I remember my first time learning to swim. My father took me down to the pool and it was a little more than the usual splash session I used to enjoy.
Swimming is an important skill, but I would also say that floating is the very start of it all.
Just as balance on a bike, floating in water is a feeling the body adapts and remembers after a while. It's the fear before this that may put people off from swimming. So float first, then the waters will be open for a swim!
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marcelouva