History Main / ForgotICouldntSwim

* In an old ''WesternAnimation/FantasticFour1967'' cartoon, when the Fantasticar is shot over the ocean, the Four manage to bail onto an island. Johnny Storm turns into the Human Torch to go recover the submerged car. Think that one through, since clearly he didn't.

* In an old ''WesternAnimation/FantasticFour'' cartoon, when the Fantasticar is shot over the ocean, the Four manage to bail onto an island. Johnny Storm turns into the Human Torch to go recover the submerged car. Think that one through, since clearly he didn't.

* RealLife Website/DarwinAwards example: [[http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2002-19.html This guy.]]

* Not so much 'forgot' as 'not wanting to lose face', but in ''Film/{{Jungle}}'', Kurt agrees to Kevin's suggestion of building a raft and travelling downriver. He even claims to be an expert rafter and insists on starring the raft. However, after their first encounter with rapids, Kevin deduces that Kurt cannot swim and is actually cannot swim. This leads to the argument where Kevin and Yossi decide to continue downriver and Kurt and Marcus decide to hike back to Apolo.

* Happens a few times to Bullwinkle in ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle''.

** In an episode where Dick Dastardly goes on vacation, he dives at a pool but, because of another attempt from his squad to catch the pigeon, we never get to learn if the trope would repeat or if he haq already learned by then.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', "[[CharlieAndTheChocolateParody Fry band the Slurm Factory]]":

Note that, name notwithstanding, the activity in question is not necessarily swimming, much like ForgotICouldFly. If they actually ''do'' swim very well in the attempt, the reminder that they can't is invoking the RemnderOfImpossibility, while questioning how they can swim so well can lead to CentipedesDilemma.

Note that, name notwithstanding, the activity in question is not necessarily swimming, much like ForgotICouldFly. If they actually ''do'' swim very well in the attempt, the reminder that they can't is invoking the CentipedesDilemma.

** Again, in the second OVA series, Tasuki is reminded that he couldn't swim after Chichiri reminds him, after he [[IntimateHealing revives Miaka]] from almost drowning.

* In an old ''WesternAnimation/FantasticFour'' cartoon, when the Fantasticar is shot over the ocean, the Four manage to bail onto an island. Johnny Storm turns into the Human Torch to go recover the submerged car. Think that one through, since clearly he didn't. Bizarrely, this is a ''dramatic'' variant of the trope's use, even though there's no real tension as to whether Johnny will be rescued. [[AnimationAgeGhetto Eh, what're ya gonna do?]]

* A rather painful version happens in the first ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory''. After seeing the moving van ramp nearly crush Woody, Buzz and RC Slinky Dog hastily decides to jump on the ramp himself attempting to pull them on board. Unfortunately, the batteries run out, dragging him 40 feet wide. It's a wonder how he ever returned to his exact shape.

* In ''Manga/SchoolRumble'', Tenma discovers that while she was absent, her three friends made a bet with some guys that they could win in a swimming race- the prize being dinner at Eri's favorite (expensive, high class) restaurant. When the race comes [[spoiler: it is discovered that not a single one of the girls has any idea how to swim]].
** Not quite this trope; [[spoiler: all of them assumed that the other two could swim and were counting on winning 2/3.]]

* In ''Film/SummerCampNightmare'', a 1980s adaptation of ''Literature/TheButterflyRevolution'', Donald Poulty, one of the campers of Camp North Pines, is told to come out of the water to be checked for a skin problem by the visiting nurse from Camp South Pines, only to be told that it was a heat rash. He quickly goes back into the water, only to find himself drowning when he realizes he couldn't swim. Franklin Reilly, one of the counselors-in-training watching the events going on at the lakeside, looks at the adult counselors being too busy with their own things to notice that somebody is drowning, then goes in and saves Donald by bringing him back to shore.

** It's a RunningGag that Luffy, the elastic main character who ate a Devil Fruit as a kid, falls into the ocean and begins to drown. (Truthfully, he couldn't even swim ''before'' he ate it.) In one episode where it happens, Chopper and Brook valiantly leap in to save him... ''But they're Devil Fruit users too.'' All three of them are then saved by one of the other crew members who're understandably pissed at their thoughtlessness.

