A baby swims underwater at 'London Baby Swim' in London on June 11, 2010. (Phil Shaw/Barcroft Media/Getty Images)

Throwing a baby into a pool and hoping for the best might seem like the worst thing you can do.

But, according to a New York Times report, the act of "self-rescue" has been taught to hundreds of thousands of infants since the 1960s, when Harvey Barnett began the program following the drowning of a neighbor's child. Nearly 300,000 babies have been taught the technique, which trains babies to hold their breath underwater while kicking their feet and floating on their backs at the surface until they can be pulled out of the water, the Times adds.

(PHOTOS: This Job Isn't for the Faint of Heart)

The photos in the slideshow above were taken in 2010 by London Baby Swim owner Phil Shaw. They are an artistic look at a behavior some may think is crazy, but as you can see, babies may actually be better swimmers than some adults.

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