go into a clean one then

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Wtf lol Since when are lakes filthy?

by sidneyeichmann 1 day ago

Honestly, people who have zero awareness of what it is like to live on an island country and not have money is like, but swim lessons complete with exams should be part of the school curriculum, for people in countries like mine at least, but honestly, I support this being a part of the curriculum worldwide. All it takes is for your child to slip out of the door and find a river, pond or even a flooded gully. Rain can and does change landscapes vastly. I read about children drowning and in 2025. This should not happen. Swimming and survival skills should be taught in schools, not everyone is privileged enough to have able bodied parents or parents who care to teach them.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Similarly, people don't seem to understand what it is like to live in a city that isn't close to any bodies of water. It's no different to people that can't ski. It's not that they're incapable of knowing, they've just never done the activity.

by Maymie39 1 day ago

I've lived on the ocean my entire life, I actually learned to swim at the same time I learned to walk. I've grown to be an excellent swimmer and it's one of the very few forms of exercise I actually enjoy.

by Top_Potato 1 day ago

My wife's grandfather lived within 5 minutes of the ocean for 40 years before he decided learn at the age of 65 before going on a cruise.

by Appropriate-Bike-652 1 day ago

Oh wow 😧

by Top_Potato 1 day ago

Did he enjoy it after he learned?

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Popular opinion. Who out there is like "learning to swim is stupid"?

by Henrystamm 1 day ago

Apparently a few people here have that belief & think that Mother Nature is on their side.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Maybe it's because I grew up on the water but the idea of an adult not knowing how to swim makes me chuckle

by Wonderful-Sun-8256 1 day ago

meanwhile deepest water near me is the knee-deep roadside ditch when it rains very hard for some time

by schultzboris 1 day ago

You should see all the headlines in Colorado for people drowning in reservoirs or while tubing mild whitewater. It's almost always people who can't swim, and they're pretty much never wearing a life jacket.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Who's paying for these classes? Folks are skipping meals to let their kids eat

by WonderfulAir2625 1 day ago

In my opinion it should be taught in schools. I live in an island country, so swimming is essential because we are never too far away from the ocean, or at least a river or lake.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Thats reasonable. It was taught in my school.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

My primary and high schools had swimming classes as part of PE. We used the local collage's pool.

by luettgendavonte 1 day ago

We did too. Schools in poor neighborhoods do not

by WonderfulAir2625 1 day ago

It's a mandatory part of the curriculum here in the UK, so even the schools in poor neighbourhoods legally have to do it.

by luettgendavonte 1 day ago

Wow, that's cool. Definitely not the case in the US.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

The government, ideally. Could/should be part of gym class, but schools need to maintain a pool.

by Toni05 1 day ago

Go learn at a lake or at community pool then.

by Feisty-Original9522 1 day ago

not everyone lives near either of them

by schultzboris 1 day ago

Crazy to me that my mom doesn't know how to swim but has been in the ocean/Great Lakes. I really don't know if she's lying or not.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Idk, but I've met a lot of people who say they're good swimmers but in reality arent.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

well, if they don't learn they drown, like near me there was flooded clay pit (now its filled with concrete due to safety reasons), a neighbor threw his brother into water,after that he had no brother

by schultzboris 1 day ago

My late father was a US Navy swimming instructor training recruits at Great Lakes NTC before ordered to the USS Missouri and service in Korea as a Gunner's Mate 3rd Class. He taught us all how to swim at a very early age, just like I've done with my own 5 kids. While in HS, one of my teachers was a swim coach and kept pushing me to join the swim team, but didn't (and regret not doing so). Years later I became SCUBA qualified (PADI) and did a lot of diving, including at night looking for lobsters off the coast here in So.CA. I've water skied, surfed and engaged in other water sports. Plus, the Marine Corps drown-proofed us and we had extensive water survival training in clothes, boots, rifle, and pack, then for aircrew training in flight suits, helmet, and boots. As my father experienced, and I saw first hand, many black recruits did NOT know how to swim, so they needed extra instruction. So yes, everyone should know how to swim, at least enough to save themselves in a flood or falling into water.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

and even then, with today flat sizes a tub is a privilege already

by schultzboris 1 day ago

It would be great if everyone had the opportunity to learn to swim but there are huge barriers for a lot of folks including access to pools, and the financial burden.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I don't typically hear from the people who drowned

