Skip to primary navigation Skip to content Skip to footer
Back to Blog

Are you fast enough to swim with the sailfish?

The answer is probably no. The sailfish it is considered to be the fastest fish in the ocean. But to calculate the speed of a fish requires much research and still the results show a rather rough estimation.

The sailfish could grow up to over 3.4 m in total length and 100 kg in weight. Pretty impressive, right? However, if you want to enjoy swimming with a sailfish in Cancun typically they weigh up to 50 kg and can live for 10 years.

They are found near the surface usually far from land feeding on schools of smaller fish like sardines and anchovies. They also feast on squid and octopus, which makes them unharmful to humans.

But what is the speed of the sailfish? The fastest speed reported was the impressive 68 mph (110 km/h). To make it more clear researchers compared the speed of the sailfish with the one of fastest swimmer – Michael Phelps.

So, if you put the sailfish in a pool against Michael Phelps the fish can swim 200metres in 10 seconds, while Phelps needs 1 minute and 42 seconds.

So, are you faster than Michael Phelps and the sailfish – I would say no. But what we all can do is admire this beautiful creatures in their natural habitat even if it is just for a couple of seconds.

  • Posted in: