It seems I'm a minority of one on MJW. In the 80s I hated him because of his proximity to Lisa Bonet. I warmed up to him once Malcolm & Eddie came on, I reminded myself how stupid I had been as a teenager.
To my brothers, if you don't want to learn how to swim, fine. But make sure your kids learn. The water IS dangerous - you can actually drown in a bathtub. A couple weeks of classes, a summer doing lifeguard work, and they'll be comfortable in the water. Just two or three weeks ago, there was a guy whose daughter fell off a cruise ship and he jumped in, swam several hundred yards and treaded water until the lifeboats reached them.
Lastly: store this away in the back of your head, so that if it ever happens to you, it will flash over your memory should you find yourself in this situation. If the tide - and not just a auper strong "rip tide" - gets you, RELAX, and let it take you out until it weakens. IT ALWAYS WEAKENS. When that happens, kick out of it parallel to the beach, then swim back in. In other words, it's strongest at the beach and gradually weakens. Just do not panic. I spent part of my childhood in the Caribbean and part in New York and New Jersey - particularly on the Jersey shore and survived a couple incidents. LIfeguarding taught me a lot. Health issues mean swimming would be difficult now, but I know how to float.