No, I would not take an 11-year-old who can't swim swimming in the ocean. Even good swimmers can drown in the ocean.

The only exception I would make is if he's willing to wear a life vest of some sort like young kids who are not strong swimmers.

People all over the world who can't swim go to the beach. They also drown. My opinion is that people who do not swim and who do not spend any time in or around water have absolutely no idea how dangerous it can be. Talk to some beach lifeguards, look at the drowning statistics and then make your decision.

That being said, it would depend on the beach. Beaches in Florida with little to no surf that are shallow are a much different animal than the beaches in the Outer Banks.

Do you think he'll enjoy the beach if he can't swim, OP? Maybe another kind of trip would be better? But as long as you and DH are with him and keeping an eye on him, he should be safe. I just wonder how enjoyable it will be. Poor kid - maybe private lessons will help him get over the hump?

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I agree swimming is a life skill. I was swimming for years already by that age. He has taken multiple swimming lessons and is taking them again now but JUST.CAN'T.SWIM. He sinks like a rock. His body is extraordinarily dense or something and he is not particularly athletic or coordinated. He's also afraid to relax enough to float. I'm really concerned for his safety.

OP again. He can't even tread water.

OP here. I agree swimming is a life skill. I was swimming for years already by that age. He has taken multiple swimming lessons and is taking them again now but JUST.CAN'T.SWIM. He sinks like a rock. His body is extraordinarily dense or something and he is not particularly athletic or coordinated. He's also afraid to relax enough to float. I'm really concerned for his safety.

Following the tangent: I would agree on the private lessons -- my 8 year old daughter can swim, but hadn't ever learned strokes (and g-f she take direction from Mom or Dad who grew up swimming every day). She had one 30 minute private at Sea Colony this past summer and now at least knows the mechanics of both freestyle and backstroke. Get him a couple of lessons -- this is going to be an issue as he gets older, and better for him to learn now while he's not super embarrassed about it.

Any 11 year old should be able to swim. Unless there's a special need involved that forbids it it's really about time the child learned how to swim!
That aside, yes I'd take a non-swimmer to the beach. They would never leave my sight and if they go into the water I'd be right there, standing at the shore line, ready to hop in if needed. That's all.

Its a really important safety skill to learn how to swim. You can control things now but soon he'll be invited to pool parties and beach trips and you won't be there. Get him lessons ASAP. YMCAs have inexpensive lessons.

OP, my 11 year old twins are both excellent swimmers, swim competitively on teams, but I am still a bit anxious when we are at the beach because of rip currents/tides. Even good swimmers can get caught in rip currents bad drown. So I always caution them about going out too far in the ocean. Also, there was a story recently about a teenager who was swimming in the ocean and dove for a wave in an area of ocean that was shallow. He thought it was deep. Just take precautions and they should be fine.

I want to just echo 23:43 re swim lessons but I'm not trying to take this on a tangent. I just want to say that my 9 and 11 y.o. did not know how to swim last Christmas.

I put them in semi-private swim lessons (just the two of them) for 1/2 hour every week for wow, it was about 10 lessons only (through the city of Arlington's program). I did this because we were going to the west coast and I wanted them to be in my home town's Jr. Lifeguard program and there is an entrance test in both the pool and in the ocean.

My kids passed the swim tests and have been swimming in the ocean five days a week now for 6 weeks.

I'm telling you this, OP, because it doesn't take much for kids this age to learn to swim. My kids were swimming, although a bit clumsily, after just a few (one--three) lessons. And their coach told me 1/2 hour is plenty; short lessons like that but over time is best (so they sleep on it and it gets into the part of the brain where it becomes automatic)

I did put them in swimming once when they were little kids and you know, they did not get it at all. Eleven is a great age for this! I want to reiterate that I went with semi-private or would go private with one kid--I think it made all the difference to have someone really watching your kid's technique.

You may already be back from the beach, OP, and if so, let us know how it went.

I'd rather the beach than a pool for a nonswimmer actually. It's easier to stay in shallow water or do other things like skimboarding, digging, collecting rocks . . .

No going in the water except the shoreline. Let him take swim classes. Important life skill.

Only a beach with a lifeguard, no big waves, steep drop offs or strong current. Only have him go up to his thighs and watch him as long as you can swim.

Of course I would. I'd ... not really take any safety precautions. By 11 a kid knows about undertow and not to go farther than about their knees.

Inability to swim will be coupled with healthy fear of water, so that will keep them safe.

Would you take your 11 year old to the beach if he couldn't swim? What kind of safety precautions would you take?