zxcxzcv wrote:
Look, if you live on the coasts of Africa, you'll see plenty of people swimming in the ocean, while you're not going to see a lot of people swimming in crocodile, snake, and bilharzia-infested rivers and lakes in the interior. There are not a lot of pools outside the ex-pats houses.
True, and there is a huge difference between being able to swim (not drown) and swim an open water 1500 meters (Olympic Triathlon Distance ) in under 20 minutes. Swimming fast takes considerable training. Swimming straight and efficiently in open water with no lanes, people bumping and kicking you at the start, and potentially wind, current and waves makes it even more challenging.