which do you prefer to swim: in a swimming pool or beach  

I don't know the swimming. But will prefer to go to beach (not for swimming) for enjoying.

i really never learned how to swim.but i do love enjoying bonding moments with friends at resorts,which most of the time,swimming pool area.we love games especially throwing big ball inside the pool is so much fun,we also do that with our relatives.or sometimes playing tag in the pool.so much fun!
but i've also experienced swimming at the beach.i can say you can easily burn up in the beach rather than the pool area.i also love beach because of its environment.sands that stick to you whenever you run,sit and just play with it.
i can say it's very much exciting when it comes too beaches,not like swimming pool.too much chlorine in pool is i think will have bad effect on you.
in beach,its a natural thing for it to be salty.as you've said waves are the wonderful thing in a beach.though now,there were also resorts that provide waves to their pools.
recently,my sister and her friends go tripping at the beach located at zambales here in the philippines.they really enjoyed the environment there.they go night swimming and hop to an island just near the resort.they ride a boat to get to the island.i haven't took a ride on a boat,imagine how deep it is.really scares me but i think even if i'm scared,i'll also be excited when i experience it.my sister really is nervous that time they're in a boat,and she's the one seated in front.you can see the boat where is coming.the waves of the water,the island is so nice!they also do organize games were they played and it's really fun playing in the sand.they have different types of games which they enjoyed.they put blankets on sands in slept there for a night.i can say,it's really a wonderful experience.they also enjoyed watching sunsets and to witness the rainbow is such a lovely experience!oh,they also massaged each other before going to sleep!
so,it's really exciting when it comes to beach rather than swimming pools.
sadly,we have not enough money to travel to go to the beach,we really do want our family to enjoy the beach again!hopefully!

For me it would be the beach, specially the waves and the sand.

I'd feel safer if it were in the pool. There are boundaries that limit the person from going beyond the height he/she could go. Most especially now that the City I'm in have an ordinance limiting the pool creators 5 feet as the deepest.

I think I'd probably prefer deeper because I know how to swim, but still with these uncertainties, I'd prefer the pool.

I would always prefer going to the beach instead of a swimming pool. It is a more natural experience. You can be one with the ocean. In a swimming pool, you are just one with concrete walls and the smell of chlorine. The beach is definitely more soothing to the spirit as well.

It depends. If it's just swimming, I'd rather go to a pool. I don't particularly enjoy getting sand out of my clothes and having sand stuck all over me and my hair when I go to the beach. But If I had something to do in the beach like go surfing, then I would most definitely go to the beach!

The beach is a two-hour drive away from us, and you would have to spend a full day to enjoy it. There's a local pool just a few minutes where we live, so we go there often. I like pools because I can open my eyes underwater without hurting them. Also, when I accidentaly get some water in my mouth or eyes, it's not salty and it doesn't hurt as much. Pools can also make me feel safer because there's no animal somewhere and you just have to stay away from the deeper end if you don't know how to swim.

Beaches, for me, are really fun except when just a few steps from the shore you're already near the deep end. It's scary. Or when there are creatures lurking under the sand, or when the beach is just dirty and rocky. The waves can also be scary and sometimes there are garbage washed ashore. It's fun to play in the sand though and watch fishes swim and maybe feed them.

I love swimming in the ocean the best because it is so alive. We have two coasts where I live...one has larger waves than the other. I've always enjoyed swimming around the area where the waves are developing and either riding them as they rise and fall or diving through them if they're about to break on my head. I think the ocean smells better than a swimming pool, too.

I like both; swimming is a summertime passion of mine, one I'll never give up. Sometimes when I go to the beach, I don't go in the water unless its really really hot out & the water's warm enough. I'm in the pool from at least late May-early June to September. :-)

I like to swim in both swimming pool and white sand beach.