a forum for swapping yarns and boasting amongst ocean swimmers...
Sunday, February 8, 2009
North Bondi Classic - Pageantry and colour
Well, what a difference between last weekend's Mosh Pit Classic at Manly and today's North Bondi Classic, and not only in the water temperature ... What did you think? Post a comment and let us all know ...
Water temp absolutely freezing!34 deg outside 16 in the water in Febuary - how is it so?? Slightly disorganised start in my age group 35-39 female but SOOOOOOO much better organised than Cole Classic last week.
Would have been a fab swim if I had a few more layers of bodyfat to insulate from the cold - thank you to the wonderful lifesavers who wrapped my shivering body in blankets and led me to the sauna. It was quite the place to be after the race!
Thanks North Bondi SLSC for showing the organisers of the Cole how to run an oceanswim..
Awesome race, perfect conditions if you have good periferal circulation. Were the women supposed to be started separetly as shown in the rece program? At the start the categories were only introduced as for male swimmers. This cause alot if confusion for the girls and gave us all a bad start!! Overall a well organised swim, I will be back next year. Yeeehah.
Great, relaxed and friendly event! Froze my ass off in the swim even though I am well padded! Enjoyed the day and the atmosphere! Well done to the organisers!!
thankyou to the North Bondi Classic organisers for their entry fee structure which helped with my family entry.I entered my two daughters and myself for five swims, three days before closing time, $95.00. In contrast three days before closing time, the Cole required $100.00 for two swims, hardly a family focused swim. It was a sobering sight, swimmers with hypothermia whilst knowing of the bushire tragedy through Australia, my thoughts and prayers are with those involved.
A good day, a different league from last weekend. However, did the organisers forget to turn on the hot tap when they were filling up Lake Bondi before the swim this morning?
My only real complaint is that there were too many people in each wave which led to a bit of thuggery. Why did the blue and white caps go off at the same time?
Great day for a swim - enjoyed how clear the water was - everything about the swim was perfect , the weather, organisation, post race kits - loved the goodie bags provided and the endless amount of powerade, melon & fruit supplied. Well done guys!
Great swim, freeeeezing but what beautiful clear water! After last weekend's disaster, it was fantastic to have the good folk at North Bondi SLSC in charge - a public address system we could hear and a course we could follow. I will definitely be back.
Seeing as almost everyone has mentioned freezing water here's a tip - when you're having your warmup swim (you really should have one) start by back or breaststroking, keep your face out breathing deep until your body warms up (goes numb) so when you turn to freestyle the only part of your body that will feel cold will be your face. Trick your mind.
Now I've been noticing that this ocean swim season has brought out some mighty fine looking guys to our already fantastic beaches. This is an awesome sport for eye candy but its pretty much impossible to tell relationship status whilst these guys stand on the start line in the 'Male 35-39' category. Just a thought for the remaining ocean swims of the season, kicking off with the Valentine's Day weekend swim at Little Bay is to add an 'S' to the single folks arms at registration? (what a better time to start such an initiative - the day after all the single folk have endured the day from hell the prior day). If people don't want to participate in this 'potentially find a life long partner who has similar interests to you' initiative then they don't have to, but it would be a massive help for those who might be looking, and make it very clear who its acceptable to approach vs risk getting bashed by a wife (no this has never happened but I imagine it could). Thoughts????
Great race and well organised. Overall I had a great time. Just had two concerns.... I wasn't sure whether the women were swimming seperately from the men. Perhaps some clarification next time? Also, given the large turnout it would have been great to have some more time between the waves of swimmers. It really was quite rough out there and it detracts from the enjoyment of the swim when you are feeling a little beaten up by the faster and less considerate swimmers out there. Perhaps this can be taken on board for future events.
Congratulations North Bondi! All you volunteers did a fabulous job...Thank you. As far as I am concerned you had every base covered and turned on a wonderful day. Everyone working was so happy and friendly. I was very early for check in, it wasn't busy and the lovely gentleman on my table (old ducks) even offered to apply the free sunscreen to my back....never before. It really makes a huge difference to swimmers to feel welcome and safe in the knowledge the organizers actually know what they are doing. After that performance you'll get even greater numbers next year. Keep up the great work.
Loving the 's' on the arms idea to identify the single folks out there (see comment above).
Overall - a great day, but I was one of the unfortunate women who was patiently waiting for my white & blue wave after the men had left the beach only to find out that suddenly we were all combined in one wave. A gigantic wave and a daunting task to swim from the back and try to swim through it. Better announcing and organization at the start could have prevented it.
I have a feeling that 3 minutes were then subtracted to our times instead of added to the times - otherwise, I've become an extraordinarily fast swimmer overnight and that's starting 45 seconds after everyone else!
The results came in to oceanswims.com after midnight last night and, since we work a day job, too, starting at 6am, we won't have them up until mid-late afternoon today, Monday. Sorry about that, but there you go.
Also, there's been a lot of talking about how many mugs swam yesterday. The results say there were 1,270 in the longer swim and 717 in the shorter, totalling 1,977, which is a tremendous result for North Bondi SLSC.
This undoubtedly reflects spillover from the Fairfax Meeja promotion of the Cole Classic, despite Fairfax doing virtually nothing to tell punters about other swims on the calendar.
We have noticed hordes of new names coming through in the entries online, and many, many new faces on the starting line. You can tell some of the newbies because they wear boardies. We trust they'll get over that. It's much easier and more comfortable without them.
But welcome to all you new ocean swimmers. We love having you with us. And just remember, the best part of the season is yet to come ...
I second the "S on the arm" comment above, for women as well please ;-). A big "S" on the arm please girls at next weekend's Malabar-Little Bay event... We're all gentlemen at these events (at least I hope so), so please no hassling, just a good way to meet people of similar interests.
