[quote=“Huang Guang Chen”]Coming from the world’s biggest island, I’m astonished the Taiwanese can’t swim, and even more so that people would elect to swim in a river or a lake when there’s a sea handy.
HG[/quote]
The rivers are cleaner by a long shot. And less crowded.
Did I forget to mention my fear of water snakes?
Actually, there’s another fear at work here. I was a surfer and surf life saver as a kid, as was a friend of mine. We were both extremely good swimmers, but he drowned in a lake and I could never get my head around it. Waves, rips and inshore currents are the things to watch for in my mind, not reeds and shit. Fresh water, and the animals that live in it, have always seemed weirdly haunted to me ever since. To this day I always prefer to eat ocean fish over river or lake fish, for example.
Think Jeff Buckley just disappearing into the Mississippi.
HG
They’re paranoid about the water and swimming because most people here can’t swim, and even many of those who say they can swim can’t really swim. They can stay afloat for five minutes or so, desperately dog-paddling.
I once worked at a university in Taiwan that had a beautiful Olympic-sized pool. Most of it was cordoned off, and no one was ever allowed in the deep end. The first time I swam there, I was just looking over the barrier at the deep-end and my boss came running over, near hysterics: “Be very careful! The water’s very deep.”
It was shallower than the pool in my parent’s backyard, by the way, which I have been swimming safely in since the age of 6. My dad wouldn’t let kids go in the deep-end of our backyard pool if they couldn’t easily swim a couple of lengths.
I don’t know if its been said here but, I heard somewhere that out of all the Taiwanese who die while abroad, the majority of them died by drowning.
No, no, I heard they starve after running out of instant noodles.
My theory regarding the Taiwanese fear of water: The first Chinese settlers to arrive on Taiwan were fishermen from the mainland, blown off course by a typhoon. They barely managed to escape alive and this fear has since been passed from generation to generation and is actually part of the genetic code now. This also explains why they chose to settle instead of leaving again. Makes sense to me. 
[quote]Taiwan’s rivers are, for the most part, dangerous as hell to swim. There are few lakes and ponds to speak of that can be swum. Except for the big yearly clusterfuck swim at SunMoon Lake, and no one swims in the ocean.
Taiwan is an island. Many people don’t learn to swim here because it’s too GD expensive to go to the pool.
[/quote]
I am Taiwanese and I don’t swim well. 
JD brought up some of the reasons.
Some of Taiwan’s rivers are really dangerous because of the illegal sandstone quarrying.
if you are not local people and don’t familiar with the river,it is dangerous to swim there.
That’s why the signs set up by the rivers.
Second,we don’t have many swimming pools ,especially in countryside.
I remembered when I was at school ,we had to walk about 30 minutes to swimming pool for the lessons.So it was not possible for us to have a good swimming lesson.
But the fee is not expensive ,I think. 
(100-150 NTD in my hometown now.)
Because there are many kids drowned every year ,so now we are asked to be able to swim before we graduat from primary school.
And yes.We live in the small island ,however,we should know how to swim.
Actually you reminded me. I was in Koh Samui years ago waiting for a relative to recover in an international hospital. The admin office was right next to the emergency and just outside they kept the death book, a record of all the dead folks ambulances brought in. It’s a legal requirement, and yet oddly it was in English. Amazing reading. I’d say 50% were Thais from Bangkok that had drowned on the beaches, 20% were foreigners in motorcycle accidents and the other 30% a mish mash of ordinary heart attacks and other traffic accidents, and so on. Both the drownings and motorcycle accidents were daily events!
HG
I got told off for getting out from the side of the pool and not using the steps. I have worked as a pool lifeguard for years and never heard of such a silly rule. I wonder in Taiwan whether swimming might be considered too dangerous? I’ll be sure to wear my helmet and knee pads next time I go swimming, just in case.
Some kid got sucked into the drain of a pool in Taipei a few years back. So, don’t go underwater either.
And whats the thing about requiring ‘spandex’ trunks?
I don’t do spandex…unh uhhh…not for viewing.
I brought my son a fine pair of Nautica swim trunks from the USA for him to wear. Nice trunks.
He takes them to ‘swimming day’ at his elementary school and the dip wad teacher tell him he can’t wear them. “They might come loose and make you drown”…I swear thats what he told me the teacher said.
Ignorant dirt monkeys.
