Fun Swimming Facts

Water safety course

Did You Know?

  • An hour of vigorous swimming will burn up to 650 calories. It burns off more calories than walking or biking.
  • Swimming is a great cardiovascular exercise because you are moving against the water’s resistance, which is over ten times that of the air.
  • Over 50% of world-class swimmers suffer from shoulder pain.
  • Elephants can swim up to 20 miles a day using their trunks like a snorkel… How cool is that!
  • The oldest form of swimming stroke is breaststroke, we know this because ancient drawings and paintings have been found in Egypt depicting people swimming dating back to 2500 BC.
  • Swim Finns were invented by Benjamin Franklin
  • Swimming was introduced into the Olympics 1896 Men only until 1912 when finally women were included

How – What – Where

Q Where was the highest dive from a diving board performed?
A: Lazaro Schaller dived 58.8metres in Switzerland Maggia on the 4th August 2015

Q How did the Bikini get its name?
A: The bikini swimsuit was named after a U.S. nuclear testing site in the South Pacific called Bikini Atoll.

Q Where is the world’s Biggest Pool?
A: The world’s biggest pool is in the San Alfonso del Mar Resort in Chile. It is over 480 meters long and took almost 5 years to build.