Great event.... well done North Bondi. Some suggestions for next year: - thin the traffic with smaller waves and/or an extra minute between starts - have Neil draw breath occasionally, turn down the volume, and provide some useful information about the race (eg. "all white and blue caps start at 6 minutes") - can we have a category for breastrokers, perhaps behind the "back of the pack"? - another vote for the "S" concept
What a great day! A welcome change to the schmozzle that was the Cole Classic. Minor hiccoughs between announcements of waves from the surf club and the people at the starting line, but otherwise a very well run event. I felt the water temp actually helped the "motor" work a little harder. Regarding the "S on the arm" idea: I think it's good, for men as well as women. We're all in the this ocean swimming together, we're all ladies and gentlemen I'm sure, so the idea could work. No hassling please guys, it might be just a good way to meet people of similar interests and provide the ice-breaker.
to all the whingers out there about the Cole Classic, and saying that the Bondi event was better run - blah blah blah.
I swum both, and definitely thought that the CC could have been improved - booeey's moving, huge gaps between waves etc - but also think the Bondi swim could have been better run.
I actually found Bondi harder to swim, especially with both the 30-34 and 35-39 groups starting together with both men and women. It was basically a sh*&fight at the start and around each booeey. And a little dangerous for the less experienced.
I dont think you can hold the Bondi event up as the golden child event with no issues etc.
All in all - had a great time at both, with different challenges at each - but isn't that what ocean swimming is all about. If you wanted a controlled and perfectly run hour in the water - stick to the pool!!! And let up on the whinging - how are you going to cope when the CC is 10k+ people.
As if the CC will ever be 10K people, there would be SERIOUS water safety issues with that, they will just cap entries at what is deemed to be a safe number. Anyway, what is wrong with people wanting a better run swim, if we don't demand excellence then what we will get is a debacle.
I think the only confusion I heard of was on the 30-39 M/F start and subsequently the wave size... otherwise it appeared to run pretty smoothly, and the atmosphere was so relaxed and calm compared to the spectacle or the previous weekend.
Also, I have to say that cake at presentation was yummy! Where was it from?
Lastly, even if Little Bay/Malabar don't take up the S idea, I might just write on my own... encourage other fans to do the same... see you on the start line ;-)
I think the 'S' idea is great! However given we're in sydney its probably best to have the 'S' followed by some sort of preference i.e. M for Male, F for Female, E for either....
"I think the 'S' idea is great! However given we're in sydney its probably best to have the 'S' followed by some sort of preference i.e. M for Male, F for Female, E for either...."
In regards to the confusion on the male and female30 /39 , the starter clearly stated no less than 20 times that the ist wave is male ony with the megafone,it only took a couple of the women behind to take off ,and it was a case of follow the leader,a great day and thank u
The cake was from Charing Cross Cake Shop...heaps better organised that CC...plenty to drink at the finish (Poweraide), goodies bag, sausage sizzle...freezing water...all good. Back next year
I can not believe that any ocean swimmers found the CC an enjoyable day. It was by far the worst ocean swim I have ever participated in - and that includes being stung in the nose & mouth by blue bottles at the dee why swim last year.
I can not believe that any ocean swimmers enjoyed the CC. It was by far the worst ocean swim I have ever experienced - and that includes being stung in the nose & mouth at the dee why swim last year.
bondi looked great as always but that water temp was just insane !!! really confused start with the women and men being put together but hearing mixed instructions on whether it was a combined wave. was way too crowded heading around buoys with such big groups and those clever little timing chips scratching the hell out of everyone swimming over the top. although love looking at all the men ( love the S idea ) prefer to send them off first next time ....
I am just going to say it – I loved Bondi. Well organised, clear instructions, interesting course that didn’t magically adjust itself whilst you were swimming it. Yes the water was a bit chilly – but that’s all part of the great ocean swimming experience AND it sorts out the men from the boys so to speak!
My only gripe was the 30-39 male/female waves which ended up going off as one huge group - which I think was due to people not reading the race briefing properly (clearly displayed near the registration area I might add). I was one of the unfortunate few ladies left behind slightly bewildered on the beach who then had to play catch up with the rest of the field. One good thing was that I got some fantastic clear water to swim in, so it wasn’t all bad.
On a slightly different note, I have noticed of late that there seems to be a lot of “grabbing” going on in the water. No, not that kind of grabbing! My grip is about those people who actually grab on to your ankles. It’s not necessary and it’s dangerous. I understand that with two or three hundred people around you at any one time, all fighting for the same bit of ocean, it is unavoidable that you will be tapping other people on the heels etc, but there really is no need to grab and hang onto the persons ankles in front of you. Please don’t do it, these events are supposed to be fun and family friendly.
A great day was had, and I look forward to many more! Many thanks to North Bondi SLSC.
A good day at Bondi but the bigger races get there's more for the organisers (and swimmers) to learn. The grouping of waves was seemingly random, differed from announcements, sizes varied too much and the 1km yellow cap women got left out completely. Were they just meant to follow any men with S written on their arm and hope? Why let the young kids get so completely bowled over by the following waves. The PA announcements contradicted the announcements from the guys with the megaphones on several occasions. You have to take it all in a good spirit. With the sea dead flat what was the excuse for the two white middle booees not being the same as in the map? Most importantly,though, how will these larger chipped races come to grips with the fact they need to adequately account for every swimmer by the end who has entered the water. There obviously wasn't the chaos caused by the race start moving beaches as happened in the Cole, indeed the completely still surf was disappointing, but overall enjoyed both for what they are. Clearly something must be afoot with so many people now turning up. If managed well, not a bad thing for all.
Those tight turning buoys off Ben Buckler & Mackenzies Point were certainly a bit pushy, a bit grabby, a bit scratchy and a bit kicky. Particularly the 3rd marker where a raft of average swimmers in my wave were caught by a pack of faster swimmers from the next wave jostling for position. Fortunately I have ample body mass to hold a position in the water if I get bumped or pushed, but I can see why some smaller swimmers might feel a little intimidated. I'm thinking tight turning buoys of more than 90-degree angles will always lead to some argy-bargy on a relatively short course (2k) with a +1000 swimmers. Maybe flatter angles required on the turns for the larger swims as the numbers increase. The least congested course design would be a straight line or a circle!
A very salient point has just been made here by someone.
I believe the the swimmers should enter the start marshalling area by walking over a timing mat just prior to the race. This logs them as about to start the swim. Nothing to do with timing just a reconciliation tool.
