As the swimming world championships commence in Russia tomorrow, the Olympic hopes of several New Zealand swimmers remain up in the air.

Early in 2012 a group of friends chatting around a table agreed Nic McCloy could probably do an ocean swim race - if she spent a couple of years training to do so.

Returning from the IPC world champs in Glasgow with a bumper haul of medals, the paralympic swimming team are now looking ahead to Rio.

New Zealand swimmers delivered at the right time and are now well placed to press on to next year's Rio Paralympics after a strong performance at the IPC world championships.

You won't get New Zealand's best swimmer Lauren Boyle shouting the odds about herself any time soon.

Wilrich Coetzee is preparing for a big month of top-class competitive swimming.

Thirty budding young Kiwi swimming stars have been selected to take part in a three-day training camp in Auckland this month.

A major showdown looms at the State King of the Bays today, with six swimmers who have qualified for this year's World Championships set to dive into the surf at Takapuna.

Hundreds of swimmers will race in the King of the Bays event on Auckland's North Shore today, but one competitor has a special motivation for taking part.

It has been a coming of age week for Tauranga swimmer Nathan Capp at the New Zealand Open Swimming Championships in Henderson.

Ten New Zealand swimmers have now qualified for the upcoming world championships after just two nights of the New Zealand Open Championships in Auckland.

Swimming NZ enjoyed an outstanding opening to the NZ Open Championships with 12 swimmers qualifying for world champs.

Olympic rowing champion Joseph Sullivan will be among 1,600 competitors taking part in the King of the Bays event at Takapuna Beach on April 18.

Sinda Hall has always loved swimming, but her decision to take part in this month's King of the Bays State Ocean Swim Series event goes beyond mere sport.

Dresden is a city in the east of Germany. It will be at the forefront of Nathan Brown's mind as he prepares to compete there at an international youth diving competition late next month.

A desperate plea by 15 bystanders for passing jetboats to rescue a 30-year-old struggling in the chilly waters of the Hokitika Gorge were ignored by the boaties.

Ocean swimming is all about confronting and overcoming difficult conditions, but for one competitor in next week's La Grande event in Akaroa, the challenge has been more acute.

Free water-skills lessons for Auckland children are being offered with a catch: a parent or caregiver must be in the pool with the child during each of the five sessions.