Could save your life one day (or even the life of another), hopefully I'm never thrown in a lake with no one to save me, huh? --- that's right, Candice can't swim

I'm shocked at how many people actually don't know how to swim. This should be learned at an early age.

Not only is it useful but its also a good exercise.

You guys must do a heck of a lot more swimming than I do.  Unless you're a lifeguard or an olympic swimmer, I just don't see this as all that important a skill.

For everyday average use, not really critical, but twice in my life when I almost drowned, it proved to be very useful. Of course the arguement could be made that I stupidly put myself into both situations, and I would not be able to argue the point.

I've learned how to swim when I was 16. I was in swimming class in high school when one of the bullies pushed me into the water on the deep end and I just sunk like I was weighing 300 pounds. My own fear to drown pushed me to learn to swim. Now, I'm not afraid anymore.

Drowning sucks.

It can be useful in the right situation. I can swim a little and thought about taking a class. I think it is a good way to build extra self confidence and strength.

i am not a strong swimmer whatsoever but what little i could swim saved my life once when i almost drowned. i no longer swim in anything other than a pool.

I don't think it's essential, thats why we have boats, horses, planes and rope to traverse water. More of a sport than a survival skill nowdays. Most times people are in situations needing to swim they just swim in place due to currents, coldness or distance to land. As long as you can tread water you can survive some situations. Even great swimmers drown due to fighting currents such as rip tides. Swimming parallel to the shore till you get to the end of the rip tide would free you.

Extremely useful skill to have. Taking into consideration the disasters that have been happening in the world recently you would be surprised how many people over-looked this skill, before it happened. Many of those who perished in the Tsunami disaster in Thailand couldn't swim, I found this extremely sad as lives could have been saved. It doesn't matter if you live in a concrete jungle or even near the sea, teach your kids to swim at an early age.

If you live in hurricane country I think this year has proved this is a must have.

If you can't swim,you'd better stay away from:Boats,Lakes,Ponds,The Ocean,Swimming Pools,etc... being easily learned,I'd say it's well worth it.Besides,it's FUN,and good exercise!

Absolutely critical not only to save yourself but to help others. Hey, if elephants can swim, so can you!

Yes, swimming is necessary. You never know when you or someone else is going to fall into, be suddenly flooded in, or what have you... in water. Swimming is also a great excercise and a very healthy thing to do.

Very useful. Sadly, I can only doggie-paddle, pretty much. Hell if I don't try, though! Based on my own experience, I think I'd want to have my future children learn to swim at a very young age. As for me, I'm just going to have to keep trying. It's good not only as a possible survival skill, but as a way of promoting exercise (most people won't want to go running all the time, but swimming is much more appealing).

I remember being in bootcamp as a kid and being amazed at how many kids have never felt water deeper than the tub. They were typically kids from large cities who lived in the inner city, or Midwestern and almost all black. But even the Midwestern kids had swam in a lake or river. They were tough kids for the most part too and shaked like little girls when challenged with the parts of training that took us into swimming pools. That inate fear of water can be a powerful thing. I think all parents who can should try to expose their kids to the water for safety if nothing else.

I can't believe I left this off. This is a survival skill. You can't pass Marine Boot Camp without a basic swim qual!