Praise for Glistening Dave for his magnificent photos that encapsulate the mood of the North Bondi swim. The swimmers look like they are trapped in a huge block of ice and trying to break free. Frozen in time! Looking at the pics is one of the highlights after every swim. And GD has impeccable taste. He snapped my daughter in '07 (Bilgola), me in the '08 North Bondi swim and my brother-in-law at '09 North Bondi (no, he's not the nipple shot - that one is tres bizarre).
Frstly, thank you north bondi surf club for your first aid assistance - very cold, but great swim.
Just a question with many ocean swims - How about recognising under 19 swimmers in different age categories? A 19 year old man against a 13 year old boy doesnt compute! Let's try to encourage the youngsters to have a go and a competitive chance at winning a prize
Agree with all that this was a truly sublime, amazing, albeit speedo shrinking swim! Paul, your trip report is fantastic and certainly captured the spirit of the day. It was great to see so many of my club mates from Wett Ones taking part, a couple of them for the very first time. Tracey - great to hear you are doing OK.
Thank you North Bondi SLSC for putting on such a professionally run event, we always feel in very safe hands swimming at your two very fantastic events each year - which remain great value at $50 for the combo entry. Great to see the numbers up, I did not find there to be a lot of argy bargy....Oh and those sample bags afterwards are fantastic, my little doggie loves his new toy....
A couple of points:
1. As others have mentioned, I did get extremely confused by having one piece / bikini clad lasses swimming right next to me as I took off in the M30-34 and M35-39 group. I thought the instructions of the marshall were pretty clear and the 10:36 wave was only supposed to be for male swimmers in those groups.
2. We could expand the arm labelling to include other vital pieces of information which could help our club team members out....
3. Who else found it ironic the plane that did the sky advertising for Lipton was writing to advise us to "Stay Cool", given there were competitors wrapped up in space blankets and in the sauna to avoid hypothermia???
Really enjoyed the swim. Sure I'm a tad biased (my local beach), but thanks NoBo SLSC. Can't you squeeze another one in sometime? How about mid-winter when the calendar's clear and the water warms up?
Love a good give-away, but: 1. Message to my buddy Fred who told his kids that he "won" the give-away bag: maybe you should level with them that it's an attendance incentive. 2. Sorry to the sponsor, but thumbs down for my cheese 'n onion chips - I'll test them on workmates tomorrow. Happy to sample other flavours. 3. The fitness magazine had an article about preparing for your first oceanswim including drafting tips. Thumbs down: bad ettiquette. 4. I forgot what 4 was for. 5. Did anyone find the boards marking the way between the Mackenzies and Icebergs buoys encroaching on their swim line? Or did I swim wide? (Probably the latter)
Great event as always. My only suggestion would be to split the waves up more. The 30-39 age group was out of control. I found the start to this race to be the roughest in years. I was in the lead group and it was very agressive. There are a number of turns and the large numbers made these very difficult. I also felt sorry for the group in front who would have had a larger than normal group of angry men (especially those white caps) crashing their way thru.
I remember when Graham Cole used to sit on the promenade outside North Bondi SLSC at a little table and take entries for three weekends before the CC at Bondi. That was when the Cole had some feeling. So all of you swimmers who pay $65 to swim in the mega cole blockbuster corporate event, come over to Nth Bondi next year and see the real spirit of Graham Cole at the Nth Bondi classic. Last Sunday was the best day. Great swim , great water safety, good announcing, $5 T Shirts, the lifesavers of NB SLSC hugging swimmers suffering from the cold, and $35 for a late entry. Memorable
Thank you, Shayne, for your generous words. I should point out that while I am happy to be acknowledged as the photagrapher behind some of the land shots, the water shots are by oceanswims.com himself. I'm sure he would appreciate the thanks, too, although he has been known to be a very shy fellow, at times. Glistening Dave.
As the coach of swimmers who were successful in both the roughwater and the nth bondi classic i would like to thank and congratulate all involved for a great day at both swims.As always with these types of events there is going to be little things that can be improved upon.We entered 11 swimmers last weekend after starting with 4 swimmers at the roughwater and this was only through word of mouth which is a real positive for the sport.When Stacey swims in hawaii in september she will be swimming for all that competed last sunday and the nth bondi sc because without you stacey would not be there.A special thank you to paul,peter you are champions, your help was greatly appreciated and one of the reasons why this event is such a huge success.
This swim was an interesting one indeed, the 'ice cream' headaches, the hyperventilation as you dive into the water, the burn/sting on the shoulders as you swim thru the water. 16.5C felt like -4C out there. I thought overall the swim was well run, I had an enjoyable day out. One thing Im not sure if anyone else noticed, was that the white buoys were particularly hard to see given that the bondi ice bergs was the backdrop behind the buoys. Im sure in most swims this would not be a problem, but when you have white against white buildings in the background it did make it difficult. Also white seemed to be harder than expected to see due to the reflection of the sun on the water from a swimmers low lying level. Hats off to organisers though, for the pink banners, which were clearly visible and helped us line up the run home.
Yes the 30-39 age group was dangerous, the women that left with the men should have been DQ'd, (it would have been obvious, their times would have been significantly faster). The instructions were very clearly posted on a board as you walk down the ramp - difficult to miss. Ordinarily a sharp turn isn't ideal but given the group was so big, conditions at the buoy's were nothing short of mayhem....
More consideration needs to be given at all oceanswims when the unexpected happens (ie. a stampede of 30-39 women into the water with the 30-39 men.....this won't improve your chances on Valetines day ladies). The race organisers should not have sent the remaining women but instead held them back for their original start time which was three minutes after the men.
Probably best to think logically next time race organisers, it would have taken twenty seconds to make a clear (safe) judgement on this one instead of acting impulsively.
As Ocean swimming is growing in size the CC with 4000 participants and the North Bondi attracting over 2000 which is amazing it would be great to see more organization in the starting waves the fastest swimmers start of the beach first in group 'A' and so on. This would prevent the fastest swimmers swimming over the slower swimmers and thus a more enjoyable and safer environment for everyone.
I was one of the ones who ended up in the sauna last Sunday! Just wanted to say thanks as I thought I was OK when I got out of the water but you guys knew better. Thanks for getting me towels and attention and the sauna. Home was only a few minutes away so a hot shower and 2 hours in the 35C sun with a fleece on and I was perfectly fine!
