Although he could tread water for long periods, he was not a strong surface swimmer. According to his companions, Holt had "incredible powers of endurance underwater", and sometimes kept himself amused during parliamentary debates by seeing how long he could hold his breath. Once he had speared a fish, he would unzip his suit and place it inside (still bleeding), allowing him to continue fishing.
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Holt wore a wetsuit so he could fish year round, and preferred either skin diving or snorkelling as he found air tanks burdensome and inauthentic. He was introduced to spearfishing in 1954, and it soon became his preferred vacation activity. Holt was a keen outdoorsman and had beach houses at Portsea, Victoria, and Bingil Bay, Queensland. Harold Holt on a spearfishing expedition at Portsea, Victoria, in 1966. His wife Zara later suggested that this was so he could hide his extramarital affairs. Holt grudgingly accepted a single bodyguard for his official duties, but refused any protection while on holiday, regarding it as a violation of his privacy. His stance changed after two incidents in mid-1966 – a window in his office was shattered by a sniper, and then an assassination attempt was made on Arthur Calwell, the Leader of the Opposition. As with Menzies, Holt refused a security detail upon taking office, considering it unnecessary and potentially alienating to the general public. He was a career politician, entering parliament at the age of 27 and becoming a government minister at the age of 31. Harold Holt became Prime Minister of Australia in January 1966, following the retirement of Sir Robert Menzies. Holt's death has entered Australian folklore, and was commemorated by, among other things, the Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre. He was initially replaced in a caretaker capacity by John McEwen, and then by John Gorton following a Liberal Party leadership election.
Holt was the third Australian prime minister to die in office, after Joseph Lyons in 1939 and John Curtin in 1945. It is generally agreed that his disappearance was a simple case of an accidental drowning, but a number of conspiracy theories surfaced, most famously the suggestion that he was a spy from the People's Republic of China and had been collected by a Chinese submarine.
Holt was presumed to have died, and his memorial service five days later was attended by many world leaders.
An enormous search operation was mounted in and around Cheviot Beach, but his body was never recovered. On 17 December 1967, Harold Holt, the Prime Minister of Australia, disappeared while swimming in the sea near Portsea, Victoria.
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