Cool at Coogee, newd in the Bay...

Aquagirl is back, and she's set herself a new task: swimming newd throughout the Victorian ocean swimming season. In Victoria, newd means sans wettie. She did her first newd swim from Aspendale to Edithvale on Sat'dee. Check out her report on oceanswims.com then come back here to tell us what you reckon...

In Sydney, it was cold... the Coogee people were saying 16C on race day, but we reckon it could have been a degree or so lower than that, although coming back from Wedding Cake Island, we swam through a large warm patch, and there weren't even any other swimmers around!

But the pic above was the story of the day. There were 1,169 entrants when online entries closed on Sat'dee arvo, with some 90 doing both swims. According to the results, there were 788 in the main swim and 348 in the shorter swim. Amongst all that lot, more than 100 were pulled out, according to the telly news, and more than 100 were treated, mostly for hypothermia. We were amongst them, although we engaged private nurses, who provide services you can't get in the first aid tent.

But how can you trust the news on the telly... Channel 7 called us after the swim to ask how it had gone, so they knew the water was cold. But at the end of their bulletin, their newsreader finished off the weather bulletin with the line, "And Sydney's ocean temperature is 19". Bull's bloody twang!

Not that we mind cooler water, but it is different from Sydney's norm. This is perhaps the fourth year in the last five that Sydney has experienced this sudden upwelling from the deep creating the sudden and abnormal temperature drop.

But there you go...

Tell us what you thought. Best blob this week gets a carton of James Squire...

Balmain, Cronulla at late spring best, but blowy at Redcliffe, Raby...

Well, what a glorious day it was at Balmain for the Dawny swim around Cockatoo Island... Balmain at its best, with a gentle but spirited nor'-easter blowing through the jacarandas, whipping up a few little whitecaps on the harbour, lifting the skirts of the glitterati in Darling Street, and an anti-clockwise swim around the island (see background above) for the first time... It truly was a beautiful day. About the only complaint was that the sales weren't on on Darling St, according to the laydees. 

The same day before, the Cook Classic at Cronulla offered a 2km swim as well as the 1km. It was a glorious day then, too. We didn't get down there, unfortunately, ensconced over the barbie on the boardwalk at Dawny.

It was blowy at Redcliffe on Moreton Bay for the 1st inaugural Great Australian Swim, according to a tweet pic from @seppo311, a lass named Michelle. But the organisers tell us...  "We had a bit of windy weather and light rain - made anchoring the buoys a challenge but we had a good turn up with an additional 50 or so walk up on the day - even in wet / windy conditions - a great start event and we can learn a lot from it".
Assuming, because it also took place in Moreton Bay, albeit at the southern end, it would have been blowy at Raby Bay, too. Our informant there told us so. But how did it go? Please tell us.
We'll have our Dawny report up later Sundee night.

But tell us what you thought... hit the Comments button below to tell us... 

Pan Pacific Masters Games Gold Coast

Pan Pacific Masters Games Open Water Swim

Sunday 14th November

Lake Hugh Muntz, Mermaid Waters, freshwater lake

Laps around a 1.25k circuit

1.25k, 2.5k and 5k events

Was well run by Queensland Masters Swimming

with some improvisations, like the finish line was a water-polo goal with the net cut out

Mentally, having to go around around the course 4 times was quite tough,

tiring after 1 lap and still 3 laps to go

Plenty of medals on offer at the awards ceremony in the age category and team events