Lessons for next time for me: learn to swim faster so I’m not in the water as long…..:)
Thanks again to the volunteers – soooo much better organised than the CC.
Its about time with the advent of computer timing we should have waves of swimmers in categories of pre recorded times. The fastest first and the slower last, Waikiki Rough Water have done it for years, so does City to Surf. Obviously if no times provided then you go to the back of the pack until you supply times, its not rocket science. Its not fair for the serious swimmers and also before some one gets hurt. I am sick of swimming over top of people and having my legs grabbed from behind. It's only going to get worse as these swims become more popular. Now swimming in the 50's category it is so fustrating to get a clear run, so we end up having to swim very wide and on your own. Time for change!!!!
The challenge and a lot of the appeal of ocean swimming is that you never know what conditions you are going to face when you turn up to complete an ocean swim event , so who would have predicted that we would be faced with the prospect of 16 degree water temperatures for our swim on Sunday at North Bondi ???? But that was what “ Huey the Ocean God “ served up to us on Sunday.
Over the past three months I have been heavily involved with the Can Too East Pod who have been training at Bondi and the event on Sunday was one of our goal events for all of our Can Too swimmers from the North , North West and South Pod’s.
Our East Coach, Col started “ marshalling “ the troops for the 1km warm up ( as it was our “surf” ….well loose term …. ) and he was hesitant to get us all in the water, due to the cold, but the 5th in line coach and Team Captain Kingy said “ Well I think we should get used to what we are going to experience so I think we should get in there “ and without any complaints and in true Can Too Spirit it was a case of “Ok , this is how it is , let’s get going “ !!! And even the girl from mainland NZ found the water refreshing !! So we were as prepared as we were ever going to be for the 1km race. There was a record number of competitors for the 1km and it was the first race for some of our Can Too’ers but they had the guiding wisdom of those who had competed at the Cole Classic the week before standing on the start with them, so those guys were ready for anything to be thrown at them . As the report said Bondi was colour and pageantry and the 1km got off to a “ splashing start “ with the wave of colour striding into the ocean . Then it was down to business for the Eastie Can Too Team as we had all done so many times at training sessions at Bondi on a Saturday. I am all proud to say the Can Too participants finished the 1km race with smiles on their faces and running up the beach ( although was a bit hard to tell if it was a grimace).
Then it was time for the 2km and once again , the call went up for the mandatory warm up ( which was in fact the cool down ) and with the same gusto and enthusiasm the participants for the 2km entered the water in readiness for the race. We also had a few that backed up from the 1km race. Again there was a record number of entries and some of the Eastie Can Too’ers doing their first race. What a beginning and local knowledge paid as some the East Can Too’ers took the “ North Bondi elevator “ and ran to where Coach Col was standing to direct to get into the water and have a smooth swim run out to meet up with the peloton at the first buoy. All of those who were in the 2km will agree there was a bit of pushing of shoving throughout the race but that is another challenge of ocean swimming and that is also something that we had practised at training so we were prepared for it , however does not dull from the discomfort from the experience . Once again , Can Too’ers finished the race with absolute pride and sense of achievement on their faces ( the frozen feeling not showing through at all !!! ). There were a couple of the team who needed some attention by the end of the race due to the cold ( they also appreciated all the attention from the NBSLSC volunteers ) , they did a fantastic job to get through and demonstrate Can Too determination throughout the race.
On behalf of all the Can Too participants , I would like to thank the North Bondi Surf Club for putting on the event for all the participants. It was the first year that this event was nominated as a goal swim by Can Too , making it the third goal swim on the Can Too Swim calendar and we can safely say that it will be a goal swim again next year as our entire Can Too Team thoroughly enjoyed the colour and pageantry with all the challenges that an ocean swim offers and why we do it in the first place. If it was easy , everyone would do it.
I agree with "Time for Change!!!!". At the moment, the organisers have to categorise people by age, so it just means categorising them by nominated time instead. Computerchip can still present results in age categories. Good suggestion.
Re the suggestion for singles and messages on arms. If its going to be done, it should be done properly so,
The first letter should be who you are looking for, eg F then wether you are completely mortgaged or unencumbered, such as U your religion - C catholic, A Anglican, N agnostic, M Morman, J Jedi Knight -C are you kinky K, straight laced S, or likes the dark D - K
What sex you actually are - Male, Female (it is sydney) - M are you eligible to get married E , or not N - E
This should be written down a swimmers leg of course... then you can politely say thats what you were looking at ...rather than their arse...
Water temp absolutely freezing!34 deg outside 16 in the water in Febuary - how is it so?? Slightly disorganised start in my age group 35-39 female but SOOOOOOO much better organised than Cole Classic last week.
ReplyDeleteWould have been a fab swim if I had a few more layers of bodyfat to insulate from the cold - thank you to the wonderful lifesavers who wrapped my shivering body in blankets and led me to the sauna. It was quite the place to be after the race!
Thanks North Bondi SLSC for showing the organisers of the Cole how to run an oceanswim..
Awesome race, perfect conditions if you have good periferal circulation.
ReplyDeleteWere the women supposed to be started separetly as shown in the rece program? At the start the categories were only introduced as for male swimmers. This cause alot if confusion for the girls and gave us all a bad start!!
Overall a well organised swim, I will be back next year. Yeeehah.
Incredible day in Bondi today, despite freezing conditions in the water. Well done to North Bondi SLC for looking after us all. It was awesome!!
ReplyDeleteGreat, relaxed and friendly event! Froze my ass off in the swim even though I am well padded! Enjoyed the day and the atmosphere! Well done to the organisers!!
ReplyDeletethankyou to the North Bondi Classic organisers for their entry fee structure which helped with my family entry.I entered my two daughters and myself for five swims, three days before closing time, $95.00.
ReplyDeleteIn contrast three days before closing time, the Cole required $100.00 for two swims, hardly a family focused swim.
It was a sobering sight, swimmers with hypothermia whilst knowing of the bushire tragedy through Australia, my thoughts and prayers are with those involved.
A good day, a different league from last weekend. However, did the organisers forget to turn on the hot tap when they were filling up Lake Bondi before the swim this morning?
ReplyDeleteMy only real complaint is that there were too many people in each wave which led to a bit of thuggery. Why did the blue and white caps go off at the same time?
