Paul Mason: This Australian champion blew other competitors out of the water as "the Thorpedo", only to slow to a stop with the recent news of an infection that is set to keep him out of racing waters for good

Paul Mason: Anyone ever saved by a lifeguard owes an unspoken debt to this Hawaiian surfing pioneer, who popularised modern techniques of rescue and resuscitation

Paul Mason: She irked the stuffed shirts of Australian amateur swimming, but the multiple Olympic gold medallist won a place in the history books – and the hearts of the people

Paul Mason: This Egyptian battleship tore through open-water marathon swimming with ease, finesse and generosity

Paul Mason: After the second world war scuppered her chances of participating in the 1940 Olympic Games, this beauty became a widely sought-after movie and theatre pin-up

Paul Mason: Before he became ridiculously famous as Tarzan, today's hero broke world records for fun – and was undefeated in 10 years of competition swimming

Paul Mason: She was a record breaker, a film star, a bestselling author and an entrepreneur – but her greatest achievement, in her own eyes, was popularising the modern swimming costume

Paul Mason: Second in our series on the greatest swimmers of all time is an unassuming kid from Hawaii who went on to conquer the world – and pioneer the sport of surfing