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I was a lifeguard and swim instructor for many years during high school and college, and taught many people, young and old, black and white.

Black people are just as capable of swimming as anyone else, there are just a few barriers and challenges to overcome.

First and foremost, black children typically did not and perhaps still do not have such a subcutaneous fat layer, that aids in buoyancy. Fat people in general find it much easier to float, and those with very low body fat tend to sink several feet below the surface before buoyancy is reached. This causes difficulty with a panic reaction among those who do not know how to either swim or float.

This is overcome with gentle, slow exercises, to teach how to deal with water. Inhaling above water, then slowly exhaling and relaxing the body introduces that buoyancy point, wherever it may be for any particular individual. This progresses to the”jellyfish float” or survival float as it's better known. Knowing that you're not going to sink link a rock is reassuring enough to progress further, for every learning swimmer. Black people in general are not quite as buoyant due to lower overall body fat percentages as a group. Please keep in mind that there are always exceptions to any generality.

Secondly, flexor muscle response, that aids so greatly in other athletic pursuits such as running and basketball, can be counterproductive when swimming, which rewards a more deliberate, smooth flow of motion. This comes more naturally to some, while others need to learn it. Rapid kicking and thrashing is not rewarded in the water, the turbulence and lack of directed motion actually makes flotation more difficult.

There are occasional cultural issues as well, with getting ones face and hair wet. This too can be overcome with patience and effort.

There are occasional cultural issues as well, with getting ones face and hair wet.

I never thought of that. Black people don't shower and shampoo as often as white people because they don't HAVE to. Black African skin doesn't excrete as much oil as White European skin. If Black people shower and shampoo as often as White people do their skin dries out and gets itchy. We had a young Black woman living in our home for a while and this is what she told us. (And yes, she was meticulously clean.)

Anyway, it makes sense that if a person doesn't have to stick his head under water every day like I do he might not be as comfortable with water on his face.