Anyone know when results will be up?
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful swim. How clear was that water. I loved it, all the more so after last weekend.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone who had a hand in it. I will definitely be back.
Any T-shirts left to buy? I left it to the last minute and missed out.
Great day for a swim - enjoyed how clear the water was - everything about the swim was perfect , the weather, organisation, post race kits - loved the goodie bags provided and the endless amount of powerade, melon & fruit supplied. Well done guys!
ReplyDeleteGreat swim, freeeeezing but what beautiful clear water! After last weekend's disaster, it was fantastic to have the good folk at North Bondi SLSC in charge - a public address system we could hear and a course we could follow. I will definitely be back.
ReplyDeleteSeeing as almost everyone has mentioned freezing water here's a tip - when you're having your warmup swim (you really should have one) start by back or breaststroking, keep your face out breathing deep until your body warms up (goes numb) so when you turn to freestyle the only part of your body that will feel cold will be your face. Trick your mind.
ReplyDeleteSooo cold, so clear and so very enjoyable!!! thanks North Bondi for a great swim!!!!
ReplyDeleteAwesome swim today... loved it!
ReplyDeleteNow I've been noticing that this ocean swim season has brought out some mighty fine looking guys to our already fantastic beaches. This is an awesome sport for eye candy but its pretty much impossible to tell relationship status whilst these guys stand on the start line in the 'Male 35-39' category. Just a thought for the remaining ocean swims of the season, kicking off with the Valentine's Day weekend swim at Little Bay is to add an 'S' to the single folks arms at registration? (what a better time to start such an initiative - the day after all the single folk have endured the day from hell the prior day). If people don't want to participate in this 'potentially find a life long partner who has similar interests to you' initiative then they don't have to, but it would be a massive help for those who might be looking, and make it very clear who its acceptable to approach vs risk getting bashed by a wife (no this has never happened but I imagine it could). Thoughts????
A great race this weekend but not really any different to last weekend or any of the others.
ReplyDeleteI paid my money, I swam the race, got my time and bought a sausage on a piece of bread. Much like last week and all the ones before.
All in all i was glad to see that the Bondi Classic was up to the standards of the Cole.
Only complaint I had was there was some broken glass on the beach that the organisers should have found and picked up.
Great race and well organised. Overall I had a great time. Just had two concerns....
ReplyDeleteI wasn't sure whether the women were swimming seperately from the men. Perhaps some clarification next time?
Also, given the large turnout it would have been great to have some more time between the waves of swimmers. It really was quite rough out there and it detracts from the enjoyment of the swim when you are feeling a little beaten up by the faster and less considerate swimmers out there. Perhaps this can be taken on board for future events.
Congratulations North Bondi! All you volunteers did a fabulous job...Thank you. As far as I am concerned you had every base covered and turned on a wonderful day. Everyone working was so happy and friendly. I was very early for check in, it wasn't busy and the lovely gentleman on my table (old ducks) even offered to apply the free sunscreen to my back....never before. It really makes a huge difference to swimmers to feel welcome and safe in the knowledge the organizers actually know what they are doing. After that performance you'll get even greater numbers next year. Keep up the great work.
ReplyDeleteLoving the 's' on the arms idea to identify the single folks out there (see comment above).
ReplyDeleteOverall - a great day, but I was one of the unfortunate women who was patiently waiting for my white & blue wave after the men had left the beach only to find out that suddenly we were all combined in one wave. A gigantic wave and a daunting task to swim from the back and try to swim through it. Better announcing and organization at the start could have prevented it.
I have a feeling that 3 minutes were then subtracted to our times instead of added to the times - otherwise, I've become an extraordinarily fast swimmer overnight and that's starting 45 seconds after everyone else!
Otherwise a great day.
Update on numbers and results ...
ReplyDeleteThe results came in to oceanswims.com after midnight last night and, since we work a day job, too, starting at 6am, we won't have them up until mid-late afternoon today, Monday. Sorry about that, but there you go.
Also, there's been a lot of talking about how many mugs swam yesterday. The results say there were 1,270 in the longer swim and 717 in the shorter, totalling 1,977, which is a tremendous result for North Bondi SLSC.
This undoubtedly reflects spillover from the Fairfax Meeja promotion of the Cole Classic, despite Fairfax doing virtually nothing to tell punters about other swims on the calendar.
We have noticed hordes of new names coming through in the entries online, and many, many new faces on the starting line. You can tell some of the newbies because they wear boardies. We trust they'll get over that. It's much easier and more comfortable without them.
But welcome to all you new ocean swimmers. We love having you with us. And just remember, the best part of the season is yet to come ...
os.c
I second the "S on the arm" comment above, for women as well please ;-). A big "S" on the arm please girls at next weekend's Malabar-Little Bay event... We're all gentlemen at these events (at least I hope so), so please no hassling, just a good way to meet people of similar interests.
ReplyDeleteGreat event.... well done North Bondi. Some suggestions for next year:
ReplyDelete- thin the traffic with smaller waves and/or an extra minute between starts
- have Neil draw breath occasionally, turn down the volume, and provide some useful information about the race (eg. "all white and blue caps start at 6 minutes")
- can we have a category for breastrokers, perhaps behind the "back of the pack"?
- another vote for the "S" concept
What a great day! A welcome change to the schmozzle that was the Cole Classic. Minor hiccoughs between announcements of waves from the surf club and the people at the starting line, but otherwise a very well run event. I felt the water temp actually helped the "motor" work a little harder. Regarding the "S on the arm" idea: I think it's good, for men as well as women. We're all in the this ocean swimming together, we're all ladies and gentlemen I'm sure, so the idea could work. No hassling please guys, it might be just a good way to meet people of similar interests and provide the ice-breaker.
ReplyDeleteto all the whingers out there about the Cole Classic, and saying that the Bondi event was better run - blah blah blah.
ReplyDeleteI swum both, and definitely thought that the CC could have been improved - booeey's moving, huge gaps between waves etc - but also think the Bondi swim could have been better run.
I actually found Bondi harder to swim, especially with both the 30-34 and 35-39 groups starting together with both men and women. It was basically a sh*&fight at the start and around each booeey. And a little dangerous for the less experienced.
