How many people here can't swim?

Witchie

I can just about swim but my incompetence is down to the fact that I am allergic to chlorine so going to pools is generally out and when I was 6 and in a lake in American where the water was so clear you could see all these little fish swimming around your toes, my older brother told me they were piranhas and were trying to eat me so I was petrified of sea and lakes from then on.

It wasn't until my own kids were going to the beach that I started going back in the water and fell in love with body boarding but still not a strong swimmer.

Agricola

Nope. I'd say most people I know in my age bracket could easily drown in the bath! Friend of mine only learned 2 years ago while taking his own kid and hes 29!
Growing up in the country, the idea of travelling into a town to go to swimming lessons was never on the agenda. Hurling, football, soccer etc always took center stage when it came to taking up a sport. You would think it would be like riding a bike and that everyone would be encouraged from a young age but its not the case.

stovelid

Me

Shenshen

Pherekydes wrote: »

Islands means we have to have boats...

... which tend to sink a lot more often than country roads, I would imagine?

jester77

I can't swim. No sea, lakes, rivers or swimming pools anywhere close to where I grew up. No such thing as learning to swim in schools, parents didn't have money to take us on holidays when we were young, and going to the beach in Ireland was a laughable idea with the weather there.

dsmythy

I've an awful fear of submersion in water so no never learned. As a kid there was swimming lessons in school which i went to, but a combination of less than gentle teaching techniques and panic attacks meant I sat them out.

Uriel.

I learned in the past few weeks in the Med and Aegean at the age of 27. Fear no longer exists... Yaaay!

Lord TSC

I can swim when I know my feet can touch the ground but I panic when I know the water is too deep.

Goes back to a horrible swimming instructor I had when I was about 6. Mother brought me to lessosn but the teacher was just so, so horrid to me on my first day, to the extent that she grabbed by head and held me under water to try and teach me to hold my breath. Just put me off swimming for so long. A few years back though, we had a private villa on holidays with a pool so I spent every day teaching myself the basics....

EverEvolving

I can swim but very few of my friends can which is a pain as it's nice to have company in the pool.

Wattle

Well there was an English guy eaten by a shark off the Seychelles last week so I'm steering clear of the water until Chief Brodie tells me it's safe.

Forest Master

Imagine you couldn't swim, drive or cycle.

Malari

Forest Master wrote: »

Imagine you couldn't swim, drive or cycle.

That's nothing. There are some people whose parents were so poor they couldn't give them legs and they never learned to walk until they could afford a pair of their own.

Whippersnapper

I can't swim and I can't drive.

Never got lessons. Simple as.

irishgirl19

No I'm 19 and can't swim.I hope to get around to it some day.Tried learning in primary school when we were about 7/8 but couldn't grasp it.

theteal

So it appears that those ads with the westlife lads were a bit of a waste of money. . .very unusual for this* country




*this meaning that

RayM

I had some swimming lessons when I was a child. I hated it though, and haven't been in a pool since. I can't really swim, but if my life depended on it I could probably (just about) stay afloat.

WindSock wrote: »

It's mad how many Irish people can't swim, is it down to schools? It's a skill everyone should know. Throw the kiddies in to the sea.

I don't really understand this. Why should everyone know how to swim?

starlit

No cannot swim due to a few reason.

fontanalis

RayM wrote: »

I had some swimming lessons when I was a child. I hated it though, and haven't been in a pool since. I can't really swim, but if my life depended on it I could probably (just about) stay afloat.



I don't really understand this. Why should everyone know how to swim?

It's very good exercise, and you won't impress the Swedish ladies beach volleyball team wearing a pair of inflatable arm bands.

KnifeWRENCH

I can't swim. I didn't like water when I was a kid and was too nervous to learn. Then, when I had gotten over that, I had the self-conscious teenage years and was too embarrassed to learn to swim because I was a bit overweight and didn't want anyone to see me without a tshirt on.

I do want to learn some day though.

bullpost

Grew up close to the sea and can swim but my parents didnt.

Married a girl from a seaside town and none of her family swim afaik.

sausagehead wrote: »

lived all my life in a seaside town with a great big beach
couldn't swim to save my life, hate the sight and smell of swimming pools as well

Alun

Can't swim, am scared stiff of the water, and go into a mad panic whenever I sense that chloriney swimming pool smell. All this despite a grueling, scary 3 years of "lessons" (and I use the term loosely) at school. I just didn't float like all the other kids, but just sank ... maybe I had heavy bones or something, I don't know.

