Do you know how to swim? 🏊‍♀️

[S.J.]

I'm curious what percentage of TBT members know how to swim!

How old were you when you learnt to swim? Where did/do you swim (lake, ocean, pool, etc.)?

I grew up near the beach, so I learnt to swim fairly young. I've been to pools before, but I prefer the ocean!

 

[QueenCobra]

Yes, I do! I took swimming lessons when I was little. This was at my local public pool, where I usually go to swim. I don’t swim as much as I used to, but it’s still a fun summer activity.

 

[M'LadyDestani]

Yes, I can swim but I'm not a strong swimmer. I always say I won't drown. But I do love being in the water and I'm the most happy when I'm just floating along on my back.

I had some swimming lessons when I was really young, but didn't completely learn until I was around 10-12. My mom had a terrible fear of the water, so I only got to go swimming a few times a year with friends and she would tell their parents not to let me in the deep end. That made it a little hard to practice.

I prefer lakes because of the natural settings and I don't have to deal with currents like in the ocean.

 

[Pyoopi]

Nope. I was extremely fearful of deep water and my parents never forced me to learn unless I wanted to (and I never did). I live near the ocean and I'd rather look at it than be in it, lol. I'm more into looking for seashells or observing the tidal pools. If I was invited for pool parties, I'd be decked out in floaties.

 

[himekirako]

i'm voting maybe lol
i can float and swim in pools just fine but anything with a deep end or god forbid the ocean?? no thank you, i would like to stay in a pool

 

[Bluelady]

I took a few swimming classes during the summer of high school but only learned how to float in a pool.

 

[Croconaw]

I didn't until last year. I sort of learned on my own during that trip to Disney World with my mom and friend.

 

[Midoriya]

Yep! I've known how to swim for a long time thanks to taking classes as a kid, and I can even tread water, float on my back, swim while floating on my back, and do butterfly swimming as well. :3

 

[Mokuren]

Yes. I learned to swim as a child. I also enjoy it a lot!

 

[KittenNoir]

Yes I love swimming !!!!

I started learning to swim when I was a little kid and I was the swimming team captain in high school

Now I just do it for exercise

 

[faerie]

I think I learned to swim around age 3 or 4? I had swimming lessons at the YMCA. I love swimming, and I remember my lips turning blue bc the water was so cold, but I refused to get out lol. This was at home though, not the Y.

 

[JemAC]

yes, i learnt to swim when i was young - though can’t remember the exact age. I lived for many years near the beach so would go there a lot with my family during the summer and we often went on holidays to places with lovely beaches/stayed somewhere with a pool so i’d often swim to cool down. wouldn’t say i have a lot of stamina though when it comes to swimming so don’t swim for ages but do still enjoy it.

 

[ShawnFuzz]

I learned to swim in a pool as a kid. The trick for me was "open your eyes under the water". Once I braved that, I realized water was really cool (at that age I didn't even know you could open your eyes under water!)

As a teenager I spent more days than I could possibly count riding waves in the ocean. I wasn't afraid of water, or... the possible bitey ocean life, but looking back I probably should been a little bit. I almost drowned twice, and the wild sea animals that surrounded me so many times that I should have heeded that as a warning to get out lol

 

[Liz!]

I could swim, but got into trouble in the water and haven't tried again in many years.

 

[Sheando]

I do know how to swim, but it took me a long time to learn. For some reason I really struggled with it as a kid. I remember being in swimming lessons for years as kids my age were moving up level after level while the age gap between me and the kids in my class continued to grow.

I eventually learned in a friend’s backyard pool via one-one-one lessons with an adult I knew. By the time I could safely swim in water that went over my head, I was 9—and I still wasn’t a strong or confident swimmer.

I’ve gotten better over the years, but I wouldn’t trust myself to swim in the open ocean. I can play in a pool with friends or kids and that’s good enough for me!

 

[Halloqueen]

Unfortunately not, though I'd like to change that someday.

Opportunities just kind of didn't arise that often when I was younger, and when they did, I was too much of a wimp to try it and just wanted to stay in the shallow end of the pool. No one forced me, so here I am, still unable to do so.

Now as an adult, and seeing that dogs and little kids can figure it out, it's like, yeah, I really ought to get this figured out at some point too. I'd also like to be able to swim for the exercise aspect as well.

My best friend likes to swim and said it's easy and that she'd be willing to teach me, but that kind of depends on a bunch of different factors lining up to make it possible since we're long distance, primarily communicate on the Internet and have to carve out time in our schedules to arrange visits maybe once a year. Maybe I'll find a way to learn in the meantime? Who knows, we'll see.

 

[ShawnFuzz]

Now as an adult, and seeing that dogs and little kids can figure it out, it's like, yeah, I really ought to get this figured out at some point too. I'd also like to be able to swim for the exercise aspect as well.

I don't know where you live, but I just did a quick Google search and found "swim lessons for adults" where I live. I know you would like your friend to be there to help you learn, but maybe learning to swim beforehand might make your friends long distance visit more fun if you can actually swim together

 

[Alolan_Apples]

Yes I do. I know how to swim, but I haven’t done that in almost ten years.

 

[Doo]

Nope. I had swimming lessons with school as a child but I honestly learnt nothing

 

[ShawnFuzz]

This topic is mind boggling to me. I realize now that I am an ignorant idiot for assuming everybody can swim! I guess I took for granted growing up on the coastline...

Swimming was just something I did. I wish I could teach all of you to swim, it feels so magical to me!