** In a very similar joke, Ry#333;ga once dives into the pool to save a drowning Akane, completely forgetting that he'll turn into a small black pig in contact with the cold water. Ranma even lampshades this mid-dive.
** During the Pantyhose Tar#333; arc, this antagonist kidnaps Akane and takes her to a remote temple in the mountains, then leaves to confront Happ#333;sai. Akane escapes, comes across a river, and leaps in... only to splash and sputter her way back to shore. She even says "Oh no! I forgot I can't swim!" afterwards.

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* In ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'', Akane first establishes her SuperDrowningSkills with this gag, jumping into the ocean to save Ranma from Cologne's attack failing to remember that she is utterly helpless underwater.
** In a very similar joke, Ryouga once dives into the water to save a drowning Akane, completely forgetting that he'll turn into a small black pig in contact with the water. Ranma even lampshades this mid-dive.
** During the Pantyhose Taro arc, this antagonist kidnaps her and takes her to a remote temple in the mountains, then leaves to confront Happosai. Akane escapes, comes across a river, and leaps in... only to splash and sputter her way back to shore. She even says "Oh no! I forgot I can't swim!" afterwards.
* In ''SchoolRumble'', Tenma discovers that while she was absent, her three friends made a bet with some guys that they could win in a swimming race- the prize being dinner at Eri's favorite (expensive, high class) restaurant. When the race comes [[spoiler: it is discovered that not a single one of the girls has any idea how to swim]].

* ''Manga/OnePiece''.
** Anybody who eats a "Devil Fruit" gains some kind of fantastic power, such as an elastic body-- at the cost of gaining SuperDrowningSkills. Not only do they lose all buoyancy and sink like an anchor, should they fall in the water they become paralyzed as well. Since almost the entire cast of ''One Piece'' are pirates and live on the ocean, this is a pretty big deal; yet, they don't seem to get the "jumping in the sea" reflex out of their system ''nearly'' as fast as they ought.
** It's a RunningGag that Luffy, the elastic main character who ate a Devil Fruit as a kid, falls into the ocean and begins to drown. (Truthfully, he couldn't even swim ''before'' he ate it.) In one episode where it happened, Chopper and Brook valiantly leap in to save him... ''But they're Devil Fruit users too.'' All three of them are then saved by one of the other crew members who're understandably pissed at their thoughtlessness.

[[AC:ComicBooks]]
* In the MarvelUniverse, the ComicBook/{{Taskmaster}} can copy any ability he sees perfectly. When he was little, he used this to perfectly mimic a dive when he was unable to swim and almost drowned as a result.
* In a ''Franchise/StarWars'' one-shot comic, Boba Fett is hired to track down the man who killed a crime lord's son and kill him. Turns out, Boba Fett was the one who killed the boss's son, and the job was a setup to allow his other son to get revenge. After fighting against hordes of scrapyard droids, Fett douses the guy in oil and lights him on fire. Naturally, he runs screaming into a nearby pool to put himself out--remembering immediately afterwards that ''he can't swim''. As he watches him drown, Fett aptly remarks "No smarter than your brother."

* In a SpiderMan story, [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain the Gibbon and the Grizzly]] try to go straight and become good guys, and the Gibbon is actually able to fix up a CoolCar for them... But the Grizzly tries to drive it into the bay, thinking that the Gibbon had told him it was aquatic, which it is not. After they call a tow truck, the Gibbon says he had been ''thinking'' of making it aquatic, but it turned out to be too expensive. (Whether it was his fault for not explaining it more thoroughly or the Grizzly's for not listening isn't exactly clear.)

[[AC: FanWorks]]

* ''Fanfic/TheSecondTry'': In chapter 4 "Love", Asuka was swimming in a lake while Shinji was fishing. She tried to encourage him to go for a swim as well, but he said he couldn't swim. Suddenly, Asuka screamed that she was drowning, and Shinji got into the water unthinkingly. He paddled rather clumsily, but he managed to pull her out of the pond.

[[AC: Films]]
* Subverted in ''Film/TimeBandits'', when, after declaring as he struggles in the Atlantic after the Titanic sinks that he can't swim, Fidgit the Bandit discovers to his sudden delight when transported to the Time Of Legends that, for no adequately-explained reason, "Hey! I can swim!"

