Swimming is a form of physical activity that is claimed and proven to not only have a positive impact on physical, but also mental health. It has a positive effect on psychological, social and cognitive growth and development, especially in children and young people, on selfconfidence, self-esteem, self-concept, persistence and mood, on reducing pain, stress, depression and anxiety, on improving the quality of sleep and concentration, circulation, interpersonal relationships, motivation for success in all segments of life, and strength and energy to carry out everyday activities. In this paper, the mentioned parameters were examined through 9 different questions with 50 recreational subjects from the continental part of the Republic of Croatia. The research was conducted in the period during March and April 2023.. A total of 50 subjects participated, of which 28 were women and 22 were men. The respondents ranged in age from teenagers to the elderly, mostly between 23 and 26 years old. The obtained results indicate that practicing swimming as a recreational activity, either for personal pleasure or other personal interests, on the recommendation of a doctor or with the aim of going to a competition, has a positive effect on relaxation in all respondents. The results indicate that all respondents believe that swimming positively affects their mental and physical health to a certain extent. The obtained data speak in favor of the inclusion of a larger number of people in recreational swimming. In order to obtain more reliable data, a more extensive study should be repeated on a larger sample.