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Yes, unpopular opinion. No one NEEDS to learn to swim, as much as no one needs to learn calculus. It depends on whether you need it in your life or not.

by Armstrongodell 1 day ago

It´s a basic skill. Like knowing how to make a fire without tools or cook a meal. If you cant fend for youself, in all honesty, makes you kinda useless.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I was taken to swim lessons when I was little,the swim instructor threw me in and after that I was traumatized,never went back and to this day I don't know how to swim😳😳😳😓😓😓

by mokuneva 1 day ago

For what? I'm in my 30's and have never needed to know

by gleichnernola 1 day ago

You never need to...until you really need to know.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Yeah the earth opens up and swallows all those people who live in cities in the middle of endless deserts and grasslands with no transportation to leave them every day

by SpiritedCrew 1 day ago

I would honestly be embarrassed to admit that.

by Feisty-Original9522 1 day ago

That you've never needed to swim? I'm not sure there are a lot of scenarios in which you would absolutely need to know how to swim. Do you often encounter drowning victims when nobody else around knows how to swim?

by gleichnernola 1 day ago

For saving yourself when something unexpected happens

by Parisianmathias 1 day ago

They just wouldn't put themselves in any situation that's near a body of water.

by Radiant-Treacle518 1 day ago

Ok if there's a tsunami I think that lack of knowledge would be the least of my worries

by gleichnernola 1 day ago

You just never go to the beach or on vacation or something? How does one live into their 30s never being near a body of water?

by sidneyeichmann 1 day ago

I go to the beach all the time, I just don't swim. I don't go there for the water. I like checking out the tide pools, beach restaurants, tiki bars, thrift stores. I'm always looking for cheap hawaiian shirts and decor for my home tiki bar. There's a lot more to do in beach towns besides swim in the ocean

by gleichnernola 1 day ago

I feel you, because I am 38 and the only thing I learned by myself was to stay dead on the surface.

by Internal_Ad_3247 1 day ago

You should 100% need to learn to swim. My kids grew up on a lake and could swim no problem before 5 yo. No lessons needed they just see anyone older enjoying swimming and want to not have a life jacket on anymore so they learn real fast

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I took classes every summer. Took me 5 years to be able to swim (and I still cant swim by your standards.)

by Anonymous 1 day ago

My brothers and I were taught as small kids. Granted we live in a coastal state with a lot of waterways, but even my mom who grew up in the middle of corn country, Illinois was taught as a little girl.

by Key-Juggernaut5194 1 day ago

In Sweden all kids learn to swim in school, shouldn't that be possible in the us too?

by delphiaauer 1 day ago

I wish, I also wish we taught children how make things with wood and circuitry. Seems like a good idea IMO

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I can't tell if you're serious, American kids don't learn that in school??

by delphiaauer 1 day ago

My ex threw our son and daughter in the water with a life jacket on when they were 2 and 3, at 15 he still won't take one off. We've tried therapy and lessons and all that. My 16 year old doesn't want to learn so she stays where she can touch. My 6yr old is starting lessons this winter. I learned at 5 and have swam many different places. The older ones can't seem to grasp why i don't let them go to pool and lake parties if i can't be there, they are generally safe but alls it takes is one stupid kid pushing them where they can't reach. They don't want to take lessons they don't go. Period.

by WeekNo 1 day ago

In my country, swimming lessons used to be mandatory. I'm still baffled they changed it, given that more than half the country is below sea level and water is just about everywhere.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Also, don't put kids in puddle jumpers when they're learning how to swim independently. If you're using a personal floatation device, use a life jacket. Puddle jumpers keep kids upright, while life jackets cause them to lean back. If a kid falls into water without their floatation device, they will have built muscle memory and come to associate being in water with a certain position. If they're used to puddle jumpers, they'll go into an upright position, which is dangerous as it will cause them to sink and panic. If they're used to life jackets, they'll lean back, which will help them stay surfaced. It's never too early to start teaching your kids how to swim. Don't underestimate the dangers of water.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Swimming lessons in primary school should be mandatory.

by Any-Lab 23 hours ago

Where I live (Canada), all kids in 2-5th grades take a mandatory "swim to survive" class, where they learn how to tread water, get out of a pool safely etc.

