Is Swimming a life skill (following on from driving thread)

[girlfriend44]

Alot of people here said that driving was a life skill.

If you drive can you also swim?
Do you consider Swimming to be a life skill too that everyone should learn?

Yes I do. Both important life skills.

Swimming isn’t a life skill.

it’s a life saving skill and therefor way more important imo

Yes as you need to have the best chance of saving yourself if you fall into or get into difficulty in water.

I consider it a useful skill. I wouldn’t like to not be able to swim.

I do drive but I don’t think it’s a life skill. As long as you aren’t a cheeky fucker and get yourself around it’s fine.

Swimming isn’t comparable. It is a life skill, a very important one as it could save your life. Everyone should at least be able to float.

Yes it's a life skill.

Swimming is more important. But both are life skills. Some people can manage life without driving, especially in cities. But with kids it is helpful (eg to get them to a&e).

Yes to both.

It's not really a skill, it's a necessity. If you can't swim and you end up in water it's likely you'll drown. When 70% of the earth is water its likely you'll come into contact at some point.

Having to get the bus rather than drive yourself to the supermarket is hardly comparable.

I’m always in the minority but I don’t think it is a life skill. it’s not something that affects your day to day life if you don’t. It doesn’t limit or restrict your life if you can’t swim.

I can swim but I don’t. I’ve never fell in a canal/river/sea/off a boat so even though I can swim I’ve never needed to do it.

hmmm see i am not sure that everybody can learn to swim. I can't swim although I have tried many times to learn. I don't float, i sink. I have travelled on ships (cargo ships and oil tankers) many times in my life and have also taken many holidays on the Broads and the Thames. I also had many seaside holidays as a child. I do think that every child should have swimming lessons but that's not quite the same.

I don't think that everyone SHOULD learn to drive. I do think that if they choose not to then they shouldn't expect to be chauffeured around by friends or family who can drive

Of course it's a life skill, it's crazy you should create a thread about it to ask.

Swimming is a life saving skill.

There was a recent thread on this and how swimming is taught in the UK is an issue.

You can cope and live well not being able to drive - just live in a city or large town.

Of course it is.

If it isn’t a life skill what would you class it as?

I can swim a few strokes and can float but that's it. I'm terrified of deep water thanks to my swimming instructor at school and I don't think I'll ever learn to swim.

I wish I could swim. I can't afford lessons.

Swimming is way more important than driving, it could lit

Pressed too soon! Was going to say literally save your life.

that 70% figure is just plain silly. Much of the water that covers the earth is not accessible to people unless they deliberately travel to it and if you fall out of a plane or off a ship then being able to swim ain't gonna help...I know because I have been there. On ships (planes too) you rely on lifeboats and life vests not anyone's ability to swim.

I think it can be life saving but despite being able to swim for long periods in a swimming pool I'm not convinced I would survive an emergency situation.

you can cope and live well not being able to swim. Where I live it would be much harder to be a non driver than a non swimmer.

Of course. Yes to both and love swimming

its a life suck I’ll. we live near a canal and for our children learning to swim was a priority.

I didn’t learn until I was 12 so wanted both of ours to learn to swim. Ds is quite a strong swimmer, dd can swim but isn’t a strong swimmer,

It’s a life skill. Feck knows where the suck came from!

Of course swimming is a life skill.
My daughter is 5 and I'm surprised by how many of her friends aren't having swimming lessons yet.