# People who can't swim? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 6, 2010, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-cant-swim/549355 "2010-08-06T01:39:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-cant-swim/549355/141 "2010-08-10T15:10:36Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > I could probably do a lot better with flippers and “hand flippers” (if such a thing exists) … They do! They’re really cool and a huge shoulder/arm workout. A little old lady at the Y has them and let me try them out. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-cant-swim/549355/142 "2010-08-10T15:12:11Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > This level _is_ offensive, **BrotherCadfael**. Please dial back your response — and make your points without insulting other posters. > > **Ellen Cherry > IMHO Moderator** My apologies. **Robby** pushed one of my [buttons](http://http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BerserkButton). ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-cant-swim/549355/143 "2010-08-10T15:56:07Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > > [@Rodgers01](#): > > > > **So those of you who can’t swim…what happens when you get into deep water**? Do you just not know how to move your legs to keep afloat? Do you panic and kick too hard or something? > > Why would I ever find myself in deep water? 😃 > > You don’t HAVE TO swim in the same sense that you don’t HAVE TO skydive. I’m always super-careful about water – if I’m on a boat, the life jacket it ON. If I’m at a pool party with a bunch of jokers, I stay several paces away from the edge of the pool. Let’s see: [ol] [li]You could find yourself in a flooding situation due to a hurricane or severe storm.[/li][li]You could slip down a slope hiking and fall into water.[/li][li]You’d could be thrown into water by drunk party-goers who assume you can swim.[/li][li]You could fall off a dock fishing.[/li][li]You could fall off a larger boat where lifejackets are not routinely worn, like a ferry or a cruise ship.[/li][li]You could be wading in very shallow water and step off into a drop-off.[/li][li]You could be wading at the beach and get knocked down by a wave, then pulled by the undertow into water over your head.[/li][/ol] That’s just off the top of my head. > [@bordelond](#): > > > [@robby](#): > > > > (Anybody can float on their back with lungs full of air.) > > > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > > > Not true. > > I am glad, being that you are an expert swimmer, that you posted this. Immense misconception. > > “Floating” to me would mean “zippo effort required to keep head and neck out of the water”. Like a cork. I posted a fairly detailed post four days ago [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12771506&postcount=49), with linked pictures and all, showing exactly what is meant by “floating on your back.” It does NOT mean floating “like a cork” with “zippo effort required to keep head and neck out of the water.” ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-cant-swim/549355/144 "2010-08-10T16:33:34Z")
> [@robby](#): > > It does NOT mean floating “like a cork” with “zippo effort required to keep head and neck out of the water.” Understood … but this point is rarely made when people brag about floating easy, and “why can’t everyone?” ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-cant-swim/549355/145 "2010-08-10T16:41:24Z")
> [@robby](#): > > > [@bordelond](#): > > > > Why would I ever find myself in deep water? 😃 > > > > You don’t HAVE TO swim in the same sense that you don’t HAVE TO skydive. I’m always super-careful about water – if I’m on a boat, the life jacket it ON. If I’m at a pool party with a bunch of jokers, I stay several paces away from the edge of the pool. > > Let’s see: > [ol] > [li]You could find yourself in a flooding situation due to a hurricane or severe storm.[/li][li]We’re used to that stuff in SE La. It NEVER happens without loads of notice (at worst, 8-12 hrs). No, really … it’s never sudden. You can definitely prepare and get yourself safe, every time. Yes, really … every time. And if you couldn’t … it would be such a freaky fluke that “it must be my time” anyhow.[/li][li]You could slip down a slope hiking and fall into water.[/li][li]Never hike, not an outdoorsy type.[/li][li]You’d could be thrown into water by drunk party-goers who assume you can swim.[/li][li]Never get myelf into this sitution. Seriously, never.[/li][li]You could fall off a dock fishing.[/li][li]Never fish.[/li][li]You could fall off a larger boat where lifejackets are not routinely worn, like a ferry or a cruise ship.[/li][li]Never ridden a ferry in my life (despite having a few major ones in the area), but this one is legitimate.[/li][li]You could be wading in very shallow water and step off into a drop-off.[/li][li]Almost no risk (though not zero). Don’t wade, except maybe ankle-deep at a beach.[/li][li]You could be wading at the beach and get knocked down by a wave, then pulled by the undertow into water over your head.[/li][li]Same as above.[/li][/ol] > That’s just off the top of my head. I tell ya … I’m GREAT at deep-water avoidance techniques 😃 EDIT: My replies are in blue … apologies for the numbering. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-cant-swim/549355/146 "2010-08-10T17:00:59Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > > [@robby](#): > > > > It does NOT mean floating “like a cork” with “zippo effort required to keep head and neck out of the water.” > > Understood … but this point is rarely made when people brag about floating easy, and “why can’t everyone?” Right. For a large proportion of the public, the phrase “easy (or “comes naturally” or “instinctive”) for anyone” is commonly understood to imply whatever’s the subject is effortless or nearly so. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-cant-swim/549355/147 "2010-08-10T17:42:12Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > I tell ya … I’m GREAT at deep-water avoidance techniques 😃 > > EDIT: My replies are in blue … apologies for the numbering. A decent fraction of our local drowning victims have likely thought the same thing. “I’ll just wade in a bit”…“I’ll just stand on the bank”…“Hey, how the frack can I fall out of a big boat?”…“There will never be a reason for me to get near or in the water”…Its a pretty low risk compared to many other things, but still. ---