I can't say it bothers me though to be honest ... sailing, windsurfing, canoeing etc. don't interest me one bit.

the_syco

Yes, I can swim; have been swimming since before I was 10 years old. Also I'm a qualified lifeguard.

KnifeWRENCH, irishgirl19: lots of swimming pools do adult swimming classes.

moonflower

I Heart Internet wrote: »

I can swim - just not very efficiently. I'm confident in any depth of water and can float/thread water for quite a while. So I'd say I'm pretty safe. But I've frequently thought of getting lessons to drastically improve my technique so i could swim for proper distances (say, more than 100 m).

It's a strange thing - I've run marathon's, so it's not a stamina thing - swimming (as badly as I do) knocks the wind out of me.

Same as this, I can swim but I don't get anywhere fast. I hate it when I go to the pool and they only have lanes open because I always feel like I'm getting in peoples way. It also makes me far more tired than other types of exercise do.

I had lessons as a child and I used to be able to swim quite well but I wouldn't mind getting one or two lessons now, just to be reminded of how to properly do the strokes.

IvyTheTerrible

I can swim, learned when I was about 6 or 7 and love it still. Amazing really that we all learned to swim seeing as my parents hate the water and have irrational fears of it. When I have kids I will definitely get them swimming as soon as possible. It's great exercise and fun.

IvyTheTerrible

moonflower wrote: »

Same as this, I can swim but I don't get anywhere fast. I hate it when I go to the pool and they only have lanes open because I always feel like I'm getting in peoples way. It also makes me far more tired than other types of exercise do.

I had lessons as a child and I used to be able to swim quite well but I wouldn't mind getting one or two lessons now, just to be reminded of how to properly do the strokes.

I used to be a member of a pool where they had lanes open but they had two special ones at the end for "fast" swimmers so they wouldn't get pissed off at people going slower in the other lanes. It worked pretty well.

--LOS--

I can't......I can kinda stay afloat for a bit, do the doggy paddle, but that's it. Had swimming lessons as a kid but not for long as the chlorine in the pool just killed my eyes, my skin. I'd love to be able to swim though, people always promising to teach but they never do >_>

Caraville

I Heart Internet wrote: »

I can swim - just not very efficiently. I'm confident in any depth of water and can float/thread water for quite a while. So I'd say I'm pretty safe. But I've frequently thought of getting lessons to drastically improve my technique so i could swim for proper distances (say, more than 100 m).

It's a strange thing - I've run marathon's, so it's not a stamina thing - swimming (as badly as I do) knocks the wind out of me.

It's funny cos I can't run for $hit but I could swim for ages without getting tired. Now I'm not very fast or fit but I just love swimming and love being in the water. I swim a few times a week. I hate running and that's something I really want to get good at because it's something I've always found hard and kind of embarrassing that I'm so bad at it

WindSock wrote: »

It's mad how many Irish people can't swim, is it down to schools? It's a skill everyone should know. Throw the kiddies in to the sea.

I'm actually shocked too at the fact that around a third of people here say they can't/don't swim. That's a massive number! I don't understand though why schools are being blamed for that, I mean it shouldn't be the school's job to teach a child to swim. Some schools bring kids swimming, but they're not obliged to- parents should be responsible for it in my opinion. My mother could never swim but brought us to lessons every weekend when we were in primary school. If I ever have kids, they're going to be thrown into the pool as early as possible so that they never have a fear of water.

The only down side for me swimming is that my sight is pretty bad so I can't see without my contacts & I don't like wearing them in the pool- I don't bother with goggles then cos I can't see anyway! I absolutely love the feeling of exercising without getting overheated, the pool keeps you cool. It's a brilliant hobby and a skill I'm very grateful to have.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Iv a number of family members who worked in the Merchant Navy who never learned.

dfx-

Nearly drowned in my first lesson as a child..I took that as a good indicator that my life was better if it was led while away from being in water.. :pac:

Now, of course, I'd probably sink first...

Liam Byrne

Shenshen wrote: »

Never cross a bridge, then, just to be on the safe side

What if the other side of the river IS the "safe side" ?

My name is URL

Even if I could swim, I don't think I'd go to a swimming pool to do it. How can anyone find that to be an enjoyable experience? I can't imagine a worse way to spend my leisure time than swimming around a chlorinated pool full of often loud strangers and their dangly bits.

