i've read some really conflicting information with what little research i've done, so i decided to find out for myself as to whether or not mine could, since he seems to enjoy water so much -- he seems to like his daily soak, and often gets in his water dish as well.
so this morning i filled his tupperware "bathtub" to about 4 inches or so deep (my tort's only about maybe 5 inches long), and, keeping my hand underneath him, i slowly lowered him into it. i quickly noticed that he's rather bouyant, much more than i'd've expected. i kept lowering my hand (and kept at the ready so i could grab him at the first sign of trouble), and he started to swim!
he's actually pretty good at it, i think! i'd *never* let him do it unattended, but he didn't seem overly stressed over the matter (he ate his salad and stuff as usual after his soak/swim), so i think i'll let him swim ocasionally for exercise. 
maybe i'll try and get a pic next time.
what are your experiences with torts who can (or can't) swim?
