Penguin Books Australia

As a teenager, Leanne Shapton trained for the Olympic swimming trials; now an artist, she is still drawn inexorably to swimming, in pools and on beaches across the world. What do you with an all-absorbing activity once it's past its relevance, and yet you can't quite give it up? Is it possible to find a new purpose for its rigors and focus?

Take the plunge and have fun!

The water's calling you.  You can almost feel your arms slicing through the water, your legs kicking in rhythm, and your breaths times to your strokes as your body propels forward.  Learning to swim-or to swim better-is high on your must-do list, and you've decided now's the time.