[quote=“TainanCowboy”]I brought my son a fine pair of Nautica swim trunks from the USA for him to wear. Nice trunks.
He takes them to ‘swimming day’ at his elementary school and the dip wad teacher tell him he can’t wear them. “They might come loose and make you drown”…I swear thats what he told me the teacher said.
quote]
With the Taiwanese, maybe they do drown - you know - death by trunks (no doubt with help of the ghost that drags you into the 4ft deeps of the swimming pool.
At the risk of playing devil’s advocate here, but there are quite some treacherous currents out there. Certainly, being so afraid of drowning you do not learn to swim is no help, nor are the superstitions associated with water ghosts, but for instance, just yesterday they were showing a group of overseas students -some furriners too- at the beach. According to the news, three of them understimated the danger and were dragged into sea. They showed how the EMTs were trying to revive one of the victims, and as far as I could tell, they were not successful.
I’ll say it again, the undertow off the north coast in particular is very very strong. It’s snot a joke. And for people used to playing and splashing in the water, it can be and is deadly.
True, and that is why water safety is even more important. I’m not advocating that anyone throws caution to the wind when in the ocean. but on the other hand, it doesn’t mean that you turn your back to a danger, and try to pretend it’s not there. I find that it’s something Chinese people do. Motocycles? Dangerous. Let’s ban them. Water? Let’s stay away. Sometimes being too safe, too conservative means living in a bubble is what I see. Maybe that’s why there are no great Chinese explorers (zheng he wasn’t ethnically Chinese and even so he was the exception). They’re all too busy indoors with AC playing DS.
PS. although I’m sounding negative, I just want to see more Chinese kids grow up with less fear that this kind of society instills in them. Break that barrier. Move on. Live.
I checked some annual statistic data of the causes of death from DOH website. During 1980 to1995, the average drowning accidents in Taiwan is more than 1000, and the highest one is 1665. Since 1996, the number dropped to 1000 and the numbers drowning accidents in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 respectively are 629, 616, 570, 517 and 468.
To Interpret statistics is tricky. People can interpret it with a) The Taiwanese are quitting swimming and avoiding any water activities. They stay at home so they don’t get drowned. b) The dropping of drowning accidents indicates the swimming safety education and swimming ability enhancementprograms in schools are getting their positive results.
But I am more amused by other data and figures that compare with other countries. The suicide rate and numbers of vehicle accidents are dammed much higher than other countries.
I’d be happy if we didn’t have to wear those damn swim caps. Makes me look like a chipmunk. A bald chipmunk.
The best one is that they make bald people wear them too…
The beach i used to go to in wanli was not a public beach but i nearly drowned there one time when caught by high waves and undertow. And that was right after I got my Red Cross LIfe Guard certificate (yes I should have known better) and shouldnt have been body surfing in those conditions. It took me over forty minutes to get back by swimming sideways out of the rip current.
I honestly thought that that was it , I had been pulled over a mile to sea.
After that? I have a VERY healthy respect for the sea. And yes, Taiwan’s beaches can be very notorious and dangerous. it IS no joke.
Later at that same beach (which regularly claims several lives every summer) I rescued a girl who had drifted out on her innertube. She was not in immediate danger but I felt she was only 30 feet away and I could get her back. And we both had the inner tube to float with. So I made a calculated estimate and I was able to get her and myself back safely.
But the oceans here are no joke. Horrible rip conditions exist or could occur very fast.
Still , all taiwan schools should have pools and everyone should become a competent swimmer. Still have to avoid the whirlpools in streams and watch out at the beach but at least being able to swim well gives you a chance.
i cant believe they would ask a bald guy to wear those stupid caps too at a pool?? I hated those caps, but they did reduce the number of hair in the pool. Many a times iv come across some long strands of hair (was never bothered by them really).
Was at Baishawan last Sunday with a group of friends. Lovely hot sunny day. What do you do? Swim in the sea, of course. Out come the life guards, driving beach buggies like maniacs, blowing whistles super loud. A friend swims about 10 meters into the ocean. Baywatch tai ker thug wants to kick him out. Next thing, the wanna be Hasselhoff paddles into the water on his little boat, getting more aggressive, prodding my friend with his paddle violently. My mate is just having a swim. Ok, we could say WTF, get out of the sea, but… do these thugs own the ocean?