I’ve spent a lot of my life in the water as a competitive swimmer and water polo player, but I rarely stopped to think about why we swim in the first place.
For thousands of years, humans have entered the water to survive, travel, find food, compete, and simply enjoy the feeling of being weightless. From ancient swimming figures painted on the walls of a cave in the Sahara to the remarkable diving traditions of the Bajau people, our relationship with water has taken many different forms.
This video explores the history of swimming, how we learned to move through an environment we weren’t naturally adapted to, and why so many of us continue to find peace and enjoyment in the water.
I also want to acknowledge Bonnie Tsui’s book Why We Swim, which helped inspire my curiosity about this subject. Her exploration of our relationship with water encouraged me to think about swimming beyond competition and exercise.
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