Swimming

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 Caribbean dived underwater to find treasure from shipwrecks or caverns. Connor's grandfather, the pirate Edward Kenway, had a equipped on his ship, the Jackdaw, which allowed him to dive for extended periods of time as he could place his head in the diving bell whenever he needed to take a breath.

Edward was adept at "freeswimming", pushing himself from objects to boost his speed. When swept into a current he would maneuver himself to dodge obstacles. While underwater, Edward was completely unarmed and had 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

 * Civilians, guards and other nonplayable characters would instantly drown in water. Apprentices would disappear but not be killed.
 * Swimming in the Assassin's Creed series typically consists of s, while fast swimming uses the.