The rules of artistic swimming's governing body, World Aquatics, indicate that costumes must be appropriate for a sporting event and must not be transparent. No other clothing or accessories, including goggles, are allowed unless required for medical reasons. Competitors often wear colorful and tastefully decorated suits with coordinated hair/head adornments. The equivalent of stage makeup is applied to enhance appearances as seen from a distance by the judges and audience. The style of the costumes chosen should work well with the choice of music and style of choreography. 

Hair gel or gelatin is an essential aid to keep swimmers' hair neat and out of the way while performing. The hair is tied back securely and plastered down with some kind of substance. 

A nose clip is a small wire clip coated in plastic that prevents water from entering the sinuses during underwater movements. Nose clips or some apparatus to prevent water from rushing into the nostrils are essential to synchronized swimmers, who are often inverted and spinning around with their heads submerged for extended periods of time. 

A set of underwater and poolside loudspeakers allows swimmers to hear their music and stay in sync, whether submerged or performing with their heads above the surface. 

Artistic swimmers perform in a pool with a depth of 3 meters, or just under 10 feet, therefore they cannot touch the bottom and must swim while competing.