At what age did you learn to swim?

[DubiousIntentions]

I was 5 when I fell in a pool. I almost drowned. It was then that my mother made sure I had swimming lessons. It definitely paid off. Today I can still swim like a fish.

[nolabels]

I wouldn't necessarily call my methods of propulsion through water "swimming", but for the sake of the question, I'll say that I learned to swim at 6 or 7 years old, at our community park's summer program.

We would show up at the park in the morning, all the kids arriving by foot from neighborhoods surrounding the park. (There were kids crawling out of the woodwork in Catholic neighborhoods in the 1960s.)

We'd then all pile onto an old school bus and ride "out to the country" where a swimming pool was located. We'd sing "100 Bottles Of Beer On The Wall" all the way there and back.

So, here we are at the pool, in the morning, on the first day.

Mom's not here. No savior is coming for me. This could be the end of my tender life. No puppy for my 10th B-Day, nothin'. This might be "Curtains" for young "nolabels".

We're all lined up on the side of the pool, by age level, not skill level, let's not even think about "FEAR level", SHALL WE? No, by age level.

"OK, everybody, jump in!", says the instructor. "WHAT?", I scream as my head instantly pivots towards the sound of the coach.

Long story short, after a bit of additional personal persuasion by the pretty young swimming instructor (You see how I played that, didn't you? I was playin' when I popped out of the womb!!!) I made out OK in the swimming department.

Fun question!

It brought up some really old, really powerful emotions for me.

Wow!

Talk amongst ya'selves for a moment, wouldja please?

I just need a moment, here.

Ok, I'm better now.

Such a wonderful question.

I mean, yeah, that's, uhm, uhh, yeah.

For some reason, that memory is eliciting much more in my emotional reactions than simply that of a 6-year-old little boy "gettin' lucky".

I mean, way, way, deeper.

Thanks.

[BeMuse]

I don't know exactly. Swimming is something that evolves over time as you get more experience. I'm sure my parents took me in the pool/oceans as an infant. I got some exposure to swimming. I remember when I was like 3 or so I use to go in the pool without help, but I would generally cling on the pool coping and skirt around the pool and then dash swim from one side to the other. I had an older brother so we use to go in at the same time. I remember my parents being aggravated over the fact that I was skirt around the pool coping like a spider and them trying to bribe me with toys to get me to swim in straight lines all the way across the pool from one end to the other and drive under water to the bottom for whatever reason. At that point I could swim fine, but we use to do things like play fish out of water or whatever it was called where you had to swim past the blocker from the safety of the stairs to the opposite end of the pool without getting caught. So it was kind of natural to stay close to the walls and run on the patio and jump in the other end and hang on the wall without getting caught. Anyway, I took up my parents up on some toy bribes and demonstrated that I could swim across the pool and to the bottom in front of them and what not somewhere around 4 years old. I remember swimming in the open ocean off fishing and sail boats at maybe 6 years old. I remember learning SCUBA from my uncle in my swimming pool around like 9 or 10 years old. I remember swimming on surfboards/body boards out through swells to the outer break dealing with rip tides and all that shit at maybe 11 years old.

[Leapfrog00]

Wow, something similar happened to me. I was around 8 years old and my parents took me to this water park, and they knew I couldn't swim, but my father made me go down this water slide, even though I begged that I didn't want to go.

When I got to the bottom, I went under the water and it was too deep and I lost cautiousness. This lifeguard pulled me out of the water and did CPR on me for like 5 or 10 minutes. When she revived me, there was so much water in my lungs, I spit out so much water, it was like I vomited. I was clearing my lungs and coughing for like a couple hours, probably longer.

My parents just said to me "You're OK" and stayed at the park. When I was 12, I went to this summer camp and I still didn't know how to swim, and I was sitting by the lake watching everyone swim and this camp counselor said "You can't swim, can you?" and I said "Hell No!" lol. She made a deal with me. She told me if I let her teach me how to swim, she would go to Taco bell for me.

She worked with me for 2 weeks with these floaties around me chest, and one day she took the floaties off without me knowing, and I swam on my own! I finally learned! I learned how to swim and she held up her end of the deal by taking me to taco bell. I wanted to learn anyway because I was terrified of water. I still am afraid of large bodies of water because of what happened though.

[Bethany22]

I was 5 or 6, can't remember. I was always very cautious and a slow learner. I remember they gave me a life savor because I was too afraid to even walk around in the shallow end on my own. And you couldn't get me to try the frontward float until about swimming level 2. That exercise just didn't look promising at all. I don't think I ever really mastered the front stroke, whereby I was always better at the backstroke. Still though, I don't know why everyone tries to convince people that swimming is good exercise, because while it keeps you looking young due to all the muscles you build, you wind up looking older anyway due to your prematurely wrinkled skin.

