Olympic qualified swimmer
I remember looking at the regs a few weeks ago for my wife who has aspirations of becoming an airborne waitress on our machine, and I think the regs required the cabin crew to be able to tow a passenger 10 meters. Most of the pilots I know would be on the point of an MI if they had to swim 10 meters in clothes towing a clothed pax!
My point being, not only do they have to swim, but they have to take care of the pax as well.
Hmmmm - so we have somebody not used to swimming, just survived a ditching IN THE OCEAN - where there are waves, now expected to make their own way to a raft and tow a pax?....... makes one think...................
If anybody who has done ditching training thinks a dunking in a pool approximates this they are insane. I happened to be on the beach when the Ethiopian 767 ditched in the Comores and was on the wreck trying to extricate people from warm calm waters....... almost ideal conditions, and that didn't work too well............