I dont think you can hold the Bondi event up as the golden child event with no issues etc.
All in all - had a great time at both, with different challenges at each - but isn't that what ocean swimming is all about. If you wanted a controlled and perfectly run hour in the water - stick to the pool!!! And let up on the whinging - how are you going to cope when the CC is 10k+ people.
As if the CC will ever be 10K people, there would be SERIOUS water safety issues with that, they will just cap entries at what is deemed to be a safe number. Anyway, what is wrong with people wanting a better run swim, if we don't demand excellence then what we will get is a debacle.
ReplyDeleteI think the only confusion I heard of was on the 30-39 M/F start and subsequently the wave size... otherwise it appeared to run pretty smoothly, and the atmosphere was so relaxed and calm compared to the spectacle or the previous weekend.
Also, I have to say that cake at presentation was yummy! Where was it from?
Lastly, even if Little Bay/Malabar don't take up the S idea, I might just write on my own... encourage other fans to do the same... see you on the start line ;-)
I think the 'S' idea is great! However given we're in sydney its probably best to have the 'S' followed by some sort of preference i.e. M for Male, F for Female, E for either....
ReplyDelete"I think the 'S' idea is great! However given we're in sydney its probably best to have the 'S' followed by some sort of preference i.e. M for Male, F for Female, E for either...."
ReplyDeleteThanks OS.C that's a great idea.
In regards to the confusion on the male and female30 /39 , the starter clearly stated no less than 20 times that the ist wave is male ony with the megafone,it only took a couple of the women behind to take off ,and it was a case of follow the leader,a great day and thank u
ReplyDeleteThe cake was from Charing Cross Cake Shop...heaps better organised that CC...plenty to drink at the finish (Poweraide), goodies bag, sausage sizzle...freezing water...all good. Back next year
ReplyDeleteResults are up on the NBSLC website http://www.northbondisurfclub.com/html/s02_article/article_view.asp?id=838&nav_top_id=-1&nav_cat_id=-1
ReplyDeleteLoving the 'S' idea!
ReplyDeleteI can not believe that any ocean swimmers found the CC an enjoyable day. It was by far the worst ocean swim I have ever participated in - and that includes being stung in the nose & mouth by blue bottles at the dee why swim last year.
Loving the 'S' idea also!
ReplyDeleteI can not believe that any ocean swimmers enjoyed the CC. It was by far the worst ocean swim I have ever experienced - and that includes being stung in the nose & mouth at the dee why swim last year.
bondi looked great as always but that water temp was just insane !!! really confused start with the women and men being put together but hearing mixed instructions on whether it was a combined wave. was way too crowded heading around buoys with such big groups and those clever little timing chips scratching the hell out of everyone swimming over the top. although love looking at all the men ( love the S idea ) prefer to send them off first next time ....
ReplyDeleteI am just going to say it – I loved Bondi. Well organised, clear instructions, interesting course that didn’t magically adjust itself whilst you were swimming it. Yes the water was a bit chilly – but that’s all part of the great ocean swimming experience AND it sorts out the men from the boys so to speak!
ReplyDeleteMy only gripe was the 30-39 male/female waves which ended up going off as one huge group - which I think was due to people not reading the race briefing properly (clearly displayed near the registration area I might add). I was one of the unfortunate few ladies left behind slightly bewildered on the beach who then had to play catch up with the rest of the field. One good thing was that I got some fantastic clear water to swim in, so it wasn’t all bad.
On a slightly different note, I have noticed of late that there seems to be a lot of “grabbing” going on in the water. No, not that kind of grabbing! My grip is about those people who actually grab on to your ankles. It’s not necessary and it’s dangerous. I understand that with two or three hundred people around you at any one time, all fighting for the same bit of ocean, it is unavoidable that you will be tapping other people on the heels etc, but there really is no need to grab and hang onto the persons ankles in front of you. Please don’t do it, these events are supposed to be fun and family friendly.
A great day was had, and I look forward to many more! Many thanks to North Bondi SLSC.
A good day at Bondi but the bigger races get there's more for the organisers (and swimmers) to learn. The grouping of waves was seemingly random, differed from announcements, sizes varied too much and the 1km yellow cap women got left out completely. Were they just meant to follow any men with S written on their arm and hope? Why let the young kids get so completely bowled over by the following waves. The PA announcements contradicted the announcements from the guys with the megaphones on several occasions. You have to take it all in a good spirit. With the sea dead flat what was the excuse for the two white middle booees not being the same as in the map? Most importantly,though, how will these larger chipped races come to grips with the fact they need to adequately account for every swimmer by the end who has entered the water. There obviously wasn't the chaos caused by the race start moving beaches as happened in the Cole, indeed the completely still surf was disappointing, but overall enjoyed both for what they are. Clearly something must be afoot with so many people now turning up. If managed well, not a bad thing for all.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the bondi swim,water clearer than ever.Please take it easy when swimming over poeple.Good idea re S from male 40-44.
ReplyDeleteThose tight turning buoys off Ben Buckler & Mackenzies Point were certainly a bit pushy, a bit grabby, a bit scratchy and a bit kicky. Particularly the 3rd marker where a raft of average swimmers in my wave were caught by a pack of faster swimmers from the next wave jostling for position. Fortunately I have ample body mass to hold a position in the water if I get bumped or pushed, but I can see why some smaller swimmers might feel a little intimidated. I'm thinking tight turning buoys of more than 90-degree angles will always lead to some argy-bargy on a relatively short course (2k) with a +1000 swimmers. Maybe flatter angles required on the turns for the larger swims as the numbers increase. The least congested course design would be a straight line or a circle!
ReplyDeleteoh hai elizabeth!
ReplyDeletefrom fifi
A very salient point has just been made here by someone.
ReplyDeleteI believe the the swimmers should enter the start marshalling area by walking over a timing mat just prior to the race. This logs them as about to start the swim. Nothing to do with timing just a reconciliation tool.
Praise for Glistening Dave for his magnificent photos that encapsulate the mood of the North Bondi swim.
ReplyDeleteThe swimmers look like they are trapped in a huge block of ice and trying to break free. Frozen in time!
Looking at the pics is one of the highlights after every swim.
