US President Barack Obama took the plunge and went swimming in the oil-hit Gulf of Mexico during his family holiday in Florida, it was announced Sunday, dpa reported.
The White House released a photograph of the president splashing in the seawater with his nine-year old daughter, Sasha.
The swim took place Saturday, during a trip by the president and family to see first-hand the attempts by the battered tourism industry to recover from the oil spill from the ruptured BP oil rig Deepwater Horizon.