Read the other GOM thread for why swimming is a good skill to have. When the one engine you have quits, you're going to have to swim, at least until you get the raft deployed and get your body into it. That said, I've been flying since 1968, and so far I have not had an engine fail me, in any type. The only swimming I've done has been in well-maintained pools.
There are a number of 120s, 350s, and other types flying in the GOM, not just 206s.