And GD has impeccable taste. He snapped my daughter in '07 (Bilgola), me in the '08 North Bondi swim and my brother-in-law at '09 North Bondi (no, he's not the nipple shot - that one is tres bizarre).
Thank God for extra body fat! What a great swim, clear, calm and bloody freezing. thanks to NBSLC for a fantastic event. I'll be back!
ReplyDeleteAnd just like that, Black pental pens are selling great guns and mens 35-39 age group swim caps are fetching 70$ on ebay.
ReplyDeleteDon't you just love old, married men
I resemble the latter.
Moose
Frstly, thank you north bondi surf club for your first aid assistance - very cold, but great swim.
ReplyDeleteJust a question with many ocean swims - How about recognising under 19 swimmers in different age categories? A 19 year old man against a 13 year old boy doesnt compute! Let's try to encourage the youngsters to have a go and a competitive chance at winning a prize
Glistening Dave, you have made my mum's day with that action shot. And I got to be icon on the home page. Better than my sister in law Shayne.
ReplyDeleteAgree with all that this was a truly sublime, amazing, albeit speedo shrinking swim! Paul, your trip report is fantastic and certainly captured the spirit of the day. It was great to see so many of my club mates from Wett Ones taking part, a couple of them for the very first time. Tracey - great to hear you are doing OK.
ReplyDeleteThank you North Bondi SLSC for putting on such a professionally run event, we always feel in very safe hands swimming at your two very fantastic events each year - which remain great value at $50 for the combo entry. Great to see the numbers up, I did not find there to be a lot of argy bargy....Oh and those sample bags afterwards are fantastic, my little doggie loves his new toy....
A couple of points:
1. As others have mentioned, I did get extremely confused by having one piece / bikini clad lasses swimming right next to me as I took off in the M30-34 and M35-39 group. I thought the instructions of the marshall were pretty clear and the 10:36 wave was only supposed to be for male swimmers in those groups.
2. We could expand the arm labelling to include other vital pieces of information which could help our club team members out....
3. Who else found it ironic the plane that did the sky advertising for Lipton was writing to advise us to "Stay Cool", given there were competitors wrapped up in space blankets and in the sauna to avoid hypothermia???
4. What did people think of the chips?
Kezza
Really enjoyed the swim. Sure I'm a tad biased (my local beach), but thanks NoBo SLSC. Can't you squeeze another one in sometime? How about mid-winter when the calendar's clear and the water warms up?
ReplyDeleteLove a good give-away, but:
1. Message to my buddy Fred who told his kids that he "won" the give-away bag: maybe you should level with them that it's an attendance incentive.
2. Sorry to the sponsor, but thumbs down for my cheese 'n onion chips - I'll test them on workmates tomorrow. Happy to sample other flavours.
3. The fitness magazine had an article about preparing for your first oceanswim including drafting tips. Thumbs down: bad ettiquette.
4. I forgot what 4 was for.
5. Did anyone find the boards marking the way between the Mackenzies and Icebergs buoys encroaching on their swim line? Or did I swim wide? (Probably the latter)
A word from the sponsors.
ReplyDeleteEat chips next year and try drafting the over 60's women as they swim past you.
Great event...great announcer...we did very well.
"The Sponsors"
Great event as always. My only suggestion would be to split the waves up more. The 30-39 age group was out of control. I found the start to this race to be the roughest in years. I was in the lead group and it was very agressive. There are a number of turns and the large numbers made these very difficult. I also felt sorry for the group in front who would have had a larger than normal group of angry men (especially those white caps) crashing their way thru.
ReplyDeleteI remember when Graham Cole used to sit on the promenade outside North Bondi SLSC at a little table and take entries for three weekends before the CC at Bondi. That was when the Cole had some feeling. So all of you swimmers who pay $65 to swim in the mega cole blockbuster corporate event, come over to Nth Bondi next year and see the real spirit of Graham Cole at the Nth Bondi classic. Last Sunday was the best day. Great swim , great water safety, good announcing, $5 T Shirts, the lifesavers of NB SLSC hugging swimmers suffering from the cold, and $35 for a late entry. Memorable
ReplyDeleteThank you, Shayne, for your generous words. I should point out that while
ReplyDeleteI am happy to be acknowledged as the photagrapher behind some of the land shots, the water shots are by oceanswims.com himself. I'm sure he would appreciate the thanks, too, although he has been known to be a very shy fellow, at times.
Glistening Dave.
I agree with the sponsors. Guys who can't make the top 500 aren't qualified to comment on ocean swimming tips....Eat chips rob
ReplyDeleteAs the coach of swimmers who were successful in both the roughwater and the nth bondi classic i would like to thank and congratulate all involved for a great day at both swims.As always with these types of events there is going to be little things that can be improved upon.We entered 11 swimmers last weekend after starting with 4 swimmers at the roughwater and this was only through word of mouth which is a real positive for the sport.When Stacey swims in hawaii in september she will be swimming for all that competed last sunday and the nth bondi sc because without you stacey would not be there.A special thank you to paul,peter you are champions, your help was greatly appreciated and one of the reasons why this event is such a huge success.
ReplyDeleteThis swim was an interesting one indeed, the 'ice cream' headaches, the hyperventilation as you dive into the water, the burn/sting on the shoulders as you swim thru the water. 16.5C felt like -4C out there. I thought overall the swim was well run, I had an enjoyable day out. One thing Im not sure if anyone else noticed, was that the white buoys were particularly hard to see given that the bondi ice bergs was the backdrop behind the buoys. Im sure in most swims this would not be a problem, but when you have white against white buildings in the background it did make it difficult. Also white seemed to be harder than expected to see due to the reflection of the sun on the water from a swimmers low lying level. Hats off to organisers though, for the pink banners, which were clearly visible and helped us line up the run home.
ReplyDeleteCheers
I vote Rob Salamon's
ReplyDelete"4. I forget was 4 was for."
as the number one contender for the beer this months beer.
Still laughing.
techno boy
ReplyDeleteWas intrigued by the Glistener's comment that Oceanswims.com is sometimes known to be somewhat shy?