by Anonymous 23 hours ago

I wish I was a strong swimmer. We got swim lessons as kids, enough to keep from immediately drowning, but that's it. My mom was raised to be terrified of water (because her parents couldn't swim either) so we didn't spend any time at lakes, rivers, or pools we couldn't touch in. As an adult, it's frustrating to not be able to swim even a meager distance without being absolutely winded despite being in decent shape, simply due to lack of skills and practice. I took adult swim lessons briefly, but ran into a fun little hiccup; all of the local pools are rented out by high school swim teams year round, from 5am-8am, then from 4pm-8pm. If they're not competing, they're still training for the off season. So actually getting into a pool for any regular practice is impossible, unless you're able to go during the middle of the day. It makes it very tough to practice.

by Anonymous 23 hours ago

Was definitely tossed in the pool… with swimmies

by Anonymous 23 hours ago

I don't think people realize how much energy it takes to swim. Sure it can be a fun leisure activity, but it takes a lot of effort to actually not drown

by Anonymous 23 hours ago

It literally takes no effort to float on your back and keep your head above water.

by Anonymous 23 hours ago

counter to this: i don't know how to swim, have tried and it never sticks, so i just don't go to the beach or pool. i'm not putting myself or anyone else in danger like that

by Kshlerinclement 23 hours ago

Why need? You realize there are millions of people who have never seen a large body of water in their life right? Its very easy to live your life without swimming. Is there a reason you felt the need to attack people who exercise in other ways?

by Anonymous 22 hours ago

Who? Desert nomads maybe - but pretty much all human settlements are near to water.

by Flashy-Grapefruit 22 hours ago

to large bodies of water that they would swim in? Actually on 15% of the world lives near a coast and theres alot less rivers, lakes and such. Doesnt change the fact that its not needed to learn to swim

by Anonymous 22 hours ago

You know you can fall into water as well as jump in on purpose, right?

by Flashy-Grapefruit 22 hours ago

Sure, but is it a need? How many people live near large bodies of water that they can easily fall into without any supervision? How many of those folk also dont have access to life preserves and such?

by Anonymous 21 hours ago

Oh man, could you get through life without learning to swim by avoiding water? Sure. But are you going to never travel to places with beaches, stay out of swimming pools, not go cruises, etc?

by Anonymous 21 hours ago

As someone who hates the water, yes actually, I don't travel to beaches, go to pools or like cruises.

by Anonymous 21 hours ago

Easily It would take more money and physical ability/energy than I have to do those things actually. I mean I did learn how to swim, fat lot of good it'd do me with my crap body now. But it would actually take me going out of my way in the most infeasible ways to do what you listed. I'm happy when I can do a light date and some chores or a basic walk at this point.

by Anonymous 21 hours ago

Aw man sorry to hear that.

by Anonymous 21 hours ago

Lakes and rivers don't exist where you live? You have no desire to swim in a pool?

by Feisty-Original9522 21 hours ago

I currently live within 5 miles of the ocean, but where I grew up the nearest large body of water was a 2-3 hour drive. I know how to swim, and I have 0 desire to swim in a pool.

by Anonymous 21 hours ago

This is not unpopular. It is a basic life skill to stay alive.

by Lupebrakus 20 hours ago

Deletes when they remember that one time someone got attacked by a shark.

by Anonymous 20 hours ago

TIL You can only drown in the ocean

by Parisianantonet 20 hours ago

My dad taught me by the ol' toss em in technique. In the movie that inspired so many dads, John Wayne threw a kid in a pond and he figured it out real quick. My father, in his blessed wisdom, tossed me into a river. About 200m downstream I caught on to a rock after being tossed about above and below water lmfao

by Anonymous 19 hours ago

My family knows how to swim, but we aren't really into it. We have a good size pool, but it only gets used 5 or 6 times a year.

by FutureAd2258 19 hours ago

In finland many of nigerians etc die cause they just walk in the sundown without any experience how to swim

by Anonymous 19 hours ago

Learning how to float

by luis30 19 hours ago

I learned to swim before I could walk. Was something my parents felt strongly about. I have no concept of how a person can't swim anymore than if one told me they cannot walk (barring any sort of condition or injury of course). I'd say if you have a kid it is literally never too early to teach them.

by Anonymous 18 hours ago

Anything that is 'required' is going to raise issues around the enforcement and liability of failing to comply, and I really can't think of a fair way to enforce this. But I totally agree that everyone should learn, and would go so far as to say I think it should be publicly funded to teach kids how to learn. But a swim police? No thanks. It's sad to me how many people spend thousands of dollars on guns thinking it'll help them protect their children, when in my opinion the absolute best 'return on investment' in terms of safety is to give your kids swim lessons. An extra thousand dollars on a safer car, a safer neighborhood get you almost nothing. Aside from maybe a bike helmet or sunscreen or toothpaste I'm hard pressed to think of anything that makes a bigger difference per dollar.

