[quote=jdcavo;20218]Yes. In the past it was simply a school requirement, now it is part of STCW Basic Safety Training that is required to obtain the license and STCW certification.
On a related but irrelevant note, my wife had to learn to swim to graduate from Penn State. Apparently there was a rash of drownings in Pennsylvania farm ponds and the school’s charter asan agricultural school included a requirement that graduates be able to swim.[/quote]
I believe the STCW requirement is to swim while wearing a life jacket – not too high a bar really!