Fin Swimming

Competitive swimming with monofin or bi-fins — pool sprints and open-water distance races at over 3 m/s.

👥1 per team🌤both

What is Fin Swimming?

Fin swimming is a CMAS-sanctioned aquatic sport in which swimmers propel themselves with either a large monofin (dolphin kick) or bi-fins. Pool events cover 50 m to 1,500 m with and without a snorkel; open-water races run to 20 km. Top monofin swimmers exceed 3.2 m/s — faster than any conventional freestyle world record.

Quick facts

Category

Aquatic Sports

Type

Individual

Players

1 per team

Where played

both

Country of origin

🇮🇹 Italy

Estimated origin

1960s Italy; first CMAS world championship 1976

Olympic

No

Popularity

regional

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-24.verified