Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Do alligators keep kids from learning how to swim?

During the Battle San Jacinto, Mexican President Santa Anna fled from the fight on a good horse. If he had reached the main elements of the Mexican Army not far away that army would probably have far outnumbered and scattered the Texian force. San Jacinto would have been a meaningless victory.

Instead when he came across the bridge Sam Houston had Deaf Smith burn, Santa Anna was in a fix. Apparently one of the richest guys in Mexico had never learned how to swim. He was obliged to dismount and hide, cobbling together a raft of driftwood overnight.

He was captured while on foot the next day. Santa Anna was from Veracruz on the East Coast of Mexico, alligator AND crocodile country back then.

So, the question is, if you lived around alligators as a kid, did you go swimming like kids did most everywhere else?

I didn't. But my cousins did. And we always swam there.

More issues with snakes than Gators.

-Jake

Have you ever thought about how many Adam Sandler movies have an alligator in them?

I grew up around them, and never thought twice about going in the water day or night. In my teens, I'd go about waist deep wade fishing for bass during the full moon. It was nothing to have 3 or 4 gators following me.

Only the slow ones.

Didn't move to deep south until 18 years old - so no..

How many gators are there around San Antonio ? South texas ?
Pondered that before .

Lots of Mexicans can’t swim.

Same for black Americans.

No idea why.

Grew up swimming in rural Florida. Gators everywhere. Not an issue. Pretty stupid question, if you ask me.

Well,....you answered it.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.te...gators-and-the-butcher-of-elmendorf/amp/

We always heard this story as kids. Dad was from just south of SA

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Ball

Not really....we live in alligator country here in SW GA. Matter of fact, they are in my pond behind the house. Kids may not like to swim, but they do learn how to walk on water occasionally.

It's the first post he's seen in 8 months.

Everything else is on ignore.

Yes. Had enough sense to look first.

If you need to shoo gators out of the swimming hole have a pet otter.

You're welcome.

And the angels sing while they do.

LMAO.

Not in ponds or canals

Growing up, fishing, wading and tromping around them for 50 years, gators have never really bothered me.

Moccassins, on the other hand, are a pain in the ass sometimes..

Country kids learn to live with the local wildlife. City kids don't. I'd guess that that majority of kids are scared of lots of things.

Yeah, I hate those nasty basturds.

I learned to swim the summer I turned 3, my kids learned much later at 5-6. The adults would keep an eye on the young swimmers from the beach for a year or two.

Do swamp people parents let their kids swim alone at that age?