Is it easier to swim with a life jacket on or not?  

thats all the life jacket is there to do help you float it wont help you swim itself. maybe if you feel a little more confident you can try just taking the jacket or some other floatation device and just simple keep it there to hold on to so you can still move freely and still have that as safety

Easier is to swim without a life jacket but safer. With the life jacket you can't swim that fast as without it. If you are a good swimmer, life jacket is needed only in extreme conditions. Otherwise, you will be faster without it. If your swimming skills aren't so good, be aware to wear a life's jacket.

Hello aiza! You're right, life jacket is only good for those people who doesn't know how to swim and who only wants to float longer at the deep part of the water. I didn't use a life jacket actually. I use "salbabida"

Life jackets will sure save you from deep water if you do not know how to swim. But truth is, no matter how bad swimmer you are, whether you can swim or not, you will float yourself in the salt water. How? Well first of all, don't PANIC! Normally people who can't swim panic and that's just not a good start, Try to calm down and paddle slowly, both your feet and hands. Anyway, your question, you can swim with life jacket but it makes you swim slowly. Real slow.. But at least you float, that's matter most.

Based on your experiences, you pretty much have your answer! A lifejacket is purely a buoyancy aid to keep us from sinking. They certainly haven't been designed with freedom of movement in mind! Next time you swim, you might want to try a wetsuit. (Like scuba divers and surfers use) This will not give you as much buoyancy as a lifejacket, but it will still give you more than if you swim without one. You can move far more easily too.

A life jacket will help you stay afloat, but it interferes with swimming. It's best to learn how to swim and to learn to be confident in the ocean. Snorkeling is awesome. The last time I went snorkeling it was in the Read Sea and it was marvelous. I don't use a life jacket because I've been swimming since I was 2 years old.