I'm 27 years old,... and I can't swim.

[pontifex]

swimming since i was a little kid. 28 now.

 

[NoShangriLa]

As long as I can remember, I have always know how to swim.

 

[Rhonda the Sly]

I know how to swim, I just suck at it.

Same. In emergency situations I'm sure I'd pick up on it well enough. At least, I hope...

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: GeekDrew
I can't swim. I also can't float. I'm not skinny, I'm fat. I wouldn't mind learning how to swim, but I'll only learn if I have a patient friend that is willing to teach me, in a pool where there's nobody else around. (read that as: I'll probably never learn.)

A pool is a good place to learn and you start at the shallow end so any time you want you can stand up! For a while you may find yourself doing that but pretty soon you find that it's easy to just paddle around (dog paddle at first), keeping your head up and breathing normally and never having to touch the bottom. Once you've done that you can learn to crawl, turning your head to the side and breathing once each stroke. When you are quite confident in these strokes you won't fear not having the bottom reachable like you did at first. Then learn the back stroke. It's maybe the most fun stroke because you don't even get water on your face. The backstroke is a blast!

Don't just try diving off a diving board, though! Get instruction from someone who knows what they're doing. At age 20 I tried head first diving with noone there and never having had any coaching and injured myself badly (hyperextension!).

 

[NaOH]

Originally posted by: her209
If humans were meant to swim, they'd have gills.

And, no, I can't swim.

What about dolphins?

 

[zerocool84]

Are you black??? A high percentage of black people cannot swim. This is a fact. No need for mod pwnage.

 

[RKS]

My 5 YO can't wipe his ass properly yet but he can swim.

 

[preslove]

I have a pretty low opinion of people who can't swim. Jesus fucking christ, it's not hard. It's easier than riding a bike. Are you 27 and can't ride a bike?

 

[Fenixgoon]

so when's darwin finally going to take you out? :laugh:

 

[RiDE]

I can swim but can't tread, which basically means I can't swim.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: zerocool84
Are you black??? A high percentage of black people cannot swim. This is a fact. No need for mod pwnage.

It's probably because a high percentage of them have low income and can't afford to attend recreational facilities that involve swimming. Besides how much money they have they are less apt to have mainstream lifestyles. It's part of looking different in a culture in which it's usual to be in some kind of minority (the US). Anyway, similarly, probably relatively few black Americans know how to ride a horse. Or are into mountain climbing or skiing or surfing.

 

[nageov3t]

learned how to swim when I was pretty young... my dad took me to the YMCA and just kinda threw me in.

 

[razor2025]

Learned to swim at 6 or 7. Took the usual kiddie lesson from school in Japan. I think swimming classes were mandatory there. I can do backstroke, breaststroke and free-style, but nothing else really... just enough to survive. 23 btw...

 

[lokiju]

Yes I can, for as long as I can remember.

My parents had me take swim lessons at a very young age and for most of my youth I was like a fish in the water.

Now days though I go for years without swimming so I can't hold my breath like I used to though.

 

[Atheus]

Grew up in New Zealand. You learn to swim, sail, etc at school.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: Muse

Originally posted by: zerocool84
Are you black??? A high percentage of black people cannot swim. This is a fact. No need for mod pwnage.

It's probably because a high percentage of them have low income and can't afford to attend recreational facilities that involve swimming. Besides how much money they have they are less apt to have mainstream lifestyles. It's part of looking different in a culture in which it's usual to be in some kind of minority (the US). Anyway, similarly, probably relatively few black Americans know how to ride a horse. Or are into mountain climbing or skiing or surfing.

This was the same for me. My family was very poor, being recent immigrants and stuff. We didn't live close to any natural bodies of water and didn't have the time or money to give me swimming lessons. I remember attending two swimming lessons as a kid at a nearby college, but those lessons ended abruptly for reasons I do not know

On the same vein, never did horseback riding, mountain climbing, skiing, or board sports as a kid because we just never had financial access to them and these activities did not mesh with Chinese culture.

Basically, all of the above activities are now up to me to go out and learn as an adult.

 

[IronWing]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
I remember attending two swimming lessons as a kid at a nearby college, but those lessons ended abruptly for reasons I do not know

You pee in the pool?

 

[preslove]

Originally posted by: ironwing

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
I remember attending two swimming lessons as a kid at a nearby college, but those lessons ended abruptly for reasons I do not know

You pee in the pool?

No. I believe that it involved a snorgel accident.

 

[TheVrolok]

Sure can .. but not well.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny

Originally posted by: Muse

Originally posted by: zerocool84
Are you black??? A high percentage of black people cannot swim. This is a fact. No need for mod pwnage.

It's probably because a high percentage of them have low income and can't afford to attend recreational facilities that involve swimming. Besides how much money they have they are less apt to have mainstream lifestyles. It's part of looking different in a culture in which it's usual to be in some kind of minority (the US). Anyway, similarly, probably relatively few black Americans know how to ride a horse. Or are into mountain climbing or skiing or surfing.

This was the same for me. My family was very poor, being recent immigrants and stuff. We didn't live close to any natural bodies of water and didn't have the time or money to give me swimming lessons. I remember attending two swimming lessons as a kid at a nearby college, but those lessons ended abruptly for reasons I do not know

On the same vein, never did horseback riding, mountain climbing, skiing, or board sports as a kid because we just never had financial access to them and these activities did not mesh with Chinese culture.

Basically, all of the above activities are now up to me to go out and learn as an adult.

That's cool. Myself, I swim great, can ride a horse but aside from some backpacking on Maui have no mountain climbing experience, can't ski (went once, so careful I didn't fall once!), and can't surf. To be into all that stuff you have to be pretty into athletics.

 

[theblackbox]

free diver. i love the water.

 

[Madwand1]

Originally posted by: RaistlinZ
you never forget once you learn.

I've forgotten how to swim twice. I first learned as a little kid, then forgot as I grew and we moved and lost access to a pool. Then I learned again as a bigger kid going to a community pool with other kids.

That was a long long time ago, my body's changed quite a lot and I forgot almost everything. I tried swimming once at a beach some time ago, and found that I couldn't. It might have been the current or something else, but I think I've lost the feel for swimming.

It's not that I couldn't learn it again, but I think opportunity and practice also make a difference.

Also motivation. What's the motivation for taking a risk of humiliation and going to try to swim where everyone else can and I can't? That's rhetorical. I have some motivation of my own and am not trying to argue the point, just convey something about those who can't swim -- that the attitude that "everyone should know how to swim and if you don't you're a loser or something" doesn't really help.

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: sonambulo
I grew up around water bro. I learned to swim when I was 5.

This.

And my 4 year old has known how to swim for about one quarter of his life

Learn how to swim - Do not end up like Joe Delaney. He died during one of the summers that I taught swimming at the local pool.

MotionMan

 

[Madwand1]

Originally posted by: MotionMan
Learn how to swim - Do not end up like Joe Delaney.

I can imagine worse deaths than that of a hero saving a kid's life and trying to save others. That aside, yes I agree that I probably wouldn't like to drown.

 

[ribbon13]

Originally posted by: her209
If humans were meant to swim, they'd have gills.

And, no, I can't swim.

Ducks, beavers, and otters.