[DubiousIntentions]

Your skin stays younger longer if you don't smoke or do drugs. And especially if you don't go to tanning booths or getting dark tans. That turns your skin into parchment and wrinkles stay for awhile when you pinch your skin. It loses all elasticity.

[Screenwriter]

My dad threw me in the deep end when I was 8. But, I wasn't afraid of the water and though I drank a lot of it that day, my mom rescued me and my swim lessons started officially. I could already dogpaddle, but that's not efficient. And later, in college, we were required to have learned to swim before graduation.

I also took lifesaving and lap swam for exercise. It's a relaxing and exhilarating way to burn calories and keep mentally even. And because I'm a pretty confident swimmer, I love to fish and be on the water and I took surfing lessons too. It opens the door to a lot of good things..

[asphaltrhymes]

Probably from the age of 4 or age of 5 or 6. Lol. I think my family taught me, followed by many years of school swim lessons each year
Ironically to this day, given my body, I'm quite slim and so apparently fat people float and skinny people just, uh, sink. Lol
Ah well. I don't swim at all anyway lol so even when I go to a pool, if ever, I'd probably only both for like, low water slides or even just not go lol. Even home pools to me sound so much upkeep and costs, urgh forget it and cleaning, urgh forget it, to my mind 🧠

[asphaltrhymes]

I'm probably just not a fan of sports activity myself, swim included. But I don't mind sports on TV. Some more boring though.

[_Maya_]

I was told my mom had me in the pool as a toddler for swim acclimation classes. I have no clue to be honest. I obviously don't remember that. The first I remember was junior swim team when I was maybe 8? Damn was that pool cold in the morning for practice.

[Smashingdoozy]

Like age 4? My parents had a pool so I learned swim safety as soon as I started living with them and was a confident swimmer like 6 months later. My dad said I was a little too confident at times. One time when we were on vacation I was like 6 I ran off and went down this huge slide alone into water that was over my dad's head ( he was 6'1). I was fine but he was panicked going after me. I had a refresher lesson for a few months after that.

[WonderBell99]

Around 5 or 6. I was a competitive swimmer, but participated only in inter school, district and state level competitions. Quit my swim team at the end of 10th grade when covid hit.

[DubiousIntentions]

Bet you regreted that on hot summer days.

[TrueConfection]

Sometime before I started kindergarten. My mother was a beach lifeguard before I was born. I was born to swim.

[DubiousIntentions]

So the pic could have been you. :)

[TrueConfection]

Like a fish! 😁

[D_Bone_Steak]

My age changes in the summer... started pre-school when I was 3 and then had to do it again at 4. Swimming lessons were just part of the day. Swimming was just a thing I did every day from my teen years on. Rivers, lakes... competitive at school... that kind shit. Time for a picture so Auto bot will touch my weiner in the hot pool.

I kept it water-related.

[Bricealan]

Not certain at what age, but we were not 'drown proofed" like we should have been, as kids. I learned to swim on my own and a friend and I swam to the middle of a lake near our home in high school. I did take a test for a life guard at some point after that.

I have to say, my parents were lax with regard to doing any kind of professional training, and I dont' think my brother learned to "swim' to this day. Not GOOD

[Bricealan]

Good question, Dubious'

[Sparkie460]

I think I was 12 when I learned how to swim. My neighbor just threw me in the pool

[DubiousIntentions]

Some swear by that method.

[Sparkie460]

I never did that to my kids.

[DubiousIntentions]

It is better if it is in the shallow end.

[Sparkie460]

I'm sure it is but I think it's child abuse. That's just my opinion

[LaFemmeFatale_1]

At 6-7, we had this huge swimming pool and I had an amazing swimming instructor, but then at some point when I was swimming underwater someone jumped right on top of me and I got wary of water.

[TacosRAwesome]

I was in the water at 6 months with a floating device. Learnt to swim without help by 6 or so.

[XXblack88]

I been swimming as long as I can remember. So, I'm not sure when I first learned how to swim.

[spartan55]

I don't know I think I was 2 or 3. I have a picture of me as a toddler in the YMCA pool doing my Minnow training.

[DubiousIntentions]

Were you there with the rest of your village people?
https://youtu.be/_DRNljTgiyg

[spartan55]

I was with the rest of my Minnow class, hoping to graduate to Guppies.

[DubiousIntentions]

Cute. :)

[DJB72]

About 20. I was a functional non-swimmer at school in an environment where you only got taught how to do something if you were likely to be on the school or at least a house team.

