A swim cap, swimming cap or bathing cap, is a silicone, latex or lycra cap worn on the head by recreational and competitive swimmers.
Caps are worn for various reasons. Some facilities require the wearing of swim caps, in order to protect filters from becoming clogged with loose hairs which fall from the head of swimmers who are not wearing a cap. Caps are also sometimes worn in an attempt to keep the hair relatively dry or free from chlorinated water, to keep the sun off the hair, and also, when a cap is worn with ear plugs, in order to keep water out of the ears.
Competitive swim caps are made of tightly fitted silicone, latex, or lycra that hugs the skull of its user, providing cover for his or her hair. This reduces drag in the water caused by loose hair. During longer swimming sessions, a swim cap keeps the wearer's head warm.
Read more about Swim Cap: History, Double Swim Caps, English Channel Swimming Rules For Swim Caps
Famous quotes containing the words swim and/or cap:
“To me, the sea is like a person—like a child that I’ve known a long time. It sounds crazy, I know, but when I swim in the sea I talk to it. I never feel alone when I’m out there.”
—Gertrude Ederle (b. 1906)
“‘I have cap and bells,’ he pondered,
‘I will send them to her and die’;
And when the morning whitened
He left them where she went by.”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)