Finswimming

Finswimming is an underwater swimming sport where athletes race against each other with the use of floating and breathing equipment like masks, fins, snorkels and a scuba diving set.

Finswimming competitions are conducted in both swimming pools and open waters. Competitions in swimming pools feature short-distance races, while long-distance races are conducted in open waters.

Immersion swimming

Four techniques are used for finswimming, and races are conducted separately for all techniques. The techniques are:

• Surface swimming: Swimmers use a mask, snorkel and monofins, and must always remain at the surface of the water. Individual races for 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1500 meters and relay races for 4 × 100 and 4 × 200 meter are held for this technique.
• Bi-fins swimming: Swimmers use a mask, snorkel and a pair of fins, and swim at the surface of the water. Races for 50, 100, and 200 meters are conducted in a swimming pool, and long-distance races of 4km or 6km are conducted in open waters.

• Apnoea finswimming: Swimmers use a mask and monofin and swim underwater holding their breath. Only 50m races are conducted for this technique. All races are conducted only in a swimming pool.
• Immersion swimming: Swimmers use a mask and monofin and swim underwater using breathing apparatus. Races are conducted for 100m and 400m using this technique, only in a swimming pool.

World Championship (held annually), World Cup (held annually), Continental Championships (held every two years) and the World Games are the most popular competitions where finswimming events are conducted.

Finswimming at the World Games

Finswimming and freediving were the two major disciplines at the 2025 Chengdu World Games. Finswimming was first featured at the 1981 Santa Clara World Games.

It was also featured at the 1985 London World Games, the 1989 Karlsruhe World Games, the 1993 The Hague World Games, the 1997 Lahti World Games, the 2001 Akita World Games, the 2005 Dulsburg World Games, the 2009 Kaohsiung World Games, the 2013 Cali World Games, the 2017 Wroclaw World Games, and the 2022 Birmingham World Games.

The 2025 Chengdu World Games featured three sport disciplines in the "Underwater Sports" category - Finswimming, Freediving, and Freediving for Athletes with Impairments. Here are the medalists who won gold at the Finswimming event: