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Do you know how to swim?

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by RawringSnake, Oct 31, 2015.

?

So, do you?

  1. Yes.

    70.6%
  2. I won't drown, but I wouldn't call it proper swimming.

    23.9%
  3. I can float...

    1.5%
  4. No.

    4.0%
  1. UniqueJourney

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    I can swim, but I have a fear of drowning. I'm ok in a pool, though it's not my favorite activity. I don't like murky water, deep water, and will not dive in.

    My two younger children do not know how to swim. They need lessons so they can at least float.
     
  2. MyLittleWorld

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    Yep, I can swim.
     
  3. DinelodiiGitli

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    Yep and I'd likely do so often if there was a decent pool nearby.
     
  4. timo

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    Yes. I don't like it though. Only go for a swim at festivals with a lake.
     
  5. Oddsocks

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    I like to think myself a pretty decent swimmer! (Can't do backstroke to save my life, mind. My backstroke...posture??...is horrendous and I end up getting water in my nose. Which is weird considering I can scull for forever.)
     
  6. XxSunXDragonxX

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    I can doggie paddle...but I don't know if you'd call that swimming. :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:
     
  7. Shedya

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    I can't swim the proper, pro way, but I can keep myself at surface for quite some time without effort.
    My parent took both my sister and I to swimming classes as kids, and I grew up by the sea. However, I couldn't swim until I was 14. Then I almost drowned once. I survived by learning in a few seconds how to doggy paddle. Then I just improved my technique.

    I do believe that most of us have the reflex for swimming and thinking you will drown will activate your swimming skills. However, I wouldn't take it for granted, doing stuff like throwing kids in a lake to teach them how to swim is taking too much of a risk.
     
  8. Thedistra

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    Sure, I'm not particularly fast nor can I dive well at all. I won't sink though and can keep going for quite awhile.

    It's just one of the things I never learned to do properly, instead I just do it my 'incorrect' way. You should see me skate or ski, it's good for a laugh.
     
  9. DMark69

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    When I was in High School, in Michigan USA, the state had a law that if your school had and could maintain a pool, and you had no allergies to the chemicals in the water, you had to have a semester of swimming to graduate. They went to the point that even if you could prove you were a certified life guard, you still had to take a semester of swimming to graduate.

    So yes, I can swim.
     
  10. TigerInATophat

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    Nope. Well, I know how in theory, but my body won't cooperate.

    There are a few reasons why actual swimming never happened. Initially it was due to a bad experience, not so much wary of the water but rather who was in it. I had been doing well enough getting used to the school pool until at age 5 one of the girls in my class attempted to drown me by repeatedly kicking me in the stomach so I'd go under at the deep end and stay under. From then on the rest of my swimming lessons were spent half 'swimming' (although not actually) the length holding onto the float lifting my feet off the bottom only temporarily, whilst simultaneously being on my guard in case she ever decided to try finishing the job. I was just going through the motions basically, because I couldn't risk focusing on the task of swimming with her nearby.

    Towards the end of my time at primary school I was actually making some progress with doggy paddle having decided to at least get my 5 meters or whatever the minimum was before I left, but the whistle blew on that final lesson just when I had very nearly succeeded. After that I didn't have pool access for many years and I'd more or less forgotten any basics I'd learned anyway.

    Nowadays it's more of a mobility issue. I'm a bit too stiff to move with any agility, speed, or accuracy, and I get out of breath just walking. Even if I'm not moving I can only hold my breath for a few seconds without getting lightheaded. I would like to find some form of water-based activity even if not full swimming because it is said to be good physiotherapy, however finding any disability-suitable facilities is proving difficult.
     
    #50 TigerInATophat, Nov 1, 2015
    Last edited: Nov 1, 2015
  11. Vesta

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    I'm an expert on drowning deep sea diving.
     
  12. Psaurus918

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    I've been swimming since I was like 5
     
  13. rudysteiner

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    I can swim, but due to a slight disability to do with my one of my legs, I'm not the best.

    A pair of goggles, water that isn't much more than a few inches above my head and I'm good to go. I'm horrendous at swimming when I'm not completely submerged in the water though.

    I won't go anywhere near water that's wild, like a river, lake or the sea. The sea scares the shit out of me. Ugh.. Whales.. Sharks.. Octopuses.. :tears:
     
  14. RainDreamer

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    Hmm...theoretically I can swim, but that was like, 10-12 years ago. Then I can't stand going to swim anymore because of dysphoria problems. So now I have no idea if I can swim if thrown into a pool right now.
     
  15. imnotreallysure

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    I used to be scared of the sea. I remember being on the beach when I was a kid, and the tide was coming in.. I thought we were going to die. I've never even thought of sharks or any other sea creatures.. but I did see a jellyfish in Scarborough once.

    I enjoyed swimming in the Mediterranean - much warmer for a start. The sand is whiter too so the sea appears less murky and clearer, so seemed less intimidating in a way.
     
    #55 imnotreallysure, Nov 2, 2015
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2015
  16. Aviator182

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    Yep. My job in high school was a lifeguard for a local YMCA.
     
  17. Kaiser

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    You're so bad, Yosia!

    And let weakness into my body?
     
  18. Lone Dragon

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    Yeah, but don't forget to put on sunscreen. Sunburns hurt like a :***::***::***::***:

    Never again.
     
  19. 741852963

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    Same here, I used to be a very competent swimmer (never competitive though).

    Now I could probably swim a length of a pool without drowning, which I think is fair enough, I'm not planning on going on any boating trips any time soon! I'll definitely top up with some lessons were I to cross a major body of water though.
     
  20. TigerInATophat

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    Plus on our coastlines we have to take into account the possibility of swimming into the unique marine life that graces our waters, such as the Used Condom Jellyfish or the Discarded Tampon Fish.