Aquanuts syncronized swim team visits the Richmond Plunge

A synchronized swim team known for sending athletes to the Olympics gave Richmond residents a treat Friday as they performed several of their routines at the Richmond Plunge. The Walnut Creek Aquanuts, founded in 1968, has had more than 30 Olympians swim for its team, eight of them going on to win gold.

Coach Kim Probst said about half of the team hails from near Walnut Creek, while the other half come from all around the country to train with them.

Three groups performed Friday – a senior team comprised of girls ages 17 to 19, a junior team, which is slightly younger, and the age 10 and under team.

“You get to see where you start and where you progress to,” Probst told the audience of the different age groups.

The swimmers effortlessly glided through the water, tumbling, flipping, and twirling around the pool.  Plunging down into the 7-foot-deep water, their legs twirled up and down with the precision of screwdrivers. Every 30 seconds or so, they’d come up for air and hear the thunderous applause from the audience, which numbered well over 150 people.

In several weeks, the team will be competing in a national competition in North Carolina, where they hope to retain their national title, which they’ve won 13 times.