by Anonymous 18 hours ago

I'm so anti government that I'm actually disgusted that you think I implied any sort of regulation. Responsibility & community > Regulation *Gun safety should be taught & promoted within schools. They are a reality, understand how it functions.

by Anonymous 18 hours ago

If there's no regulation, then people don't actually NEED to learn. I agree everyone should, it sounds like we also agree that it shouldn't be necessary to learn.

by Anonymous 18 hours ago

Not knowing how to swim is equivalent to not knowing how to run. It's a basic human physical function

by Jazzlike-Cake-8174 17 hours ago

You still can, swim that beach, swoop that babe, eat those fries! Sounds like good day

by Anonymous 17 hours ago

My youngest was having trouble learning how to do the leg movement so I bought her some flippers and she was swimming without them after only an hour.

by Anonymous 17 hours ago

I started taking swimming lessons this year and I'm 33! Definitely check out your local recreation center to see if they offer group classes, usually more affordable than private swim schools. I can attest that the more time you spend in the water and practice, the more comfortable you get. You also need to be patient and consistent! My goals are to one day go whitewater rafting, zip lining + jump into water, and snorkeling in the ocean.

by Fit_Fig408 17 hours ago

How is this an unpopular opinion? Do you live a hundred miles from any body of water, or something?

by madisynwalker 16 hours ago

Hmmm, I have a weird feeling that you can't actually swim a breast stroke. But I could be wrong!

by Anonymous 16 hours ago

We had to swim in the lake 100' in front of our dad. $5 for doing it. A fortune in the early 70s. The kids main swimming options were the Missouri or the irrigation ditches through the valley. Local pool but they required trunks, and had a bunch of rules.

by Anonymous 16 hours ago

Where i live kids have swimming lessons at like 2nd grade

by Anonymous 16 hours ago

I was a lifeguard this summer and it was clear to me that this kind of is an unpopular opinion in some cultures/circles. The amount of teenagers or adults who would come to the pool and not know how to swim or tread water and would get pressured to go in the deep end by friends or family because: "there's a lifeguard here! You'll be fine, he'll save you!" was crazy. To be clear, I made sure they stayed in the shallow end. But PLEASE teach your children to swim, because they probably won't learn as an adult.

by Daughertyangus 16 hours ago

Not just need but NEED.

by nicolaspauline 15 hours ago

It's actually really interesting how many people can't swim well. I was a competitive swimmer for years and I did a few triathlons and I'm complete ass at running and biking but I would see these seasoned and incredibly athletic people struggle to swim a bit, and then breeze through the other two events and it was always so crazy to me. Especially really muscular people who have trouble floating.

by Anonymous 15 hours ago

you live up to your name! I love it!

by Anonymous 15 hours ago

I actually agree with this and I plan on taking swim lessons next spring because I can't even float 😭

by Anonymous 14 hours ago

This definitely should not be an unpopular opinion. Anyone who thinks so is clueless.

by Anonymous 14 hours ago

Lots of people can't afford to learn and not all schools have access to a pool

by SandWilling5542 14 hours ago

""My dad threw me in the water and I learned" You hear this a lot & these are always the people who drown" If they drowned how would we hear this from them?

by champlinaaron 14 hours ago

I don't think this is unpopular. I suspect especially among medical and first responders you'd find it very popular.

by FlatWheel 14 hours ago

My step dad just threw me in, it's not as serious as you think. Some people do in fact just figure it out. Learned by getting tossed into the deep end, eventually went on to complete advanced swim qualifications in the marine corps with no real training.

by chanelmuller 13 hours ago

My dad did the same to me. Some people yell abuse. Honestly, best lesson i´ve ever learned. I thank my father every day that he had the stomach to do it. I wish i have the same with my child.

by Anonymous 13 hours ago

Not if you live in Vegas there is no water here

by Anonymous 13 hours ago

I was "taught" to swim at a local swimming pool by being through in the water by lifeguards off a 10 foot diving board. I had to be like 8 years old and it took two grown-ish men to pry me off the rails. There was a lifeguard swimming in the pool in case I got into trouble. I'm pretty sure my parents paid for this "lesson". I did learn to swim though, it didn't take three months. Took it all the way to learning SCUBA

by Lost_Baby7206 12 hours ago

So grateful that my mom made me do swimming lessons as a kid

by Anonymous 12 hours ago

We had to prove we could swim in boot camp. Dudes that couldn't were all lined up along the edge of the pool. Never saw them again.

