Well, what prompted the question was this:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11172054

I learnt the same way as my older brothers did, that consisted of my Dad taking me down to the local swimming pool when I was 6 years old.
He told me to get changed and then he walked out into the pool area (in his outdoor shoes) - took me to the deep end, picked me up over his head and threw me as far out into the pool as he could (with Mum standing behind him saying No don`t do that).
The on-duty life guard just looked at my dad and said `Nice one mate`.
Dad said to my Mum `well he`s got 2 choices . . sink or swim!`
I made it to the side using a sort of desperate doggy paddle and my Dad said `Job done`.
Not sure if you would get away with that nowdays though

How's the trauma therapy coming along bud?

Haha, this article would never fly in the States.

I learned to swim starting at 6mos and haven't stopped since. But I'm white, does that count?

I'm glad you survived.

i dont think i'll be doing that to my children.

as for black people not being good swimmers, i'm sure i read that its something to do with different bone density so it makes it a lot harder for them to stay afloat.

having said that, do you remember "eric the eel?"

My dad threw me in as well. And followed up with thousands of biweekly swimming lessons. By they're Saffers so swimming's important to them.

I still cannot swim for more than a 30 meters

Did you know fat people float better than thin people (though are clearly worse swimmers on average). Fat is a floatation device.

I actually can not remember learning how to swim.

I learnt well before I went to school.

I have however been shown the "coolite floatie" with the metal buckle that was used to teach me.

So I'm told, It was an official school though.

Exactly! Blacks have higher bone density, making their bones heavier and slower swimmers. I guess they choose to practice other sports where BMD is actually on their favour such as running or basket etc...Maybe this is why their parents do not enroll them in swimming lessons?

...... nice choice

The effective weight difference of the skeleton due to the difference in bone density is so small that I would qualify this as a pure myth.

Ha ha ha ha - that was nothing!
We had a holiday one year in Eastbourne (on the English south coast).
Dad got me and my brothers out of bed at 10pm and marched us down to the sea front with our dressing gowns over our swimming trunks.
It was not quite dark but it was a blustery and quite cool evening as Dad told us to `get in`.
Eastbourne is a shingle beach and each moderately sized wave deposited half a ton of pebbles over our young and fragile bodies.
There were a lot of people walking along the promenade and stopped to watch. Dad just told them it was to `toughen us up`.

I have the same trauma is Eastbourne, although the bit that lives with me was my uncle putting a dead stinking fish on my neck and watched it slither down my arm. Not cool.

I think I would agree with that - but then I am no expert.
My understanding is that it`s related partly to `fast twitch` muscle reponses and that makes some people more adept at dynamic sports like boxing, sprinting as opposed to more endurance based sports.
However as the article states, there are a combination of many physical and social issues that come into play.

Nice!!
Sounds like your Dad and Uncle went to the same `parenting` academy as my Dad!

I read that as a "My dad threw me in a well"

I learned to swim at about age 7 by trying to float on my back. I discovered if I kicked a little, then I'd start moving. That gave me the confidence to turn over and try swimming on my front. I now generally do 500m to 1km (depending on how much time I have), using a probably not very efficient form of breaststroke.

With my kids, I'd have them stand some distance from me, within their depth, and have them try to swim towards me. We gradually increased the distance - and then they found they were swimming.

btw - it's never too late. My wife until about 4 years ago, couldn't swim 20m (lack of confidence). She's now quite happy doing up to 600m.

I don't remember learning to swim. My first pool memory is a lesson aged two but I could already swim properly by then. My husband taught himself at the age of 15 as neither of his parents can swim so never took him for lessons or just for fun.

more or less the same here, except I was a bit younger. We lived next to the sea so learning to swim was an absolute necessity, except my mum didn't say no.

In a successful attempt at not drowning.

or maybe its because there arn't a great deal of swimming pools in africa? and running and boxing is much easier to train in when you have nothing??