# Can you REALLY swim? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 25, 2015, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-really-swim/720781 "2015-05-25T10:36:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-really-swim/720781/121 "2015-07-11T22:07:03Z")
In a non-emergency situation, yes, even though I’m not much of a swimmer, I could at least backstroke a football field. In an emergency situation involving loss of breath or hyperventilation while I’m frantically removing shoes and clothing and taking in some unwanted mouthfuls or nosefuls of water, maybe not. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-really-swim/720781/122 "2015-07-11T22:49:36Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > I’m not in great shape, and haven’t done any swimming to speak of in the last 20+ years. That said, this would be easy. I can float on my back indefinitely, and adding a simple back stroke would get me to shore reasonably quickly. If I was in a hurry for some reason, I could roll over to my side and scissor kick my way to shore. > … This. Unless the water was so cold it killed me first. But I have both buoyancy and insulation, and I can lie on my back indefinitely, and do a decent side stroke for long distances. So I’d swim a bit, and rest a bit. I’ve had to remove jeans and shirt in the water before, and would do that if I had to. You can fashion an okay flotation device out of jeans, but I doubt I would bother for that distance. (I probably would strip, though.) I am not a strong swimmer, but 100 yards isn’t very far if you aren’t in a hurry. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-really-swim/720781/123 "2015-07-11T22:52:28Z")
73 year old friend has to go to drill platforms off shore and has to do the full clothed helo roll over crash in water test once a year. He has had it done in very low light sessions also over the years. I must ask him when was the last time. Not sure he is going out over water right now. He says it is a PITA & hard. They have rescue people on hand in/under the water and many do not qualify. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-really-swim/720781/124 "2015-07-11T22:57:05Z")
I don’t consider myself a particularly strong swimmer, but 300 feet is not a problem. I’ve swam as far as 1/2 a mile with some difficulty but no real fear of drowning. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2015, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-really-swim/720781/125 "2015-07-11T22:59:15Z")
I’m comfortable in the water, but my “technique” is pretty pathetic. However, I can keep myself afloat and propel myself wherever I need to go. When I was in the Navy, I did survival swim training, which included swimming a mile in a flight suit. It took me an hour and I used a modified backstroke, but I did it. So unless the water is dangerously cold and hypothermia sets it, I could get to safety as defined by the OP. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-really-swim/720781.md?page=6)