Tortoises and swimming

Question
Is it possible for tortoises to swim?.
I tried with my own pet tortoise but it sank like a stone and I had to rescue it.
My neighbour claims to have observed daily a tortoise swimming a river 80 metres wide in order to mate with another tortoise and then to return. To me this does not make sense and I would like to know if he is lying to me
thanks

Eric Taylor

Answer
Some do. Most don't- and sink like rocks. Of those that do, most float with maybe a little doggie paddling going on.

As far as your neighbor goes, I sorta doubt his story. Without knowing the species or situation:
- Few species mate daily or with the same female.
- Tortoise mating takes hours- it seems odd this guy would have that much free time.
- 80m=262ft. That is a LONG way to still be able to see something clearly- especially considering the small size of most tortoises.
- Finally, I don't know of any tortoise species that could swim against a current that far.