Burnham swimming club was formed in around 1912, although its activities were somewhat restricted by the tides until the opening of  the Marine Lake. Just prior to this the club had huts near the top of the jetty. These facilities were replaced in the Marine Lake entrance buildings.

The Marine Lake diving board (above) was removed some time after World War II, during the period in which the facilities were becoming run down.

For hardy souls the Steart Island Swim was a feature of the Summer Carnival period. Below is an advert from the Summer carnival Programme of 1966.

This was the last such swim for 40 years until the event was revived in 2000. It then continued annually until 2017.