Can you swim in real life?

[Tonkyhonk]

you can easily learn how to swim in this game, but
can you actually swim in real life?
if you can, how or where did you learn? if you cant, why do you think?
do you think you could jump in water if the ship you were in started sinking?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-06/c ... 96/6527094

over 400 passengers have found dead so far, and it is said that most of the passengers couldnt swim at all.
(most of the survivors were said to have tried to swim to the shore somehow.)

now, i know swimming at a disaster is different from swimming at the beach or in the swimming pool, but this led us to this conversation about learning swimming. in my country in general, swimming is in the compulsory curriculum and we all learn how to swim at school. most schools here have a swimming pool, although most dont own one privately (like many rich american house seems to have one). my memory about americans swimming was only from my senior week at a beach and my american friends there back then all could swim iirc, so i kinda expected that most americans could generally swim too.

then someone showed me this article
http://time.com/106912/red-cross-swimming-campaign/

Most Americans think they can swim just fine, but a new survey reveals that 44% don't know basic water-safety skills

so im wondering how many hearthlings can actually swim in real life.

counting... 34 hearthlings can swim

[borka]

I learned when our neighbour threw me in deep water without warning (he's experienced with that having 2 sons older than me) - after my outrage was gone i had to swim to breathe again - since then i loved swimming - each summer vacation i made a further swimming licence up to rescue swimming - that even in north sea with a trainer triple my weight. Both my parents where good swimmers, my mom did water ballett when she was younger. With 15 i learned surfing at northern Cornwall coast at windstrenght 7 and heavy rain...so i guess i may survive (may - because i'm much older now and not well trained anymore)

We also had swimming at school once a month and i guess most kids do have still today here in germany.

[loftar]

The steps, also known as “water competency,” include jumping or stepping into water over one’s head, returning to the surface to tread water or float for one minute, circling around and identifying an exit, swimming 25 yards to that point and then exiting the water.

Admittedly, it's not as if I swim particularly often, but I have to say I find it hard to imagine that I couldn't do that.

[Maiden]

I grew up at a house with a swimming pool and was thus, taught how to swim from a young age.

Obviously, learning anything in this game is easy as fuck, but learning how to swim as a kid is easy as hell. It's only hard when you have a fear of the water you need to get over with in order to swim, generally something adults who don't know how to swim struggle with.

As far jumping off a boat and swimming, sure, it's a thing you can do, but you need to know what to do to be able to rest while swimming (and some tricks so you can get some sleep too), as well as you have to not panic as a sinking ship will pull swimmers down with it, and if that happens, your only chance is to swim back to the surface and avoid panicking.

And yeah, a lot of people can "swim" but have no formal training in survival swimming or swimming safely

[Arcanist]

When I was at school swimming was compulsory. I think that they have changed it now, due to cost and PC reasons.

[Apocoreo]

Paid swimming lessons as a kid. Just float on your back, dummies. Always felt like I could do it forever. Still trained to tread water.

[sabinati]

I learned to swim when I was 6

[MightySheep]

Went to swimming baths once a week as a kid + 2 friends with swimming pools + primary school swimming lessons.

I doubt I could swim well with waves, I haven't been swimming in years and I wasn't much good at floating in the first place.

Though if it was calm water, it's very easy to swim on your back, I once did it for 30 laps at the gym swimming pool while waiting for somebody. It's not fast but at least you don't drown.

[TeckXKnight]

It's mandatory to know how to swim to graduate high school here. I've been taking swimming lessons since I was 3 and I was MVP of my high school swim team for a year. That said, if there was a rough current I still wouldn't be able to swim against it for long, those things are powerful. You just have to hope to get lucky in a disaster and have favorable swimming conditions. In calm water I can at least stay afloat virtually indefinitely.

[b3nno]

i think though, a sinking ship, its easy to have been caught inside the bowls of the ship,in your cabin or elsewhere, then it becomes very hard to get topside and jump off/get out, typically its tipping, the lights would be out, people panicking screaming, doors are closed, wheres the closest exit, what are you wearing, shoes, clothes, ect weighing you down, a whole bunch of different factors , and your confused don't know whats happening and it also happens very fast.

As the article says most of those people on that ship were 60yo+ not in physical shape. pretty sad, i'm sure a whole bunch could swim, but are trapped inside.

also see this vid, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-hADcZ49fE , water pressure as the car sinks makes it near impossible to open a closed door, same could have applied to a ship


also in response to the originally question i can swim, taught early age, in anglo countries , swimming is part of the culture. i have a muslim friend who cant swim, and i think its a thing that african americans (stereotypically) cant swim as it isn't part of the culture when growing up. i imagine its the case elsewhere as well with limited access to swimming pools/rivers/lakes