Current Events > I can't wrap my head around people who can't swim.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Not making fun of them or anything, but I genuinely dont get it. It seems like such a basic instinct to keep propelling yourself upwards with your feet and hands. Pushing the water beneath you.

Same. I've seen babies swim. (I wasn't involved)

i took swimming classes as a kid. onl got up to level 3 out of 5

im not a natural at all. i can understand people can't swim

I agree. It seems unnatural. My new theory is that their brain gets overwhelmed. But still seems unnatural.

Damn devil fruits.

My friend can't swim. We all collectively forgot then one birthday party someone pushed him into the pull and we all laughed then realized he couldn't swim and jumped in and helped him. That was a mistake and I feel real bad about it.

He just sinks like a stone, it's impressive. I also live on the Jersey shore so you'd think swimming would be a good thing to know.

The even more basic instinct is that they're floating/falling and it feels weird so they flail in every direction for something to hold onto.

It is, after a proper introduction to the water. I still remember when I went to the YMCA to learn to swim as a kid, some other kid in the 'class thing' decided to essentially try and drown me by using himself to pull me down into the deep end. The lifeguard/teacher had to save my ass and got onto him.

Yeah that totally didn't put me off for a while. I did eventually figure out the basics on my own, and surpisingly I liked water levels in old games.
For additional context, he literally held onto me to purposely drag me down and since I wasn't expecting it I inhaled water. Great combo.

I can swim, the problem is that my skinny ass can't float.

I've almost drowned 8+ times (I stopped counting).

Just never made sense to me, and could never really get it. Never kept me away from pools or oceans though.

Humans weren't made for being in water for long periods.

I can swim, but I had friends with pools. I imagine its harder for people who dont live around water.

My dad tossed me into the deep end when I was like 5 and it scared me, so I didn't learn to swim properly until my late 20s. Fortunately, my wide torso and meaty paws made doggy paddling pretty effective until then.

I can understand people who live in the city not knowing how to swim. Not as many opportunities to be around large bodies of water like you would living in the country.

KajeI posted...

I can swim, the problem is that my skinny ass can't float.

Yes you can. If you hold your breath in your chest and not your mouth, your body will float just fine. The more you panic and thrash around, the easier you'll sink.

Ive only met two people that said they couldnt swim, and both times it was more them having a fear of the water/drowning than actually not knowing how to keep themselves afloat.

BlazinBlue88 posted...

I can understand people who live in the city not knowing how to swim. Not as many opportunities to be around large bodies of water like you would living in the country.

Yes you can. If you hold your breath in your chest and not your mouth, your body will float just fine. The more you panic and thrash around, the easier you'll sink.

I don't panic anymore, too used to it. I cannot float unless it's face down, which isn't helpful.

"Just relax and you can float on your back!"

I suck at motor skills. Trying to move my arms one way, legs another way, and turning my head to breathe is too much for my body to focus on, let alone functioning the correct forms to move. The most I ever swam was half the length of a pool using a very slow backstroke in high school. Going that far took all of concentration and focus. I cant even float.

In addition to trying to learn in both my freshman and sophomore years of high school when it was mandatory, I had also taken swim lessons with I was 9, and failed to learn back then too.

Apparently it's not a natural instinct. Humans are not designed for swimming and have never had a major interest in it until very recently. The majority of the world can't actually swim. It's just so ubiquitous in the first world that we don't think about a lot of people not having access to places where they could even learn.

LonelyStoner posted...

Not making fun of them or anything, but I genuinely dont get it. It seems like such a basic instinct to keep propelling yourself upwards with your feet and hands. Pushing the water beneath you.

Except that its not natural to inhale and hold breath to stay afloat. I didnt know for so long that hold your breath meant Fill your chest with air.. I DONt have fat, so I always sank like a rock until then.

Its also not natural to feel yourself submerge in water and not panic. Getting used to water is a must.

Its also hard to not have your eyes open. Your natural instinct is to close your eyes when water surrounds them. Swimming blind is also not productive when trying to learn.

philsov posted...

The even more basic instinct is that they're floating/falling and it feels weird so they flail in every direction for something to hold onto.

It's this TC. I can't swim, so my first instinct in deep water is to panic, which causes me to sink, which causes me to panic more. I'd need actual lessons to be able to learn because just telling me to "relax and you'll float" is not going to help me actually overcome the "but what if I don't float" thoughts.

specialkid8 posted...