MadameGascar

I took lessons in baby infants with my primary school for 20p every week back in the day. Didn't learn too much, wasn't enthusiastic with an innate fear just of Drogheda swimming pool, it was really atrocious. It was so bad I actually ended up learning in the Boyne!

I taught myself since & love being in the water, its a great feeling being comfortable in it. I've also noticed that plenty more people in Ireland can't swim or are afraid of water than through some other countries in Europe. Anyway there are some babies out there when it comes to the water. Every time we go to the beach my cousins ( 3 brothers in their 20's) stand in the water with most of their clothes on, shivering, but keeping front for as long as it takes,

fontanalis

My name is URL wrote: »

Even if I could swim, I don't think I'd go to a swimming pool to do it. How can anyone find that to be an enjoyable experience? I can't imagine a worse way to spend my leisure time than swimming around a chlorinated pool full of often loud strangers and their dangly bits.

Don't worry about the chlorine. It's just there to kill the piss.

lamai

I Heart Internet wrote: »

I can swim - just not very efficiently. I'm confident in any depth of water and can float/thread water for quite a while. So I'd say I'm pretty safe. But I've frequently thought of getting lessons to drastically improve my technique so i could swim for proper distances (say, more than 100 m).

It's a strange thing - I've run marathon's, so it's not a stamina thing - swimming (as badly as I do) knocks the wind out of me.

I went for lessons every week in primary school - that was great.

I get funny looks when i tell people I can't cycle (or at least not confident on the open road) but I do think being safe in water is far more important.

I watched a guy in the pool the last day on a swimming lesson, he ran 2.35 for his first ever marathon, but he was totally out of breath after one lap. People who raced when they were younger make it look easy. I could swim, but not great. I am a year at it now and will do a 1.9k swim in 2 weeks in the sea. I would still not consider myself a good swimmer. And I get lessons every week. I will be a good swimmer by next year I think. But the only real people I see swimming properly are the people that learned it correctly when they were young

Abi

I can swim, took lessons throughout primary school, and continued using local pools after.

I'm actually really surprised at the amount of people saying they can't swim, seems to be more common than I thought.

bnt

I'm not very good at it, but at least I can stay afloat and keep moving. When I was about 10 we were on holiday near Durban (South Africa), and I was swept out to sea by an undercurrent - but didn't panic, and made it back by myself. Only years later did I twig that I had been in real danger, it didn't feel like it at the time ... :cool:

Crackle

I can't because I never bothered to learn and have never had any interest in doing so. The same would be true of a lot of people I know.

FloatingVoter

Competitive swimming / fast lanes etc. are a whole different ballgame. There shouldn't be any pressure on people to learn to swim fast. Choose to do that if you want. Basic survival skills are more important than the ability to do quadratic equations.
You fall off a boat and are waiting for rescue, treading water* will save you (maybe). Being able to swim 50m in under 20 seconds will not be of any use.

*Treading water is what Jack/Leo was doing at the end of Titanic before he ehhhm ...but those were freezing waters.

rubadub

Magic Beans wrote: »

If you don't go near water you can't drown. I know two people who drowned, they were both swimmers. Fear is your friend.

Same logic could be applied to walking, or many other activities people do.

I also wonder if drowning victims are more likely to be non-swimmers or swimmers. -swimmers obviously being more likely to be in water, but if there is an accidental fall in water etc. So even though they put themselves in the environment where drowning can occur they might be less likely to drown in their lifetime.

found this

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/drowning/article_em.htm

One-quarter to one-third of drowning victims have swimming lessons. Although drowning equally affects both sexes, males have a rate three times higher than females because of increased reckless behavior and use of alcohol.

Ickle Magoo

FloatingVoter wrote: »

You fall off a boat and are waiting for rescue, treading water* will save you (maybe). Being able to swim 50m in under 20 seconds will not be of any use.
.

I'd say treading water will only exhaust you quicker - floating is where it's at if you are waiting for rescue...the swimming comes in if you have a life-boat handy that you need to get to - or you happen to have capsized in a shipping lane, or close to shore.

