Swimming is a sport in which most can participate from a very early age throughout their entire lives. It is a most basic, natural and efficient way of taking exercise. The national survey of involvement in sport and physical activity showed that swimming was second only to walking as the most popular form of physical and recreational activity. It is estimated that around 425,000 participate in swimming throughout the country. Among leisure and recreational activities, it is generally considered to be one of the best and most enjoyable forms of physical exercise for developing and maintaining high levels of physical fitness.