<p>There’s no reason for most people not be able to swim…those who say they can’t because they aren’t buoyant are all wet (hehe). Most, if not all, Olympic swimmers don’t have enough body fat to just float without the aid of a technique like the classic “treading water” maneuvers. I don’t blame colleges for not wanting the headlines to blare “Joe Schmoe, PhD From U of Whatever, Drowns in 7 Feet of Water.”</p>
<p>Also, how many times has an MIT grad fallen into the Charles River, swum to what he thought was the closest shore, and when he was about 20 feet from it, realized that that the opposite shore was indeed the closest, and then done a 180-degree turn and headed for the other shore?</p>