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?

I am 53 and can't swim, my parents never taught me, school lessons were just 6 weeks and rubbish, and in the 80s it wasnt as popular to do private lessons as an adult as it is now. It hasn't been an issue in my life at all and something I rarely think about. I did make sure ds could swim for things like his school residental, parties, going out with friends.

If I couldn't drive that would have been much more restrictive during many stages of my life - commuting, being a parent, caring for elderly parents, visiting hospitals, holidays, shopping, socialising, just generally going places.

I find the idea that if you can't swim you're going to drown through some mystery puddle that pops up at random a bit hysterical.

Exactly my thinking.

I don’t think people on here quite grasp how very easy it is to literally not go anywhere near water and still have an enjoyable life.

I think it is a far more important skill than driving. You can travel by bus or train, but no-one can swim for you.

It's not just swimming that is a life saving skill, it's water awareness with some common sense.

Many people say that their children have had swimming lessons and stop when their children can swim a length. That's not life saving swimming that's just meeting the bear minimum.

It's noticeable that virtually all the recent deaths due to drowning or water related were you men many of whom I guess could swim but didn't risk assess.

@godmum56 obviously I was making a point with the 70% but actually the examples you give are also just plain silly. People drown in rivers and canals more than plane landings or boats sinking, and those are very accessible.

Add the swimming pools in and you've got yourself way over 70%, and those aren't exactly safe for non swimmers. There was an incident a couple of years ago where 3 family members managed to drown in a hotel swimming pool, none of them could swim.

In Britain, which is a very wet island with a lot of inland waterways, swimming is a life skill. It should be remembered that the waters around can be dangerous even to good swimmers. The rivers can run very quickly, and currents are everywhere. Find and listen to local advice. If jumping off bridges please check the depth of water underneath. The seas are so dangerous we have hymns to them even now “hear us as we call to thee for those in peril on the sea”, and we have stories and legends all round the coast.

What I’ve noticed anecdotally in the last few years is that many of those reported as getting into trouble on water are not only male but have Asian names. Someone’s probably got statistics. This is where political correctness fails. If you don’t know the land you’re in then learn something of its dangers!

I think that's true - unless you fell into shallow warmish water it wouldn't really matter if you could swim or not.

I do think swimming and cycling are essential skills though - and form the basis for health leisure pursuits. And you can't eg dive if you can't swim!

On balance it’s useful to be able to do both of those things. Not the end of the world if not. Although I’d rate driving much higher.

Yes. Swimming lessons were non negotiable for DCs, they didn't get a choice.

It's not a life skill and neither is driving. Both are useful but not essential.

My elderly DM has lived her whole life as a non swimmer and is not sad about having missed out on paddle boarding. Even in an island of rivers, it is fairly easy to avoid being in risky water situations.

Same with driving - if you can drive there are opportunities. DH is no longer able to drive due to poor vision and it's miserable for him as we live in the middle of nowhere. But if we lived in central London with lots of public transport, why learn at all?

I've managed to live in London for over 25 years as a non swimmer

If jumping off bridges please check the depth of water underneath.

I'll remember this excellent advice next time I inevitably feel compelled to jump off a bridge.

Also despite not being able to swim I do try water sports sometimes. I've been sailing and river kayaking and sea kayaking and my friend wants me to go paddle boarding with him.

You just wear a life vest and stay near the edge

I'll remember this excellent advice next time I inevitably feel compelled to jump off a bridge.

Ive lived in a couple of areas where people - male primarily now I think of it - jump off bridges into water. If there’s one available, people do it.

(And there have been injuries when the water level is low)

There were a number of drownings at Loch Lomond last year. People going in for a swim not realising how cold the water is and not knowing how quickly it becomes very deep.

Do you know how to float without panicking?

@AnnaMagnani because it limits where you can go on holiday to, what jobs you can do and makes it more difficult to move house.

Being able to swim is more important than being able to drive.
if you can swim you can potentially save your life, if you can drive - well you can drive - that’s it!

if you can drive you can get a loved one to A and E 24/7......been there done that.

The mother said they could swim. It seems there were problems with the pool as an adult strong swimmer/surfer who tried to help at the time reported they found it difficult to exit the pool, something to do with a single point of drainage (which is against guidance) causing a vortex.

Of course it’s easy for individuals to avoid the water but if your children haven’t learnt to swim they may well end up in a situation when being able to swim saves their life.

Yes swimming is a life skill here imho as we live on a small island with tons of rivers, canals and lakes. Driving not so much as we have very good public transportation in most areas. If you’re rural, both driving and swimming are life skills.

Made sure all my DC are very good and smart swimmers.

Not swimming does mean you don't do swimming holidays. However given the vast range of holidays available this isn't exactly a hardship.

I can swim, well I don't think I've forgotten, but have absolutely no interest in doing a holiday that involves anything to do with it. It's not a struggle.

Taking someone to A+E - taxis, Uber, friends, neighbours all exist. Nobody on a low income is having driving lessons and keeping a car, just on the off chance of an A+E trip.

They are not the same thing.

One can live, even live well, without driving. Arguably our planet is being chocked to death by cars.

Swimming could, literally, save your life.