You must have been a natural with a name like Muskrat.

My father rowed me to the middle of the lake and tossed me in, swimming back wasn't the hard part, getting out of the burlap sack was!! No really growing up in Michigan you are never any farther then a mile for a body of water so most every school has swimming lessons in middle school.

Truth was, Boco, and still is, I can't float. That certificate is from the second time around trying to pass from Tadpole to Minnow at the YMCA. Instructor flunked me the first time around 'cause I couldn't do the jellyfish float. Must've felt sorry for me when he finally passed me.

It wasn't until I was in the Air Force in Thailand and took a SCUBA class when the instructor asked me how much weight I'd need to get to the bottom of the pool, and I said watch this, shoved off, and promptly sank to the bottom of the pool. When I resurfaced, he said, oh, you're like me, and educated me on negative buoyancy. Some of us are just a bit more dense in the bone/muscle mass than others.

In Boy Scouts when I got my 5-miler award I swam most of it underwater. Three lengths of the pool up for air, then back under for another three lengths and back for air.

Another note: back in the 50s and some of the 60s for sure, they required us little boys to swim naked in the pool. The instructors wore trunks, but us boys skinny dipped. We were traumatized for weeks having the instructors telling us we'd have to go naked for parents' night, but learned at the lesson prior to the big night, which included girls in the audience, we could wear trunks to that.

In our neighbors pool, shortly after I started walking; probably about 18 months.
I would swim with my eyes open under water, I can still remember seeing my mom sitting on the steps leading into the pool as I swam towards her.

My Dad who was a Marine Corps DI and taught swimming..
I was 4 or 5 years old.

Local swimming pool. Older sister was a lifeguard so I spent a lot of time there.

Chris

Red Cross Swimming Lessons at the local swimming hole.

I learned to swim in water. Lot easier than learning to swim in concrete.

Learned to roller skate in a buffalo herd.

Mike

W. Berlin, Germany back in 1971 during the summer.
*I seem to recall it was a national requirement that all German children know how to swim.
If it was 1971, that would have put me at 6 years old....
Training was fairly comprehensive, I still remember one to the instructors to this day - and I still have my medal [as we also had patches of achievment which were sewn into our swimming trunks.
Worst part was having to jump of a 5 meter diving board, but it could have been much worse - there was also a 10 meter board.
Gotta say, the Germans take swimming very very seriously - and in turn, that was the one sport I was really good at.
I still swim to this day any chance I can, typically in a lake where I take my dog out as well.
About 5 years ago, maybe 6.... [time needs to slow down !!] the "freediving" bug bit, and it bit hard.
Did that for about 2, maybe 3 years... then a couple of injuries [unrelated to freediving...] kinda forced me to change things and I got out of it, but at one point I had a solid 45 second breath hold with no problem [*I was actually hoping to get into spearfishing]
On reflection, this was by far the best way to see marine life, because they would come right up to you, wondering what kind of fish you were.....
Some days, it was so beautiful - I would say that if I met the right fish, I was never going to come back.
I still dive, but again not like I used to, but I'm glad I got into it when I did, better late than never at all....
But swimming... I think it's ultra important to know, not too mention the health benefits as well.
I seem to recall now that I've been thinking about it taking more classes at the YMCA in Staten Island during the mid 1970s, while I was growing up in Brooklyn NY.
I seem to recall I did real well there too - funny, all German kids there as well !!
One of them - Ralph Bachmann - he would up eventually serving in the U.S. Army overseas during the Persian Guff Crisis, and I remember he made the local newspaper.
At the time I had recently moved to CT, as I was a Blackhawk mechanic [UH-60A, L models] and I'm sure our mom's [Ralph's and mine] probably spoke about that some on the phone, how years later we were both in a round about way involved in the same thing - our nations defense - just in different aspects.
Sorry for going on, thinking about swimming brough back some real good memories.

I learned as a military brat at the base pool in Germany. Aged 7. 2 fond memories: a nickel grape soda after swim lessons, and our instructor, Karen, who wore a white bikini with a Red Cross swimming patch sewn on the bottom. Good times!

I learned to swim by playing in the water.

My dad is scared of water. Uncle gave him a thrown in swim or die lesson. I guess he bout died.

Similar thing happened to my dad. Same result.

My aunt forced me and my cousins to take lessons as kids. We took them in the morning before the pool opened, in an unheated pool. I remember my cousins lips turning blue.

I hated every minute of it, but I can swim.

My oldest is ten, he's had two years of lessons, and is comfortable it the water.

The pool is heated that he takes lessons at.

Grew up right beside the city pool. I can't remember not being able to swim. Was on a traveling swim team at the age of 5, the butterfly was my specialty. Had a box full of ribbons and medals, have no idea what happened to them. Could go off the high diving board at 4. I learned this on my own,, never took a lesson in my life. I'm 59 now and probably would be lucky to save myself.

Learned early, started taking lessons in 1st or second grade, went all the way through those, swam on the High School team, Lifeguard Certified, worked 5 summers at the local pool, Water Safety Instructor Certified, Lifeguard Instructor Certified, played water polo in college and took up scuba diving. Blew out my ear drum diving at 24 and had to have my shoulder redone at 25. I'm comfortable around water, my wife not so much.

Actually, swimming correctly using different strokes is not something that a child or many adults can teach themselves. It may be good to find a swimming coach/class.

I was around water all my life, fishing, trapping and hunting. I still wasn't able to swim until I was 11 years old. When it happened, it was like riding a bike....POOF, I could do it(dog paddle) and couldn't believe I couldn't before. I, like Muskrat, float like waterlogged stump. My Pappy would bob around and actually sleep as he floated. He'd even have all 5 toes sticking up out of the water. I tried and tried to take his advise and it didn't stick. He, and others that float like corks, just have a different shape or something. I float ONLY if I take a deep breath, and only my top two inches of head float. I look like a hairy bobber. My feet point straight towards the bottom. If I exhale........glub, glub! I sink immediately.

Learned in a gravel pit all nine of us no parental guidance ,I can swim but don't ask me to save you , Come real close to drowning once and believe me you can breathe water and it does not hurt . Then you pass out !

Water logged hair ball ,Shave er down that will help