Exactly it isn't physical strength. A strong swimmer is someone who removes "drowning" from the list of options as long as they remain conscious. This is a crit

Exactly it isn't physical strength. A strong swimmer is someone who removes "drowning" from the list of options as long as they remain conscious. This is a critical point when boating - friends have asked why I always wear a lifejacket when on a small boat; as a strong swimmer surely I have no need of one. In a boating accident the "conscious" part isn't guaranteed. Get hit by the boom and go overboard and you are going to need that lifejacket.