Can swim but can not float!

Question
Dear George,

Please take the following discussion a bit easy.

I think the answer you have given is not based on any verified statistics but only your opinion or belief.

It is the beauty of nature and creation that such wonderful life species with such great capabilities are made.

I think we need to look seriously in to this matter (we will surely understand the beauty of nature). The equilibrium is so delicate that when the breath is in we float and when the breath is out we sink. To my observation in my swimming pool and of myself even bony people float extremely well and even fatty people take plenty of time adjusting to float.
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Followup To

Question -
Dear George,

My curiosity was to know whether there is a mistake in the very delivery of nature in creating certain humen with the disability of not being able to float, wheras by all other considerations they are able. A learned gentleman, a friend of mine, said to me that in the world there are 3% of human beings who can swim but can't float due to their heavier bone matter.
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Followup To

Question -
Lorena Kerr says:

" *floating: some people cannot float very well. Men are usually the victims of this. Contrary to popular opinion, however, the difference is not that men have less fat, but that its placed differently. Try a front float to determine whether you can float or not. Just go limp, face-down in the water (aka the dead-man's float). If part or all of your head and back are out of the water, you will be able to float on your back. If not, you are one of those people who simply cannot float. "

find this in the link http://experts.about.com/q/Swimming-Diving-1564/Floating-Swimming-Running-Liftin

Could you kindly explain how many such individuals exist in the world with this disability and due to what reasons?

venky


Answer -
Venky-
This is partially true. As personal experience, I can do the dead-mans float, as described, but can't float on my back.  I wouldn't call it a disability, I would call it an inability to float.  Most of the reason is that body fat thing you mentioned.  People with a low percentage of body fat have problems floating, mainly because body fat tends to be stored in the mid-section, which means the lower body is leaner(less fatty),which means the legs sink pulling the lower part of the abdomen down until an equilibrium is met.  A lean woman will have as much trouble floating as a lean man will.  Typically as a persons body fat increases, so does the location of the fat(down to upper legs/thighs) making it easier to float.
So, in disagreement to your previous answer, most of the ability to float does rely on body fat.  The reason kids tend to float easier is that they tend to have a layer of body fat(naturally) and they also weigh less than adults.
Hope this helps,
George

Answer -
I don't know the percentage of people who can't float, but I would almost guarantee it would be higher, simply because if you were to talk to most lean, muscular people they would probably not be able to float.  Someone with "heavier bone matter" or bone density might have  a tougher time floating, but if they also have a high body fat content they will be able to float.
Not being able to float isn't a disability, it is the way humans are made.  We are land animals, but as people in general get fatter, they find it easier to float and lean people are harder to find.
Hope this helps,
George

Answer
You're right nature is a delicate balance, but the main consideration is body fat percentages, sorry.  The air part is natural, air is lighter than water, therefore when you have air in your lungs you float better, when you breath out you tend to sink a little.  And yes my thoughts are actual, not just my own ideas.  They can be proven.