From where, when, and why the first humans braved the deeps to the therapeutic and communal benefits of swimming to the myriad psychological (and practical) reasons we land animals are drawn to the ocean/lake/pool, Why We Swim is an exhilarating exploration of our relationship with water. Filled with fascinating little gems—a story about a shipwrecked man who survived six hours in frozen seas thanks to his seal-like body fat, a modern-day group of sea nomads who have adapted extra-sharp underwater vision, a rumination about the "personalities" of various swimming strokes—this beautifully written celebration of the wonders of water will delight (even the most tentative of) swimmers.