This might sound stupid, but i never realised so many people don't know how to swim. We get taught at most schools here from about 6-10, so i just assumed everyone could swim. I was pretty surprised when i went to the beach with a girl and she told me she 'kinda cant swim that well'.

So, who amongst you cannot swim?

pstpxpls

I can swim somewhat, but a near drowning as a child still has me afraid of deep water.

About the only real fear I have. Except zombies. Zombies ain't right. And Joan Rivers, but that's the same thing.

i can swim but by no means can i swim well. i'm not an olympic swimmer. i can't do the butterfly to save my life.

i can swim very well. my pops tossed me into the ocean when i was 3.

I was a breaststroker on my high school swim team -- 3 years varsity.
Also played d-hole on the water polo team.

So yeah, I can swim.

EDIT: But like cemeterypolka, I cannot swim the butterfly to save my life.

I can swim well but dont particularly enjoy it much anymore. We took swimming lessons at like age four. Lotsa pools and lakes to fall in around here.

since 3, it was a given around these parts with so many pools and the beaches

technically...no, i can't swim.
though, i'm sure i could swim enough to save my life if need be.

Took lessons when I was 11, but never learned how to swim underwater until I was an adult.

I am an awesome swimmer, got taught when I was a wee lad. There are literally thousands of lakes and rivers in northern ON, so you learn or risk drowning.

I love the water and swim whenever I get the chance.

I guess I don't understand how a prefectly capable and healthy person could not swim.

i can swim, but not terribly well. when i did a triathlon two summers back, i backstroked for the swimming part. my parents taught me to swim when i was very young, but i'm a little rusty these days.

i use to swim super competively for 12 years...got REALLY burnt out, havent touched the water since

what was your stroke?

I can swim. I love swimming and can pend hours in the water... but I hated swimming lessons and hate doing the crawl--I always end up swallowing water when I try it. I generally suck at "strokes".

...But SCUBA diving... now that's wicked. Only did it once, but I'd love to do it again. Pretty scary though.

fly, breast stroke, and the IM were my main areas

fly was my strongest out of all the strokes

We begin to see the origins.

I can swim.

Like a young crappie.

i'm a lifeguard technically. i never swam competitively but i am pretty damn capable in the water. i am always surprised to hear it when someone tells me they can't swim. always strikes me as weird...riding a bike, tying your shoes, swimming...these are all fundamental skills someone should have taught you when you were a child

i actually am an olympic swimmer

I don't think it's so much a matter of people learning to swim, as it is learning not to panic when in the water. I mean, our bodies are buoyant to begin with, so there's not really much to "learn," per se. Basically, it's just, "you can't breathe underwater, so keep your nose above the surface."

I'm a sort of can swim, but not real well, and I couldn't save someone's life in a pinch.