Swimming

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Ezio diving from the exploding Naval Cannon

Swimming is the skill of staying afloat, moving and diving in water. The Assassins could swim to sneak past guards or escape them.

History

Desmond Miles' ancestors Ezio Auditore da Firenze, Haytham Kenway and Ratonhnhaké:ton were capable swimmers, able to dive from great heights and hold their breath for several seconds. Ezio's apprentices in Rome were trained to swim, as their initiation ceremony required performing the Leap of Faith into the Tiber river. However, swimming was slower than freerunning, and it was preferrable to jump on whatever surface they could find.

Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad was capable of swimming, but a glitch in the Animus 1.28 would cause him to drown on contact with water, which was corrected in the Animus 2.0 when Desmond began to relive Ezio's memories. Desmond himself could swim, and used to wash in the creek after morning exercise on the Farm.

The pirates of the Golden Age of Piracy dived underwater to find treasure from Caribbean shipwrecks or caverns, after a large armada of Spain's trading vessels sank and scattered a vast amount of wealth to the seabed. Connor's grandfather, the pirate Edward Kenway, possessed a diving bell on his ship, the Jackdaw, which allowed him to dive for extended periods of time, since he could place his head in the apparatus whenever he needed to take a breath.

Edward was adept at underwater swimming, pushing himself from objects and outcroppings to boost his speed. When swept into a current, Edward would position himself to dodge obstacles. However, in order to increase his maneuverability, Edward was completely unarmed and was forced to dodge or use his fists against animals like sharks.

Aveline de Grandpré, a member of the French Colonial Assassins from New Orleans, was a capable diver. She swam through the flooded caverns beneath Chichen Itza to find the Prophecy Disk, and could hold her breath for under a minute.

Trivia

• Before Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, civilians, guards and other nonplayable characters would instantly drown in water, whereas Assassin apprentices would disappear but not be killed. In Black Flag, most of the nonplayable characters can swim.
• Swimming in the Assassin's Creed series typically consists of breaststrokes, while fast swimming uses the front crawl.

Gallery

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  Ezio swimming in Romagna
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  Ezio diving into a pond beneath the fortress in Masyaf
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  Edward using a diving bell
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  Edward searching for sunken treasure
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  Edward swimming with a shark
• Edward using a barrel of air
  Edward using a barrel of air
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  Edward encountering a shark while searching for sunken treasure
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  Edward swimming through a deep sea trench
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  Edward underwater
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  Aveline swimming through sea caves
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  Connor diving into a lake