by Pierrereinger 12 hours ago

I worked as a white water rafting guide guide for a season and remember internally laughing at ho2 bad some people were at swimming. They all had life jackets on so they weren't in danger but some people just could not swim back to the boat even in calm waters where we'd let people have a quick dip. The river would just take them away and we'd have to paddle over to save them.

by Anonymous 12 hours ago

This always blows my mind because it should nt have anything to do wih classism or swim classes. How many people cant swim just sounds insane, i would be terrified. That said im a good swimmer but even still ai have been scared and pretty exhausted.

by Wrong_Hovercraft 11 hours ago

Dang. Here I am scrollin', lookin' for a Tool reference, see your pfp, but no Tool reference? For shame.

by Training-Yam224 11 hours ago

I am a pretty strong swimmer, grew up in and around lakes my whole life- And that is actually exactly what happened to me. My dad threw me off a boat- and I swam lol

by Anonymous 10 hours ago

I just dont understand how people dont know how to swim. Whenever someone tells me that I just cant wrap my brain around how they have never tried to learn. I never took swim lessons. I just wore swimmies in the pool as a kid. You can wear them as adults too, or a life jacket. I feel like anyone who doesnt know how to swim just hasn't even attempted learning.

by Fermin70 10 hours ago

I didn't learn until muuuch later (took classes in college) but had the exact scenario where a person threw me in the pool as a child and I couldn't swim. Of course it was very traumatic but someone pulled me out so I didn't drown. After that I always held resentment towards my parents not teaching me this important skill, and once I was old enough paid for my own classes and theirs as well. Now I love the water but that trauma never fully leaves.

by Anonymous 10 hours ago

Supposedly, my dad learned how to swim and I once saw him at the beach doing it, but he never cared about his children regarding this or even wanted to teach us. If we learn how to swim, that would be an emotional risk to him.

by Internal_Ad_3247 10 hours ago

Very dangerous for people who think they're athletic because they lift some inert weights and eat chicken I mean.. "athletic" doesn't mean "can swim well". So...

by SkyMaster 10 hours ago

I took classes as a kid and they taught me nothing. I learned on my own. Not saying all kids' classes are the same as mine were, but mine didn't help.

by Anonymous 10 hours ago

i'm pretty sure it's a mandatory part of the curriculum here in the uk. in primary we had a swimming lesson at the local pool every week and my secondary received a massive donation during a fundraising event and we were able to have a pool built onsite so us and the local schools could do swimming as part of pe every year.

by NewsEnvironmental 10 hours ago

As someone who can't swim, it's definitely should be a requirement to learn

by darius43 10 hours ago

😂

by Anonymous 9 hours ago

Some people literally can't float due to their body composition. Of course, water doesn't care. So these people (like me) should wear a life vest when in deep water.

by Aglae30 9 hours ago

I know how to swim, I just can't do it very well on account of my cerebral palsy.

by Anonymous 9 hours ago

When i tried to learn how to swim i almost died

by Beginning-Average841 9 hours ago

3 months to learn to swim is insane. If you're over the age of 13 it should take like 30 minutes with half decent instruction.

by Anonymous 9 hours ago

Scouting America agrees with you, if that sort of thing matters to you. "Every Scout a swimmer" is one of the principles Scouts must meet to achieve the First Class rank.

by Baileyguadalupe 9 hours ago

My best friend can't swim and everytime I am reminded of it k laugh at him. Secretly I like „brother you need to learn it? How will you survive x situation in water?"

by Anonymous 8 hours ago

What We had to get a bronze badge in swimming (it's basically a basic certificate of your capabilities in water, a step above "can manage not to drown") to be admitted to school.

by AsidePlenty3234 8 hours ago

I am OK at swimming and I know how to do side breathing, I just choose not to do side breathing.

by Accomplished-Iron750 8 hours ago

I like the dutch system. Almost everyone has an official diploma, often even 2 or 3 (there's levels, A, B, C) nobody asks about your swimming because we assume everyone has the diploma's assuming you grew up here of course.

by RowProfessional 7 hours ago