kind of. i was a competitive swimmer (including in college) and I just can't do the trainer. my dad was a very serious swimmer (more so than me) and he's recently turned to full time indoor riding after a bad accident on the bike last year and he's happy indoors. so maybe i don't qualify as a 'true lap swimmer' despite spending more than half my life doing just that.

i think it comes down to what you want out of the sport. i like the exploring and the freedom on the bike vs. just the workout. and climbing, because its like running.

edit: i realized i neglected the fact that you said 'correlation', not 'every swimmer can do the trainer'. and i'd actually probably agree that swimmers are more likely to be OK with the trainer, so perhaps ignore my counter argument.