Now, my poor dog Loki on the other hand... she learned that water is not a solid substance right after I took this picture.
*If you notice, she is looking with great intent at - I'm assuming it was a beaver because before the area around this stream was developed, beavers were everywhere.

Next thing I knew - with a leap of faith and determination and a great big splash, my pig shaped friend life vest and all started heading straight to the bottom.
I grabbed the handle on her life vest and we got to shore and I got her in the boat, and I had a very wet and frightened dog back in the kayak for the rest off the trip.

To this day, she does not swim - but will go into the water - wade so to speak - right up to her back...

She can swim, just chooses not to.

That's funny , George.

Honestly , I can't remember a time when I couldn't swim . I believe my parents started with us at a very young age. Think it started with just gently letting go of us in shallow water and allowing us to work with the water. Just grew from there.

Learned at the pool in our county seat. Mom probably enrolled me for lessons. Scouting helped later. Took advanced swimming and lifesaving in college PE.

I never learned to swim, yet I've been around boats all of my life. I spent 8 years in the Coast Guard, with some interesting experiences.
I went through boot camp at Cape May, N.J. When it was proven that I can't swim I was required to report to the pool every evening for "swimming lessons".
What a joke ! The instructors all stood at one end of the pool yaking with each other, and the the trainees stood at the other end , shivering, and they never showed us anything.
On the firing range they never provided ear protection, and I swear that is why I have high frequency deafness today.

My brother and I along with our gang taught ourselves how to swim in a local creek when we were around six years old I don't think they had lessons in the early 1940's.

Jarhead

I don't remember the story that I was told was that not too long after I came home as a baby my mother took me to the YMCA and in a baby swimming group. Guess newborns swim naturally. Anyhow.....as a toddler I never had a problem jumping in and swimming around. I hated getting yelled at to go back to the shallow end. I son like swimming if I can touch the bottom.

6-7 years old went to the lake with my family. My dad walked me about half onto a pier and through me out into about 15 feet of water. Told me to sink or swim.