A method for a swimmer swimming laps in a swimming pool to record the number of laps swum employs a swim lap counter having a pair of floatable end blocks and a series of parallel rods extending between the floatable end blocks. Each rod carries a series of apertured beads movable from being adjacent to one of the floatable end blocks to being adjacent to the other floatable end block. Each bead and each row of beads represents laps swum by the swimmer. The swim lap counter is placed at one end of the swimming pool. The swimmer moves the beads from being adjacent to one of the floatable end blocks to being adjacent to the other floatable end block to record the number of laps swum by the swimmer.