Revelations while describing diving to others.

[Amphigorey]

We lost 1800 people in Katrina, almost all by drowning. How many of them couldn't swim, but might have survived if they had?

You have to teach your kids to swim. None of the excuses are any good.

Not knowing how to swim is not linked to race, but to class. The reason many African-American people can't swim is because they're poor, not because there's some cultural reason.

You can't learn to swim if you don't have access to a swimming pool, or time and money to take your kid to lessons. Lots of people in today's economy don't have time or money. Lots of cities don't have public swimming pools. How are you going to teach your child to swim if there's no pool or other safe water around? Magic?

 

[Akimbo]

Not knowing how to swim is not linked to race, but to class. The reason many African-American people can't swim is because they're poor, not because there's some cultural reason…

Perhaps that is a contributing factor but physics trumps by a huge margin. Please note my previous post. NASA’s summary of anthropometric values is consistent with all the other studies I have seen. Let’s not allow misplaced attempts at political correctness to ignore facts that are not subject to human interactions. I have yet to see swimming programs tailored to the needs of individuals who are significantly negatively buoyant with fully expanded lungs. Race and social-economic factors don’t change a person’s mass to displacement ratio.

 

[PfcAJ]

You don't need to float to swim... I'd be long gone if that was the case. I'm with Amphigorey.

 

[NightForce]

Well I live in Ohio and the first thing people always say to me is "I didn't know people could dive in Ohio, I thought people could only dive while away on vacation." Then they are always surprised when I tell them how much diving Ohio actually has and how fun diving locally really is. For me there is a lot more to diving than just crystal clear tropical water. Why miss out on on how great diving is just because your not at some exotic location. Throw me in the quarry and watch me smile.

 

[Akimbo]

You don't need to float to swim... I'd be long gone if that was the case. I'm with Amphigorey.

No question, but you have to expend more work and/or be more efficient to breathe when swimming. That makes it harder to learn, but far from impossible. I find that recognizing that characteristic and changing teaching technique is useful.

I need a little more than 2 Kg/4.4 pounds of lead in fresh water to be neutral with fully inflated lungs. I slowly sink without weight when I force lung capacity to minimum. I have known people ~ 4 Lbs negative with fully inflated lungs.

Many competitive sports have physical characteristics that dominate for solely functional reasons. I’m ~5' 6" and lack the stature to be competitive in many of them, regardless of skill. Why do some people have trouble accepting this is also true in swimming?

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

No question, but you have to expend more work and/or be more efficient to breathe when swimming. That makes it harder to learn, but far from impossible. I find that recognizing that characteristic and changing teaching technique is useful.

I need a little more than 2 Kg/4.4 pounds of lead in fresh water to be neutral with fully inflated lungs. I slowly sink without weight when I force lung capacity to minimum. I have known people ~ 4 Lbs negative with fully inflated lungs.

Many competitive sports have physical characteristics that dominate for solely functional reasons. I’m ~5' 6" and lack the stature to be competitive in many of them, regardless of skill. Why do some people have trouble accepting this is also true in swimming?

Nobody is saying whether forced migratory africans has a slight disadvantage at floating or not. Its like saying they must be bad at most sports because the alost don't exist in tennis, golf, yatching, equestrian, polo, figure skating. It is because these sports needs alot of $$$$$.

There are still plenty of african swimmers, especially from the continent where africans that were not forced to migrate swims. It is just they are not competitive in world class events.

 

[nimoh]

in an attempt to get back on topic, one response I have gotten a few times is

"I could never dive because I am claustrophobic"

 

[Thalassamania]

Wise people, not always accurate, but a good bet.

 

[nolatom]

Not knowing how to swim is not linked to race, but to class. The reason many African-American people can't swim is because they're poor, not because there's some cultural reason.

You can't learn to swim if you don't have access to a swimming pool, or time and money to take your kid to lessons. Lots of people in today's economy don't have time or money. Lots of cities don't have public swimming pools. How are you going to teach your child to swim if there's no pool or other safe water around? Magic?

Don't know about Oakland and the cold water, but yes we have pretty nice (integrated) public pools, and low-cost Rec Dept summer camp programs that teach it. Audubon pool and the Lyons Center are just two of them. Or, just go to the several beaches on Lake Pontchartrain. All these are swimmable 7 months a year. the money excuse doesn't cut it. the "no time because I'm poor" excuse is kinda condescending. You make the time to teach kids what they need to be safe, rich or poor, yes? This is one of those things. No magic needed.

 

[Amphigorey]

The "money excuse doesn't cut it"? Seriously? In this economy? You have got to be kidding me. Swimming lessons are an expense that a lot of families can't afford. If your parents don't know how to swim, then you need lessons. If your parents do know how to swim, then they need time and access to safe water. It's great that your area has plenty to go around, but, many other places do not.

Yes, it would be nice if more people learned to swim. I agree that it would be safer and better. But you can't just ignore the realities of life for people and make a proclamation that there's "no excuse." You don't know what other people's lives are like; you don't know what they can and can't afford, either in time or money.

How about volunteering your time to teach poor kids to swim?