A swim meter to be worn by a swimmer and indicating swim speed, swim distance, elapsed time and other measurements includes a housing to be worn on the body of a swimmer with a mechanism mounted to the housing and responsive to the flow of water in generating an electrical signal indicative of swimmer movement in the water. A display is mounted to the housing or separately on the swimmer for viewing by the swimmer, and a computer mounted inside the housing generates display drive signals in response to the signals from the drive mechanism. The drive mechanism can comprise a rotating element, such as a paddle wheel, turbine, propeller, or pinwheel, or the drive mechanism can be a pitot tube and pressure sensor, a current generator responsive to salt ions in the water, or a voltage generator. The computer can be responsive to electrical or mechanical signals.