By Terri Schlichenmeyer

One step, another, and a hop outward.

Somersault once, kick back, arms up, and knife cleanly through the surface of the water like a sword through cake. Not a drop out of place in that dive, hardly a splash. So why did you do it? According to author Bonnie Tsui’s 2020 book Why We Swim ($26.95, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill), there could be many reasons, including survival, healing, pleasure, competition, community, and exercise. 

If there’s one thing we know about summer, it’s that it can get hot. Like, melt-your-shoes, crispy-grass, sweat-’til-you’re-wet hot. And that’s when any body of water starts to look mighty tempting. But, Tsui writes, “We… are not natural born swimmers.” Throw us in the water and, without lessons, we flail.

Lessons aside, cave art discovered in 1933 shows that humans have been swimming for at least 10,000 years – and they probably learned how by watching those who figured it out before them. That likely happened in the “Green Sahara,” where there were once verdant meadows and cool pools.

Bottom line: we are land animals that are attracted to water, and not just to drink. Scientists call us “secondary” swimmers, although, in some cultures, it seems as though our fellow humans are half-fish. The Moken people of Southeast Asia can see underwater in ways that most of us can’t; many Bajau from the same area are born with spleens that allow them to stay underwater for minutes, rather than the seconds most of us can manage. Japanese ama (“sea women”) can freedive hundreds of times a day to forage and collect pearls, abalone, and seafood. Yes, even some Americans can swim with an endurance that may sound superhuman.

But it’s not, not really. For some people, it’s a matter of genetics and being blessed with a physical quirk that allows impressive feats in the water. For others, it’s a challenge, a lifesaver, an obsession, a hobby, or a pain to overcome. And for some, Tsui writes, it’s a matter of ensuring that humans “teach ourselves how to live with water, not how to keep it at bay.”

So, you say you’re landlocked. Not much more than a puddle in sight. And that’s okay: instead, dive into Why We Swim this summer for some cool refreshment.

Indeed, Tsui’s writing brings such strong images to mind – of water, of cold or heat, of the kicks and reaches that swimming requires – that you’ll almost hear the seagulls and want to reach for a towel. It will remind you of swim meets in high school, of skinny-dipping in the lake, and building sandcastles on the shore.

But it isn’t just that sense of beachiness that’s inside this book: Tsui weaves history, science, psychology, and interesting mini-bios of people who’ve astounded researchers, both accidentally and on purpose, with their prowess in the water. Tsui also includes personal stories to tie the book together. 

Whether you’re spending this summer by the pool or simply dreaming of a beach day, Why We Swim will make a nice splash. 

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