The idea of babies being able to swim independently underwater is centuries old. Children on the Pacific Islands have been doing it for generations, as observed by Captain Cook back in 1778. The phenomena has also been medically documented for many years. As early as 1939, Dr Myrtle McGraw published her pioneering study, 'Swimming Behaviour in the Human Infant' in the Journal of Pediatrics, where she filmed and studied 42 swimming babies.

Some of the main pioneer teachers were Virginia Hunt Newman of the USA and Claire Timmermans of Australia. These inspring educators taught both their own and many hundreds of other children to swim during the 1960s and '70s.   

In the UK, Dr Francoise Freedman is well known for her work in infant aquatics, inspired by her experiences living with indigenous families in the Upper Amazon. 

These days baby swimming has definitely arrived as a mainstream activity, with more than 300,000 children under two participating in sessions each week in the UK alone.