Generally said to be people who can swim who get into trouble and drown. People who can't stay out of the water. So if you can't swim you are missing out on fun but are probably safer in practice.
"No. I'm going to say you can't always avoid getting into water."
True but accidentally ending up in water is rare. Deliberately putting yourself in water because you can swim is common. I'd still rather swim personally, but if I stayed out of the sea I would be safer.
Two weeks ago we were at a local lake where lots of people go to swim. There was some commotion suddenly, with lots of people shouting around. Apparently someone disappeared. Then fire trucks showed up, divers jumped in the lake, the police blocked of a part of the lake, ambulances arrived.
The next day we read in the local paper that a 26 year old man had drowned. Apparently he was a poor swimmer. They found him at the bottom of the lake, just 30m from the shore.
The only way to prevent tragedies like this is to make sure every kid learns to swim.
That's a ridiculous statement. There are so many other skills that could save your life one day, not knowing how to do that particular one isn't any stupider than not knowing how to climb a tree to escape a bear.
I agree people should be given the opportunity to learn how to swim but let's look at reality for a moment: Worldwide, almost 60% of humans do not know how to swim and they still get by fine... Wild, isn't it?
Lots if people get by without knowing how to read too. That doesn't make it a good idea.
Like reading, knowing how to swim can save your life or the life of someone nearby. And swimming is much easier to learn than reading. There's no good reason not to learn to swim if you have access to a pool.
I live in the middle of my country, there aren't even any rivers nearby. I'm not going to drown.