Poll: Reality and Movies - How Many People Can Swim?

Baron_BJ

Tired. Cold. Bored.
Nov 13, 2009
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You've seen it everywhere, in every medium imaginable; people can't swim, even when they should know, for example:

Have you seen Waterworld? If not a quick summary of the part I'm referring to: Global warming has caused the entire world to flood, leaving no land above the surface (people live off boats, floating towns and the like) and yet in it there is a young girl (I think she was like 8 or something but I have no intention of watching the movie again to check) and for some reason she can't fucking swim. In a world where one would think that it would be a useful thing to know.

This made me wonder how many people actually know how to swim, at the very least based on these forums. If you don't know how to swim, would you care to tell us why?

EDIT: You forget to punctuate your question and it won't let you fix it, leaving you on the verge of madness attempting to fix it, but to no avail.
 

Aidinthel

Occasional Gentleman
Apr 3, 2010
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I'm not a particularly good swimmer, and I actually haven't swum in a long time, but I can. It's just one of those things you should know, I'd say.
 

craftomega

New member
May 4, 2011
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Everyone should know how to swim.....

I really cant fathom why you would not know....

(Other then being Hydrophobic)
 

Jamash

Top Todger
Jun 25, 2008
3,641
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craftomega said:
Everyone should know how to swim.....

I really cant fathom why you would not know....

(Other then being Hydrophobic)
It's a cultural thing. There's an interesting article on the BBC about why lots of Black Americans can't swim:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11172054

I know it's a racist trope that black people can't swim (at all, because of genetics), but it's also a true observation that lots of black people can't swim because they've never learned how to, for a multitude of reasons.
 

game-lover

New member
Dec 1, 2010
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Eh... sorta.

I can swim underwater well enough and get somewhere. The issue there is figuring out how to hold my breath long enough. Otherwise, I won't last in deep water.

But the main swimming everyone does... the lifeguard one where you can swim over the water, I have no idea how to do. Haven't learned that yet.
 

Colour Scientist

Troll the Respawn, Jeremy!
Jul 15, 2009
4,722
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According to the poll, I'm the only person who can't swim.
That's slightly depressing.


Better get my floaties out in case of flooding.
 

Loop Stricken

Covered in bees!
Jun 17, 2009
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Colour-Scientist said:
According to the poll, I'm the only person who can't swim.
That's slightly depressing.


Better get my floaties out in case of flooding.
It's okay, for I am here to join you.

And really, why would I need to swim? I live in the UK, in Birmingham ffs. I don't intend on being anywhere NEAR any body of water in which I could conceivably drown.
 

Esotera

New member
May 5, 2011
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I come from a family of natural swimmers, so am pretty good at it, even though I've been out of training for the last year. I'd strongly recommend that anyone who doesn't know how to swim learns, because it might come in useful one day, and it's a lot easier than running or any other sport.
 

SilentCom

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Mar 14, 2011
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usmarine4160 said:
Got the Water Survival Qualified rating for my swim qual. Drown proofing is fun training (That's where they bind your hands and feet and drop you in 10 ft of water)
That sounds kind of extreme...

I think I'll stick with having my hands and feet free when I swim.
 
Sep 7, 2010
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i can try to swim, i would compare my attempts at swimming similar to a crocodile on crack death rolling. i'm just a riot at pool parties as you can imagine.
 

octafish

New member
Apr 23, 2010
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As an Australian I know three people who can't swim, one is Irish, one is Scottish, and one is fourteen months old, two of those people are learning to swim. Stubborn Irish. I love the water.
 

OmniscientOstrich

New member
Jan 6, 2011
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I can swim well enough. I can't do front crawl though, only breaststroke so I'm not going anywhere particularly fast, but can probably last a decent while, though in my current shape I'm not sure how my endurance would hold up. When I was a kid of roughly 10/11 I swam something like 75 lengths for charity, though I'm not sure if my apathetic modern self would hold up to that. Anyway, yes I know how to swim, I imagine most other people do, though I concede I don't think there is much reason to as it will never really come up in day to day life.
 

Lionsfan

I miss my old avatar
Jan 29, 2010
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I can swim pretty well, I use swimming as a workout so I'm really good at it
 

Sightless Wisdom

Resident Cynic
Jul 24, 2009
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I've always been a decent swimmer, it's fairly useful in a country full of giant lakes and rivers. Additionally I had to take a test for an outdoor education course in highschool that certified me for falling outing of a canoe without a life jacket; swimming in jeans really sucks.
 

MammothBlade

It's not that I LIKE you b-baka!
Oct 12, 2011
5,246
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I got my 50m breaststroke badge. But I never learned how to swim underwater or hold my breath.
 

Timmey

New member
May 29, 2010
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I can indeed swim, never got why some people couldn't, or simply wouldn't. Who doesn't love water!
 

Aidinthel

Occasional Gentleman
Apr 3, 2010
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Timmey said:
I can indeed swim, never got why some people couldn't, or simply wouldn't. Who doesn't love water!
I don't like water, and I still learned how to swim. Though admittedly I was a bit late about it (not until I was 8 or 9, IIRC). I think it really was a cultural thing, in that learning to swim is just something you're supposed to do, like riding a bike or tying your shoes. I remember my friends knowing how to swim before me and that I was really embarrassed about it.