Abstract: A swimmer's flexible plastic hand paddle has a surface area larger than a human hand, and a plurality of perforations (approximating the user's hand size) which are positioned to an off-set location on the paddle toward the thumb side of the user's hand. The edge of the paddle closely approaches the outer edge of the user's hand on the thumb side when the hand is in position on the paddle, whereas on the little finger side of the paddle there is a substantially larger (compared to the thumb side of the paddle) area (preferably unperforated) that makes a water foil. The corners of the paddle are rounded and means for attaching the user's hand to the paddle and positioned it in a desired position over the perforations are provided. The thickness in a plastic material having a modulus of elasticity of about 130,000 p.s.i. is from 2 to 4 mm., preferably 3 mm.