My mate has just sent me this text.

[Greedo]

Easy to rip the piss and laugh at him but to be fair. Fair play to him for learning.

"Alright mate I'll call you tomorrow. Can't call you now. Bit of a red neck but I'm off to swimming lessons. 35 years auld and learning to swim in a 1m deep pool that they reserve for the kids normally. And I'm shite at learning aswell. Got goggles this week though...that's the ace right there! - I hope!!!!!"


He's going to the Maldives for his honeymoon later in the year and has only now had the motivation to learn. He must have missed out so much in his youth and I just assumed everyone could swim of a certain age.

 

[ColinJ]

He must have missed out so much in his youth and I just assumed everyone could swim of a certain age.

My mother spent the first 18 years of her life in a little coastal village near Oban and yet she never learned to swim. I asked her why not and she replied that there wasn't a swimming pool nearby and the sea was usually too cold!

 

[summerdays]

My friend can't swim and so far her children don't know ... though she has made sure they have all learnt. For her its one of those things where you need to want to do it really to overcome your fears.

 

[scots_lass]

Good for him - you've got to admire his courage! Hope his bride appreciates it!

 

[ELL]

My wife has just finished her swimming lessons. As a kid she was thrown in the deep end by her friends dad in a this is the best way to learn to swim kind of way. Every since then she has hated the water. She took some lessons a few years back but has now just done a more advanced lot of classes and is a lot more confident. I think far to many people take swimming for granted that everyone knows how to do it and enjoys it.

 

[Over The Hill]

I could only swim with a crap sort of extended dog paddle for years. Then I went to a swimming class that also had adult total beginners of all ages.

I got quite good (for a fat old git) and did a 200 length swimathon thing for charidee.

Then I got REALLY bored swimming up and down in silence so took up cycling!

 

[postman]

I was 21 when i took myself down to a Leeds City Council swimming lesson .Took a few weeks but i did learn to swim ,in a fashion .

 

[Jane Smart]

Well good on him I say.

Nothing wrong with never having learned to swim.



I am going back to my childhood, what with my cycling, ( not that that is for kids but you know what I mean ) my piano playing and also playing on line games

Never too old I say

 

[fossyant]

Good for him.....

We had our two fully swimming at an early age...... has it's down sides though.... you get swimming attendants running over and saying 'oi you can't swim there'.... we made sure ours had there 'swimming badges' on their kit though....... more of an issue with my daughter as she is petite.....

You do miss out loads if you can't swim - shame as if taught properly it's easy......

I'm more of a bulldozer through water.......certainly not graceful, and just waste energy as I wasn't taught properly.... ah well - good training then...?

 

[montage]

why do those scared of drowning not want to learn how to prevent themselves from drowning should the situation arise?

I remember when I was but a kiddlywink being able to do very little - until one day I was offered a power ranger toy if I swam one width of the pool! I swam about 14

 

[Hacienda71]

My five year old can swim and my three year old his having swimming lessons, but my 40 year old sister in law can't swim, don't know why.

 

[rich p]

Stone me, Greedo, you've got more Mates than the family planning clinic

 

[bianchi1]

I used to lifeguard the adult lessons at my local pool and have the greatest admaration for anyone that makes the effort.

it appears that is a lot harder for adults to learn as they have a much more developed self presevation thing going on.

 

[summerdays]

My kids learnt with a mad swimming instructor - when they were in the baby pool learning unable to swim, he would take them into the big pool to the deep end and then get them to jump in and try to swim one at a time with him in the pool. I'm not sure the lifeguards liked it though. For me I didn't see there was much difference between not being able to touch it at .8m and 2m.

For adults I think they have more fears to conquer to get in the water in the first place. No matter what it is, children usually find it easier to learn a new skill, we are too set in our ways and have built up a healthy respect for the possible consequences. When I think back to my childhood ... quite a bit of the really fun bits involved taking risks that as an adult thinking back I possibly wouldn't do.

 

[Vikeonabike]

My Nan didn't learn to swim until she was in he 50's....