GerM

Can't swim. Not being able to swim doesn't limit you too much but a strong fear of water will. I took a few lessons a couple of years ago. Could not get the hang of it but got over my chronic fear of water and got used to the feeling and the sensation. Learned to float. Since then I've been out in a kayak, sailed, body boarded (not in particularly deep water) and white water rafted (which was the single most scary sensation in my life when the boat went under and I was submerged). Would like to be able to swim but it's not a big deal. No problem hopping in the water at a beach abroad to cool down. Only things I can't do are swim and surf/windsurf really.

EDIT: The most bizarre one was a guy I met who couldn't swim and went scuba diving. His reasoning was that it was the safest of all water activities as he had a f*ck off size oxygen tank to see him through. Just dropped down there and had a stroll about on the sea bed.

Autosport

No, I cant swim, fear of water and had a very bad accident in the pool while getting lessons, never going near a pool again

Mickeroo

Ickle Magoo wrote: »

I'd say treading water will only exhaust you quicker - floating is where it's at if you are waiting for rescue...the swimming comes in if you have a life-boat handy that you need to get to - or you happen to have capsized in a shipping lane, or close to shore.

You make yourself as small as possible to conserve heat and just float there, thats the recommended course of action. Bring your knees to your chest, fold your arms and put your hands in your arms pits. It's called the HELP position. As you said, if you start swimming you'll just die of hypothermia quicker.

Saila

2759

munchkin_utd

Shenshen wrote: »

It came up in the "Who can't drive?" thread, and it got me thinking.

I'm from Germany originally, and back there I never knew anyone who couldn't swim.
Now I'm living in Ireland, and I've met at least 10 people so far who cannot swim. My husband is English, spent his childhood holidays by the sea, but can't swim.

So how many people here can't swim, and why?

I'm Irish (living in Germany) and find it perfectly normal and logical that I can't swim. Most of my friends can swim. And why should they be able to?

As a kid the only place you could swim was in the lake, and that was horrible. You were cold before going in, cold in the lake, and cold coming out again. Pointless torture.

And there was no swimming pool within 80km or whatever, so your German (or dublin) idea of a school swimming lesson did bot happen. The cold miserable lake was where you swam.

Compare that to a kid in Germany.
Today here in Munich it was 34 degrees. It's torture not to be in the water.
So polar opposite of ireland where it barely gets above 20 in the summer, and rarely above 25. So to compare matters, in Germany the water is an attraction rather than a cold horrible place.

onlyrocknroll

I can't swim, which I'm pretty embarrassed about. One of my biggest fears is that one day I'll see someone drowning and not be able to help. I WILL learn... someday... most probably.

johnr1

Ickle Magoo wrote: »

Yep - glad I can too or I wouldn't have been able to do sailing or windsurfing or surfing or kayaking...like not learning to drive, not being able to swim limits what you can do in life - and where's the fun in that?

I must be the only PADI certed openwater diver in the world who cant swim:D on second thoughts -:eek:
I'm quite at home in 20 to 30 metres of water, have no issues with stepping or backflipping off a boat, provided Im suited and aired up. Im told I'm a good safe diver, if anything I'm more careful of safety precautions and checks on my own gear and others.
Now, I can float well, and can doggypaddle or footpaddle well on the surface again provided I know I have flotation, and wont sink unless I want to.
I'm also a boater and I'm almost never aboard without a good lifejacket.
Suppose I should just bite the bullet and just learn, but I've not been successful yet even though people have tried to teach me several times. I just get winded and panic and splash about unless I'm sure I have flotation eg wetsuit

I Heart Internet wrote: »

It's a strange thing - I've run marathon's, so it's not a stamina thing - swimming (as badly as I do) knocks the wind out of me.

I get this as well, now, I dont run marathons but I would consider myself reasonably fit, however I use loads of air when diving relative to others, and I've been totally winded and exhausted a few times when I had to do a long surface swim back to a boat.

newbee22

I can't swim!Planned to learn over the summer but seeing as I'm a procrastinator I didn'tgo about doing it!

I can't swim and haven't been in a pool for 18 years. When in 3rd class in primary school the class went to swimming lessons in the former Seán Dunne pool in Ballyfermot. I was nervous at the time, never feeling comfortable with putting my head under water. One day I slipped on something at the bottom of the pool and went under, had to be dragged out. That experience frightened me enough to never enter a pool since, though in recent years I've been considering giving it another go.

KilOit

Can thread water till the cows come home or I get a cramp, very strong swimmer which I learned at a very early age. Pretty embarrassing not being able to swim, every man woman and child with 4 limbs should be able to swim. It's a life skill that might save your life one day