'''Ambrose:''' ''(out of character)'' Oh, right. ''(in character)'' Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
* A rather painful version happens in the first WesternAnimation/ToyStory. After seeing the moving van ramp nearly crush Woody, Buzz and RC Slinky Dog hastily decides to jump on the ramp himself attempting to pull them on board. Unfortunately, the batteries run out, dragging him 40 feet wide. It's a wonder how he ever returned to his exact shape.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

* ''Series/FamilyMatters'': The sixth-season episode "Sink or Swim," where Urkel's ability to pass physical education – and graduate from high school – rides on his ability to pass a simple swim test ... and (predictably) the nerd can't swim. But Carl can – and this naturally leads to plenty of comedy.

[[AC: Music]]

--> ''Cupid really made me stupid (Stupid so it must be him)''
--> ''I forgot I couldn't swim''
--> ''So I terrified my baby (Guess it wasn't very cool)''
--> ''Yes I made myself a fool (Lying to my baby)''
--> ''Someone should explain her maybe (Now the story is getting cruel)''
--> ''Why I drowned in the pool''

[[AC:{{Webcomics}}]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

* One of the many ridiculous plans to catch the pigeon in ''WesternAnimation/DastardlyAndMuttleyInTheirFlyingMachines'' was flying a ''diving board plane'' with Dick Dastardly on it, so when he was directly above the pigeon, he would dive, catch the pigeon and land on a plane carrying a huge tank of water. Before the squadron takes off, Dastardly remarks, "OK...but I still think we're forgetting something." Remarkably, Dastardly actually catches the pigeon, but suddenly says, "Uh oh! Now I remember! I CAN'T SWIM!", sinks beneath the water, lets go of the pigeon and once again begs for Muttley to rescue him.
** In an episode where Dick Dastardly went on vacation, he dove at a pool but, because of another attempt from his squad to catch the pigeon, we never got to learn if the trope would repeat or if he had already learned by then.

-->'''Freakazoid:''' "That was important and I forgot it!"
* Happens a few times to Bullwinkle in ''RockyAndBullwinkle''.
* [[{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}} Fry]] [[CharlieAndTheChocolateParody and the Slurm Factory]]:

* A ''Series/SesameStreet'' bit features the Ten Little Greeblies, who one by one meet tragic fates, including "Four Little Greeblies, Swimming in the Sea, One Forgot How! and then there were three..."

* This happens to {{Garfield}} in the animated special ''Garfield's Halloween Adventure''. (Of course, he and Odie were running from a mob of [[GhostPirate Ghost Pirates]], so it's hard to blame him.)
* In one WesternAnimation/PepeLePew cartoon, Pepe sees Penelope on a cruise boat and runs after it. As he sinks he calmly tells the audience, "Silly me, I forgot I cannot swim."

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'', Numbuh 4 dove at an aspargus sea to chase what he believed to be a cheeseburger and then he remembered he couldn't swim.

[[AC:RealLife]]

* RealLife example from nature: the highly endangered Kakapo. As Creator/DouglasAdams described it in his book ''Last Chance To See'' "not only has the Kakapo forgotten how to fly, it has forgotten that it has forgotten how to fly". Despite being completely flightless, they will throw themselves out of trees to try and escape danger. Combine this with a startlingly low reproductive rate[[note]]Here's one [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T1vfsHYiKY attempting to mate with a passing wildlife photographer,]] which may explain why[[/note]] and [[TooDumbToLive a fundamental inability to understand the concept of 'carnivore' as it applies to a flightless bird.]] Are you beginning to understand why the bird is highly endangered?
** Granted, the strategy actually works against the predators that it was used to: Aerial birds that use sight to spot prey, such as eagles. Land-bound predators that use smell, such as dogs and cats are an alien concept to it.

[[quoteright:196:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hqdefault_215.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:196:[[SonicTheHedgehog Sonic]], once again forgetting that being the fastest thing on land does not necessarily translate well to water.]]

[[caption-width-right:196:some caption text]]

* In ''[[Literature/RodAlbrightAlienAdventures Aliens Stole My Body]]'' by Bruce Coville, the main character has had his brain transferred into the body of an alien. He talks the alien whose body he is sharing into going for a swim, only to realize that's not a good idea when you breathe through your skin...

* In the MarvelUniverse, the {{Taskmaster}} can copy any ability he sees perfectly. When he was little, he used this to perfectly mimic a dive when he was unable to swim and almost drowned as a result.