Some people wish they can be invisible, some want to fly, and others love the freedom that they can have within the waters. If you are one of the people who can't get out of the pool, you might want to read these weird and fun facts about swimming! Whether you want to learn about its history, swimmers, world records, or how your body works in waters, you'll enjoy reading these facts! So get ready. 

Here are the top 10 intriguing and strange facts about swimming you should know: 

 

#1 Free divers are good at holding their breath longer

Let's be honest, can you hold your breath long under the water? Or do you immediately panic after holding your breath for 30 seconds as most people do? If you had proper training before and are still in good health, most likely you'll be able to hang on for at least 2 minutes. However, when it comes to freedivers, that's just a piece of cake! Freedivers usually can hold their breath for more than 10 minutes. If you don't know who Stig Severinsen is, he currently holds the world record for holding his breath for 22 minutes. 

 

#2 Swimming is the best workout for injury-prone people 

Swimming is actually beneficial for delicate people who are looking for a great workout. Swimming is known to be the ideal low-impact workout which is perfect for people who have injuries, pregnant, and for those who have age or physical limitations. As a matter of fact, water jogging and water yoga became a trend and is still popular for years for people who experience joint pain. The sport is also helpful for people who are going through rehabilitation or physical therapy. So if you belong to the group of delicate people, it's time to grab your best custom swim cap and enrol yourself in swim classes! 

 

#3 Swimmers have the most flexible toes in the world 

When performing a swim, it's important to have the right foot and ankle flexion. This is the reason why swimmers practice hard on improving their toe-point. The next time you're with a swimmer, ask him to stretch their legs and you'll see how they can point their toes entirely down to the ground. 

 

#4 You still sweat underwater! 

When it comes to being underwater, we all have these questions that we ask ourselves. You might be curious if you sweat underwater, well you do. Sweating is a normal biological function of our body in order to cool itself. Swimmers during intense workouts will have the body perspire even if they are underwater. But we can't really notice and even swimmers themselves since the water just wash the sweat off. 

 

#5 The youngest professional swimmer was a 10-year-old girl 

A little girl from Bahrain named Alzain Tareq became the youngest competitive swimmer globally to ever debut in a world championship. She was able to compete against swimmers who are older than her for the 50 butterfly, which she finished in 41.13 seconds. Yes, it's crazy! Take note that the swimmers she competed with were twice her age. 

In fact, kids are able to learn how to swim as soon as they reach two months of age. Moreover, the majority of drowning incidents happen to children, so it would be an advantage to teach them how to swim at an early age to lessen the risk. According to facts.net, the risks of drowning were reduced by 88% in 2009 when children in ages of 1-4 took swimming classes in the U.S.

If there is a sport that you can teach your children, swimming is very ideal. It can teach them discipline, give them health benefits, and reduce the risk of drowning. 

 

#6 The oldest swimmer in the world is 100 years old 

Another world record was set in 2015 by Mieko Nagaoka as the world's oldest swimmer who is 90 years older than Tareq who lives in Japan. Mieko is the first centenarian who was able to finish the 1500-metre freestyle swim. 

Who says you're too old for the pool, right? 

 

#7 Yes! Some people will poop in open water 

We know that you are curious about this, well it happens to open water swimmers. Open swimmers may have no choice but to poop while in the water if it's needed. Although we have no actual number of swimmers who do it in the water because it's difficult to determine! No one likes to be honest if they do drop a deuce in the water, it's totally understandable. The secret is safe with us! 

 

#8 Over 200 kilometres is the longest distance swam in the open sea 

A man from Croatia named Veljko Rogošić, swam 225 km (139.8 miles) without even the use of flippers. He was able to travel from Grado to Riccione across the Adriatic Sea for 3 days during August 2006. In addition, the long journey had consumed 50 hours and 10 mins. That's great dedication right there! 

 

#9 Michael Phelps holds the most medals in Olympic history 

The famous American swimmer, Michael Phelps, that almost all of us know who won 23 gold, 3 silvers and 2 bronze Olympic medals together with 13 individual golds in his day. He was known for the 100m butterfly he did. During the 2008 Olympics, Phelps earned 7 world records and 1 Olympic record. A total of 39 world records has Phelps set. However, with all his glory and reputation, he retired after the 2016 Olympics. 

 

#10 Women were not to participate in the swimming Olympics before 

In 1908, swimming became an Olympic sport. However, women were not permitted to join the Olympics until 1912. Australian swimmer, Fanny Durack, was the first-ever woman to win a gold medal in the 100-yard freestyle competition in the same year.