Red Cross survey finds half of Americans can't swim well

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY (NBC) — A new poll from the American Red Cross finds that while a majority of people feel confident they can swim, only half of those surveyed have the skill set necessary to get out of a body of water if they find themselves in over their head.

Connie Harvey is a water safety expert with the American Red Cross. She says adults should be able to be able to float or tread water for about a minute, then swim 25 yards to get out of the water.

"Most people have not quite the swimming ability that they think they might have," Harvey adds.

Parents said just about four in ten kids have those skills, though more than 90 percent will be in the water at some point this summer.

While most associate swim lessons with kids, adult classes are also available. You can visit RedCross.org/take-a-class to find one close to you.