25 Fin-tastic Swim Facts You'll Love

By Karin Lehnardt, Senior Writer

Published October 6, 2025

Did you know that most people can hold their breath for only 30 seconds. Free divers can reach up to 10 minutes!_[4]
About 1, 850 swimmers make it to the Olympic trials. Of those, only 50 of them will make the Olympics swim team. With these odds, you are much more likely to win the lottery or to get struck by lightning._[8]
Swimmers sweat--even in the pool._[3]
Drowning is the world's third-leading cause of unintentional injury deaths._[9]
Drowning rates are highest among children between the ages of 1 and 4._[9]
A majority of the world's population, around 55%, cannot swim unassisted._[9]
Low-and middle-income countries account for almost all, over 90%, of unintentional drowning deaths. Most drownings take place in the Pacific and Southeast Asia regions._[9]
Only 1 in 3 women worldwide can swim._[9]

With a global female population of roughly 4 billion, around 2-2.4 billion women globally do not know how to swim

The world's youngest internationally competitive swimmer is only 10. In 2015, Alzain Tareq became the youngest swimmer in a World Championship._[9]
At 64 years old, Diane Nyad became the first person to swim the 103-mile trek from Cuba to Florida._[2]
Swimming burns almost 40% more calories than biking per hour._[7]

Swimming is not just a sport; it’s a way to escape, to breathe, to find peace in the chaos of life.

- Anonymous

Swimmers shave to reduce drag, to look better in a suit, and to feel the water and its pressure more._[14]
Swimming burns almost 30% more calories than running per hour._[7]
Breaststroke is the oldest swimming stroke and lifesaving favorite._[10]

Unlike other strokes, the breaststroke is the only stroke where the swimmer's head can remain above water the entire time without interrupting the rhythm

An estimated 65% of Americans don't know how to swim._[7]
The world's largest swimming pool is in San Alfanso del Mar, a private resort in Algarrobo, Chile. The saltwater pool is over 3, 280 feet long and covers nearly 871,200 square feet, which is over 15 football fields. It also holds over 250 million liters of filtered ocean water._[5]
The world's deepest pool is called "The Deepspot." Located in Poland, the pool is 148 feet (45 meters) deep and features tunnels, statues, and more._[13]
Benjamin Franklin invented swimming fins, and he wrote about the process in his essay titled "On the Art of Swimming." Because of his love of the sport, he was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1968._[1]

Suijutsu literally means "water skills"

Suieijutsu is the Japanese ancient art of combative swimming. It is one of the 18 martial arts that the samurai practice._[11]
In 2018, a group of swimmers in Dubai set a world record for pulling the heaviest boat. The swimmer's pulled the 782,795 pound boat for 200 meters._[6]
In ancient Greece and Rome, swimming was a part of elementary education for boys._[12]
Roman Gaius Maecenas built the first heated swimming pool in the 1st century B.C._[12]
During the Middle Ages, swimming very rare because it was thought that swimming spread infection and lead to epidemics._[12]
At least 236,000 people drown globally each year._[9]
The first swimming goggles were made of glass in the early 20th century._[12]