# What is the fastest swimmer in the ocean?

> Billfish built like spears against sharks, dolphins and a penguin. Measured top speeds are disputed, so the argument is half the fun.

*By YPB Team · Published October 4, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-fastest-swimmer-in-the-ocean*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Sailfish** — score 1000/1000
   A billfish with a towering dorsal fin, often cited as the fastest fish in the sea.
2. **Great White Shark** — score 666/1000
   An ambush hunter that rockets up from below fast enough to leap fully out of the water.
3. **Common Dolphin** — score 642/1000
   A fast, acrobatic dolphin that travels in pods of hundreds or thousands.
4. **Swordfish** — score 577/1000
   A flat-billed predator that heats its eyes and brain to hunt in cold, deep water.
5. **Wahoo** — score 500/1000
   A sleek, striped mackerel relative prized for its speed on the line.
6. **Orca** — score 500/1000
   The fastest large marine mammal, able to sprint after seals, dolphins and sharks.
7. **Atlantic Bluefin Tuna** — score 500/1000
   A warm-bodied giant that crosses the Atlantic and can top 600 kilograms.
8. **Leatherback Sea Turtle** — score 500/1000
   The largest and fastest sea turtle, built to cross entire oceans.
9. **Black Marlin** — score 409/1000
   A huge Indo-Pacific billfish famous among anglers for blistering runs.
10. **Yellowfin Tuna** — score 409/1000
   A torpedo-shaped tuna built for sustained high-speed cruising.
11. **Blue Shark** — score 409/1000
   A slender, long-finned ocean wanderer that covers huge distances.
12. **Gentoo Penguin** — score 409/1000
   The fastest swimming bird, darting through Antarctic waters after krill and fish.
13. **Shortfin Mako Shark** — score 300/1000
   The fastest shark, capable of sudden bursts and leaps clear of the water.
14. **California Sea Lion** — score 300/1000
   An agile, playful pinniped that swims with its powerful front flippers.
15. **Fin Whale** — score 300/1000
   The second-largest animal alive, nicknamed the greyhound of the sea.
16. **Dall's Porpoise** — score 0/1000
   A stocky North Pacific porpoise that throws up a distinctive rooster-tail spray at speed.

Tags: animals, fish, ocean, speed