Yes the 30-39 age group was dangerous, the women that left with the men should have been DQ'd, (it would have been obvious, their times would have been significantly faster). The instructions were very clearly posted on a board as you walk down the ramp - difficult to miss. Ordinarily a sharp turn isn't ideal but given the group was so big, conditions at the buoy's were nothing short of mayhem....
ReplyDeleteMore consideration needs to be given at all oceanswims when the unexpected happens (ie. a stampede of 30-39 women into the water with the 30-39 men.....this won't improve your chances on Valetines day ladies). The race organisers should not have sent the remaining women but instead held them back for their original start time which was three minutes after the men.
Probably best to think logically next time race organisers, it would have taken twenty seconds to make a clear (safe) judgement on this one instead of acting impulsively.
As Ocean swimming is growing in size the CC with 4000 participants and the North Bondi attracting over 2000 which is amazing it would be great to see more organization in the starting waves the fastest swimmers start of the beach first in group 'A' and so on. This would prevent the fastest swimmers swimming over the slower swimmers and thus a more enjoyable and safer environment for everyone.
ReplyDeleteI was one of the ones who ended up in the sauna last Sunday! Just wanted to say thanks as I thought I was OK when I got out of the water but you guys knew better. Thanks for getting me towels and attention and the sauna. Home was only a few minutes away so a hot shower and 2 hours in the 35C sun with a fleece on and I was perfectly fine!
ReplyDeleteLessons for next time for me: learn to swim faster so I’m not in the water as long…..:)
Thanks again to the volunteers – soooo much better organised than the CC.
Its about time with the advent of computer timing we should have waves of swimmers in categories of pre recorded times. The fastest first and the slower last, Waikiki Rough Water have done it for years, so does City to Surf. Obviously if no times provided then you go to the back of the pack until you supply times, its not rocket science. Its not fair for the serious swimmers and also before some one gets hurt. I am sick of swimming over top of people and having my legs grabbed from behind. It's only going to get worse as these swims become more popular. Now swimming in the 50's category it is so fustrating to get a clear run, so we end up having to swim very wide and on your own. Time for change!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe challenge and a lot of the appeal of ocean swimming is that you never know what conditions you are going to face when you turn up to complete an ocean swim event , so who would have predicted that we would be faced with the prospect of 16 degree water temperatures for our swim on Sunday at North Bondi ???? But that was what “ Huey the Ocean God “ served up to us on Sunday.
ReplyDeleteOver the past three months I have been heavily involved with the Can Too East Pod who have been training at Bondi and the event on Sunday was one of our goal events for all of our Can Too swimmers from the North , North West and South Pod’s.
Our East Coach, Col started “ marshalling “ the troops for the 1km warm up ( as it was our “surf” ….well loose term …. ) and he was hesitant to get us all in the water, due to the cold, but the 5th in line coach and Team Captain Kingy said “ Well I think we should get used to what we are going to experience so I think we should get in there “ and without any complaints and in true Can Too Spirit it was a case of “Ok , this is how it is , let’s get going “ !!! And even the girl from mainland NZ found the water refreshing !! So we were as prepared as we were ever going to be for the 1km race. There was a record number of competitors for the 1km and it was the first race for some of our Can Too’ers but they had the guiding wisdom of those who had competed at the Cole Classic the week before standing on the start with them, so those guys were ready for anything to be thrown at them . As the report said Bondi was colour and pageantry and the 1km got off to a “ splashing start “ with the wave of colour striding into the ocean . Then it was down to business for the Eastie Can Too Team as we had all done so many times at training sessions at Bondi on a Saturday. I am all proud to say the Can Too participants finished the 1km race with smiles on their faces and running up the beach ( although was a bit hard to tell if it was a grimace).
Then it was time for the 2km and once again , the call went up for the mandatory warm up ( which was in fact the cool down ) and with the same gusto and enthusiasm the participants for the 2km entered the water in readiness for the race. We also had a few that backed up from the 1km race. Again there was a record number of entries and some of the Eastie Can Too’ers doing their first race. What a beginning and local knowledge paid as some the East Can Too’ers took the “ North Bondi elevator “ and ran to where Coach Col was standing to direct to get into the water and have a smooth swim run out to meet up with the peloton at the first buoy. All of those who were in the 2km will agree there was a bit of pushing of shoving throughout the race but that is another challenge of ocean swimming and that is also something that we had practised at training so we were prepared for it , however does not dull from the discomfort from the experience . Once again , Can Too’ers finished the race with absolute pride and sense of achievement on their faces ( the frozen feeling not showing through at all !!! ). There were a couple of the team who needed some attention by the end of the race due to the cold ( they also appreciated all the attention from the NBSLSC volunteers ) , they did a fantastic job to get through and demonstrate Can Too determination throughout the race.
On behalf of all the Can Too participants , I would like to thank the North Bondi Surf Club for putting on the event for all the participants. It was the first year that this event was nominated as a goal swim by Can Too , making it the third goal swim on the Can Too Swim calendar and we can safely say that it will be a goal swim again next year as our entire Can Too Team thoroughly enjoyed the colour and pageantry with all the challenges that an ocean swim offers and why we do it in the first place. If it was easy , everyone would do it.
C you in the C
Team Captain - Can Too East Pod
Kingy
www.cantoo.org.au
I agree with "Time for Change!!!!". At the moment, the organisers have to categorise people by age, so it just means categorising them by nominated time instead. Computerchip can still present results in age categories. Good suggestion.
ReplyDeleteRe the suggestion for singles and messages on arms. If its going to be done, it should be done properly so,
ReplyDeleteThe first letter should be who you are looking for, eg F
then wether you are completely mortgaged or unencumbered, such as U
your religion - C catholic, A Anglican, N agnostic, M Morman, J Jedi Knight -C
are you kinky K, straight laced S, or likes the dark D - K
What sex you actually are - Male, Female (it is sydney) - M
are you eligible to get married E , or not N - E
This should be written down a swimmers leg of course... then you can politely say thats what you were looking at ...rather than their arse...
Whoever wrote that is brilliant and shouldn't be posting as anonymous....I will laugh about this all weekend!
ReplyDeleteThe silly young lasses in the 35-39's violated point 4 of Mr Banberrys code of conduct.
ReplyDeleteYou need to make yourselves aware of this well constructed list.
Hilda Thiel-City Tatts