Apparently it's not a natural instinct. Humans are not designed for swimming and have never had a major interest in it until very recently. The majority of the world can't actually swim. It's just so ubiquitous in the first world that we don't think about a lot of people not having access to places where they could even learn.

Okay, a question:
How long is "very recently"?
Because the The Bajau people, often referred to as Sea Nomads, have lived an entirely marine-dependent existence, traveling the Southeast Asian seas on houseboats for over 1,000 years.

Also, the Bajau have genetic differences leading to diving-related phenotypes, specifically an enlarged spleen caused by a mutation on the PDE10A gene.

Michael_Booth posted...

Okay, a question:
How long is "very recently"?
Because the The Bajau people, often referred to as Sea Nomads, have lived an entirely marine-dependent existence, traveling the Southeast Asian seas on houseboats for over 1,000 years.

Also, the Bajau have genetic differences leading to diving-related phenotypes, specifically an enlarged spleen caused by a mutation on the PDE10A gene.

So a very small group that has specifically divergent evolutionary traits giving them an upper hand at swimming?

modena posted...

Same. I've seen babies swim. (I wasn't involved)

So fun fact, babies actually have an instinct to swim that we lose as we get older.

I'm just not that bouyant

I think if you learn when you're a kid it makes a big difference

LSGW_Zephyra posted...

So fun fact, babies actually have an instinct to swim that we lose as we get older.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infant_swimming

DrizztLink posted...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infant_swimming

Yes the instinct is less swimming and more "how to remain alive in water longer until I get rescued" instinct.

Ive never been able to swim. Since I was a little kid Ive always thought I was going to die by drowning, so I stay away from the water. I havent been in a body of water in decades

LonelyStoner posted...

Not making fun of them or anything, but I genuinely dont get it. It seems like such a basic instinct to keep propelling yourself upwards with your feet and hands. Pushing the water beneath you.

Because they never had to learn how to swim.

And don't underestimate the panic from drowning.

I panic like a devil fruit user lol

RndmNmber1 posted...

And don't underestimate the panic from drowning.

There's a reason that someone without training trying to save a drowning person often results in two drowning people.

I got mocked for not knowing how to swim instead of just being taught. :|

Vegy posted...

I panic like a devil fruit user lol

Aww

KajeI posted...

I can swim, the problem is that my skinny ass can't float.

I've almost drowned 8+ times (I stopped counting).

Skinny people are the easiest at floating. Just keep air in your lungs.

DrizztLink posted...

There's a reason that someone without training trying to save a drowning person often results in two drowning people.

In my lifeguard training my instructor chose me to try this on. Beforehand she told us that if someone panicking tries to climb on your head when youre attempting to save them, punch them in the nose as hard as possible.

I broke her nose and she wasnt mad at all.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

Its been very true in my experience. Lung capacity does wonders. I have to actively swim downwards for depth. I dont sink like a stone.

I havent tried in many years, but the last time I tried a couldnt float so I sank.

LonelyStoner posted...

Skinny people are the easiest at floating. Just keep air in your lungs.

This is definitely not true. The more fat you have, the easier it is to float.

I know how to swim but I don't do it anymore.

Last time I swam was a beach when I was 11-12. I was doing fine but then a wave hit me and knocked me under, I couldn't see anything and tried to find my way up. Started to panic, but luckily someone found me in time.

I've avoided swimming ever since, but I'm sure I could if the need arose.

it's even funnier when the person can ride bicycle but can't swim

Jupiter posted...

This is definitely not true. The more fat you have, the easier it is to float.

Usually. Ive literally never sunk, even if I tried. Only time I could was if I expelled all the air from my lungs.

LonelyStoner posted...

Usually. Ive literally never sunk, even if I tried. Only time I could was if I expelled all the air from my lungs.

Do you have much muscle mass?

maling2000ayam posted...

it's even funnier when the person can ride bicycle but can't swim

It's me
I'm that person

maling2000ayam posted...

it's even funnier when the person can ride bicycle but can't swim

I don't understand the correlation.

DrizztLink posted...

Do you have much muscle mass?

Im not a body builder, but yeah, a good bit. I also have a good lung capacity.

I have been a fatty my whole life and Ive never been able to float.

It does seem weird that we dont instinctively know how to at least tread water. You would think that natural selection would make us more adept in the water, especially considering how long weve lived near coastlines.

I cannot swim. While I believe I may be able to keep a float and save myself should anything happen, on the other hand I would be in panic mode and probably sink straight to the bottom. So its probably best not to test that and just go with, the fact that I cannot swim.