Swimming is an activity that involves movement through water by a human being or an animal using their limbs to propel. It is natural for sea animals but humans learn it as a skill that starts with knowing how to float on water usually by use of floatation devices. The swimmer lies horizontally in water and kicks with both his arms and feet without bending the knees. It is also possible to swim by moving only the legs without the arms or only the arms without the legs, which may be used for exercise, training or other special purposes. To sea animals, it is a way of locomotion while humans do it for purposes of bathing, recreation, exercise, sport and fishing.
Some activities involved in recreational swimming are; playing, wading, paddling and splashing in water, by either kids or adults. It is done usually in pools, beaches, water parks, lakes and oceans and is rampant during summer, where throngs of people visit beaches and pools for a cool refreshing bath. It is important to note that dams are risky because one can get stuck at the muddy floor of the dam. Swimming as an exercise is aerobic and helps burn down a lot of fat in the body, increases muscle strength and reduces chances of heart conditions. As a sport, participants compete over a certain distance in various styles and the fastest swimmers under self propulsion win. In the Olympic Games for instance, different distances ranging from 50m-1500m are swum in various levels & categories and the participants are ranked according to their finishing time. Swimming is among the world’s most popular exercise activities and several schools and colleges have competitive teams and clubs.
Swimming can be used for purposes of rescuing a drowning individual, but this should be done by an emergency rescuer or lifeguard. Military personnel swim to save life, gather information, approach a location or depart from a location e.g. exiting from a submarine. Some fishermen also swim in water bodies to hunt for fish using spears or guns in some countries. In addition, scientists swim to study sea animals and plants.
There are various swimming styles for both recreational and sport swimmers. The four major styles for competitive swimmers are breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly, and freestyle. The breaststroke and butterfly are more difficult than the backstroke and crawl. Various accessories and swimming gear are used to aid human movement in water and they include swim suits, swim caps, swim fins, pull buoys, ear plugs and nose clips, swim floats and boards.
Swimming has its hazards, the most common being drowning. Drowning is caused by exhaustion, hypoxia or hyperventilation. Panic can also lead to sinking and drowning, when an inexperienced swimmer becomes overwhelmed mentally by the new environment. Water bodies with aquatic life also present hazards such as stings, puncture wounds, electrocution or mild shock from eels, bites from fish, sea snakes and certain species of octopus. In addition, dehydration is may also occur when one is swimming in salty water, as it absorbs water from the body leading to death.
It is not advisable for beginners to swim in deep waters. Ideally, people who are new to this recreational activity should swim in pools with water levels less than four feet. Swimming in dams, lakes, rivers and other natural water bodies is not recommended. This is because they pose a higher risk of drowning. People should only swim in pools where rescue personnel and equipment are available.
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