The Swimming competition at the 6th Pan American Games was held in Cali, Colombia during the Games' run in 1971. It consisted of 29 long course (50m) events: 15 for males and 14 for females.
A world record was beaten in this edition of the Games, by the U.S. 4x200m freestyle men's relay.
The victory of Canada in the women's 4x100m medley marked the first time that the U.S. lost the gold in a relay event, at the Pan American Games.
In the 200m butterfly, two swimmers won the first medals of their countries in swimming at Pan American Games at all times: Jorge Delgado got the gold for Ecuador, and Augusto González, the bronze for Peru.