I'm not PADI, but I imagine the same logic went into my agency's swim/float tests as originally went into PADI's. Basically, if you're going to be around water (which is rather a given in scuba), we want to be sure you won't drown if you happen to fall in.
If you fall in from a dock, anchored boat, or other stationary location, you're going to need to be able to swim to an exit point (the ladder, the quarry stairs, the boat ramp,
et cetera), so we ask you to show that you can swim a certain distance without gear. As far as I know, other than PADI's snorkel option, everyone else requires you to do this without gear. That seems only logical, as if you slip and fall in, it probably won't be while you're walking around wearing all your snorkel gear. :biggrin: You don't have to be fast; you just have to be able to make it over to the exit without drowning.
If, on the other hand, you're walking to the water cooler on your ride out to the dive site when your boat suddenly moves under you, tipping you overboard, it's also important to be able to stay on the surface and not drown while you wait for the boat to make a quick turn and come back to pick you up. You don't have to stay perfectly still in the water, but you have to be able to stay on the surface until the boat's back for you (which should certainly be less than ten minutes). Since you're not likely to be wearing a flotation device the *entire* time you're on the deck, it's important to be able to keep yourself from drowning for a few minutes with no aids.
I certainly agree with offthewall1 that these are *not* scuba skills. They tend to have very little relevance to your performance as a scuba diver. I *absolutely* and *unequivocally*
disagree with offthewall1's pronouncement that these are worthless tests that should be eliminated. While they have precious little to do with your underwater time, they plainly show your instructor that you should not drown should you happen to have a clumsy moment.
Regarding the original post, as long as there's some method you have of staying on the surface for the required time and the required distance in the swim tests, no worries. The swims aren't like the Instructor-level watermanship skills (which are there to show that a prospective instructor has sufficient strength and stamina for the agency to allow them to care for divers and students under their charge); they're there to show that we're not unduly endangering you by allowing you to be near the wet stuff.