**Author:** ![Galileo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@Galileo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galileo)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-cant-swim/549355/148 "2010-08-10T18:12:09Z")
As someone who learned to swim as an adult, I’ll say that it was one of the most difficult things that I’ve ever learned to do, and there’s a simple reason why: it was very _unnatural_ to swim and tread water. It’s not like running, walking, standing, bending, lifting, sitting, or lying down on a solid surface. There’s basically no connection to playing land-based sports, or to riding a bicycle, driving a car, or having sex. BTW, here are a few interesting tidbits of information from the [CDC Unintentional Drowning: Fact Sheet](http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Water-Safety/waterinjuries-factsheet.html): > [@](#): > > In 2007, males were 3.7 times more likely than females to die from unintentional drownings in the United States. > … > Men of all ages, races, and educational levels consistently reported greater swimming ability than women. > … > Alcohol use is involved in up to half of adolescent and adult deaths associated with water recreation and about one in five reported boating fatalities. Also, for those who suggest that swimming is instinctive (or “instinctual”?), why do young children drown? > [@](#): > > More than one in five fatal drowning victims are children 14 and younger. For every child who dies from drowning, another four received emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries. > … > In 2007, of all children 1 to 4 years old who died from an unintentional injury, almost 30% died from drowning. Although drowning rates have slowly declined, fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years. I don’t think that anyone is saying that it is _better_ if you don’t know how to swim. Of course, it’s a good idea, but there are many reasons why many adults can’t swim. And challenging those adults by saying “Ya could drown, y’know” is not very effective. Nor is saying: “It’s really, really easy. Even my two-year old daughter can do it.” Better to talk about the enjoyment of swimming, especially with friends and family, and the greater choices of water-based activities, and the health benefits of swimming. And, perhaps even stating the obvious: It’s not easy for an adult to learn, but it is definitely possible. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-cant-swim/549355/149 "2010-08-10T18:18:57Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > A decent fraction of our local drowning victims have likely thought the same thing. “I’ll just wade in a bit”…“I’ll just stand on the bank”…“Hey, how the frack can I fall out of a big boat?”…“There will never be a reason for me to get near or in the water”…Its a pretty low risk compared to many other things, but still. Wait a minute, now – those are exactly the types of activities to be avoided. Sure, if you’re messing around near deep water all the time, your drowning risk shoots up. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-cant-swim/549355/150 "2010-08-11T12:58:06Z")
I’m hydrophobic. I avoid immersing myself in water whenever possible. I had many lessons, but am unable to swim. Luckily I manage to stay away from water, and am careful when I am near water, because I am well aware that there is a risk of drowning. I also know lots of people who are fantastic swimmers can drown in certain commonly occurring circumstances. If anything, the swimmers probably take less precautions than I do. But if I do drown in a way that being able to swim may have saved me, I will be well aware of my foolishness. The odds, though, are slim. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-cant-swim/549355/151 "2010-08-11T13:04:01Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Luckily I manage to stay away from water, and am careful when I am near water, because I am well aware that there is a risk of drowning. > > **I also know lots of people who are fantastic swimmers can drown in certain commonly occurring circumstances. If anything, the swimmers probably take less precautions than I do.** This is an astonishingly good point. Wish I had thought to say it … it’s hard to drown when you’re _always_ far, far away from water; far, far away from near-water stuff; and _never_ boating/fishing/swimming for fun & profit. > [@GuanoLad](#): > > But if I do drown in a way that being able to swim may have saved me, I will be well aware of my foolishness. The odds, though, are slim. Seconded. I mentally slot that particular demise in the “plane crash/random-explosion/meteorite-to-the-head” category, not in the “totally-preventable/Darwin-Award-winner” category. _C’est la vie_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-cant-swim/549355.md?page=7)