The configuration of aquatic recreation in Spain: a study of its development at the turn of the century

Studies published in Spain show that physical activities and sports are among the most frequently chosen activities by the public to spend their leisure time. In addition, in the well-known and periodic studies about the physical habits of the Spaniard conducted by the sociologist Garcia Ferrando, recreational swimming has been appearing on the top positions during the last decades. This fact is the starting point of the present study, which aims to explore and reflect on the physical activities and sports involved in this concept. Different sources will be used to reach the purpose of the study, which wants to explore aquatic recreation: its evolution in Spain since its inception, the factors that have determined its considerable growth in popularity and the actual trends it presents. From the influence of the Sport for All movement to the effects of postmodernism, or from the essential meaning of play to the holistic view of well-being, since its conception in the 1980s, the evolution of recreation in aquatic facilities in Spain has been nourished by different factors.