[Guardian45]

I learned how to swim when I was like 8. I spent that whole summer, every morning and sometimes all day at the pool!

[runnerboy]

I don't remember but it must have been around 4 or 5

[DeeDeeDeVour]

My parents claim they've began training me when I was still an infant.

[DubiousIntentions]

How can you train an infant at an infants' age? They have no idea what is what yet.

[DeeDeeDeVour]

T'was a "military thing" back then.
I've seen old videos showing me immediately adapting instinctively after being let go in the swimming pools.
It looked cool.

[DubiousIntentions]

You gotta wonder why so many small children drown in pools then.

[DeeDeeDeVour]

T'was a big program for kids of military personnel.
None of us drowned.

[Apple1996]

I never learned how to swim. Crazy thing is tho I've taught 2 of my kids how to without even knowing how to do it myself

[Anemone978]

I don't know? maybe around 5, I don't remember? I still can't swim very well but I won't drowned either lol

[AlexEfron]

Mid teens. I remember because they didn't teach me a lot of things - techniques for diving, underwater swimming etc. - saying that I am too old for that. 🥲 Too old to learn something 🥲

[DubiousIntentions]

Seriously?

[AlexEfron]

Yeah 🥲. Apparently 16 years old is too old for them. I'm sure other associations will gladly teach me as long as I pay them 😅.

[DubiousIntentions]

Figures. You can never be too old to learn to swim. Some day your life may depend on it.

[Anonymous]

Just jumped in the pond, around me jumped some kids mkn stop, water splashed everywhere, into the mouth and etc, wawes trow water jn my face too XD but į manage to get and stay on the surface. Simple as that. People swiming for hell know hokw many thousands years.

[Opinion Owner]

~12yo

[AviatorTom]

I took swimming lessons at the local Y when I was 6. I learned the basics... still not a great swimmer.

[Sixgunsound]

The summer camp that babysat me during break from school taught us to swim. I'm not sure what age but it was in the formative years.

[JustinTheGreat]

I think I learned when I was around 8 years old.
I’m not the strongest swimmer ever but I can save myself in case of an emergency

[Emelina]

I was 15 years old when I started to learn to swimming.

[Kathy1983]

From age three I grew up around the Aegean. Kinda force to do so.

[NYCQuestions1976]

I grew up with a pool in my backyard, so I knew how to swim by the time I was 6 years old.

[DubiousIntentions]

That definitely helps a lot.

[Fireguy17]

Probably 4ish.

I've always loved the water.

[Malcom_Reynolds]

Probably around the age of 5. I was enrolled in swimming lessons at a very young age.

[Redstang88]

I have no idea, been swimming as long as I can remember

[LiamJHayden]

I am pretty sure I was four. I started learning to surf before I was seven.

[najekim]

Fell into a pool when 3. Swam underwater to the other end. Start lessons when I turned 4.

[TallAnon]

2-3ish, I'm Dutch, swim or drown.

[DubiousIntentions]

They say that in Venice too.

[BCA6010]

8 I think. Somewhere around there.

[4ngelic]

like 2-3

[DubiousIntentions]

You didn't waste any time.:)

[exitseven]

I was 4 years old.

[Chill_Thoughts]

1, young babies can learn how to float very easily

[DubiousIntentions]

But how do they learn to hold their breath?

[Chill_Thoughts]

They don't learn how to swim really, just how to instinctively float, belly up

[DubiousIntentions]

The baby in the pic knew how to hold it's breath - and swim.

[sheenagwapa]

wow.. ifk how to swim

[DubiousIntentions]

Are you sure or do you just float well?

[comekitty]

I was probably about seven 🙂

[SassyAussieAddy]

Is it weird I don't remember learning to swim?

[DryGermanGuy]

With 5, I think. Before primary school.

[CrimsonAngel09]

Never so far.

[Malwi93]

It’s a VERY valuable skill

[SnowedIn]

I was 4.

[springxxx]

I still need to learn😧

[DubiousIntentions]

Times a wastin'.

[es20490446e]

I have learned everything.

[gothbxtch]

i still do not know how to swim

[Surely]

Still waiting to learn!

[Blackcupcake]

7 years old

[CuriousMufuxka]

Around 8 or 9 I believe. Long time ago.

[jacob33131]

I was in first grade.

[Rohaan2020]

I was 10 when i learnt swimming

[Anonymous]

i can't. teach me. 😁

[EaterPeter]

15 - 16

[EaterPeter]

Thanks for likes!

[CoolCatMar1]

At 5 for sure

[Jamie05rhs]

I was 4, I think.

[Christoff92]

I was 5

[LavLavLuv]

Age 8