Coogee is a glorious swim, made better when you get to see at close-up the bottom around Wedding Cake Island. In recent years, we haven't seen that much of that beautiful bottom -- all Devil's Marbles boulders on the beach side, and wavey, weedy reef on the ocean side -- because the booees have been set for safety and kept us wide. This time, however, through some quirk of booee laying, the first return reach, after rounding the outermost booee outside the island, had us almost crossing the corner of the island if you took a straight line booeee-to-booee. Watching from that outermost booee, where we did vox pops with our Olympus video camera, you could see the sets breaking on the island almost across the course. So swimming that leg wasn't just heading from booee to booee, but also keeping out of the way of the swell, heading a bit more to the south. The advantage, however, was that we got to see more reef close up. It is one of the most beautiful bottoms you will ever see. And we are so lucky to get to swim over it. Not many people get to do that...
Up in the Tweed River, by the way, we had reports of the water, which was brown, which meant you couldn't quite see the coral that Killer said was down there. They're developing the Killer brand, by the way, with the release this year of The Killer wine label, a pinot grigio was one we saw tweeted by our correspondent in locus, Roger Muspratt. Roger also was presented with a Golden Globe Award for his report on oceanswims.com of this swim last year. The Golden Globe was... er, a golden light globe. Well, perhaps all the Golden Globes from Hollywood have been taken. That corresponds with the Lucky Door Prize at the Tweed River Swim, which is a door...
And at Redliffe, near Brisbane, there was the 3rd leg of the Great Australian Swim Series, this leg won this year by Trent Grimsey and Melissa Gorman. Not a bad effort for Grimsey who, on Saturday, won the 5km and was second in the 10km events in the WA Swimming Open Water Swim Series in... PERTH! Grimsey flew back overnight on the red-eye. Perhaps he won today because he was still warmed up from Perth...
In Melbourne, the season kicked off with the Edithvale-Aspendale Club to Club swim. Can anyone tell us what happened there...
But tell us what you thought... comments below, if you please...
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Big weekend all over...
What a big weekend for swims all over the place... In NSW, Woy Woy Swimming Club had their first swim at Umina on Saturday, then two swims on Sundee, at Balmain -- the Dawny swim -- and at Cronulla, the Cook Classic.
We were at Hamilton Island for the Whitehaven Beach Swim. Luvverly day out, glorious weather all 'round, and some very noice water. We saw some triffic tweets from mug swimmers at Dawny, and there was a good report from Cronulla, too. And Whitehaven was just a noice day out. No trouble from the weather.
Tell us what you thought, and complete our swimmer feedback surveys on each of these swims (links on the oceanswims.com home page)...
We were at Hamilton Island for the Whitehaven Beach Swim. Luvverly day out, glorious weather all 'round, and some very noice water. We saw some triffic tweets from mug swimmers at Dawny, and there was a good report from Cronulla, too. And Whitehaven was just a noice day out. No trouble from the weather.
Tell us what you thought, and complete our swimmer feedback surveys on each of these swims (links on the oceanswims.com home page)...
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Back to the 'roy...
Lovely day at Collaroy, and what a revelation was "the bottom". Sure, there were some very noice bottoms that we passed, and which passed us, but particularly the one way down below. Looking out from the beach, Collaroy -- "the 'roy", as Judy Playfair refers to it, a beach where her family was instrumental in setting up the surf club 100 years ago -- looked a bland swim. A champagne glass course, keeping it simple.
The organising club, led by former explosive Tigers centre Denis Bendall, didn't want too many complications. But what a discovery once you're in the water! A bottom full of reef and weed and, consequently, sea life. Big rays, little rays, wobbies sitting on the bottom, and a pod of dolphins swimming through the peloton mid-race, Bendall reported afterwards, although no swimmer we consulted actually saw them. Pity.
It was a luvverly day out, and well worth the trip, and a top effort by Bendall and his cobbers for their first time swim.
Next year's is November 11.
What did you think of today's swim?
The organising club, led by former explosive Tigers centre Denis Bendall, didn't want too many complications. But what a discovery once you're in the water! A bottom full of reef and weed and, consequently, sea life. Big rays, little rays, wobbies sitting on the bottom, and a pod of dolphins swimming through the peloton mid-race, Bendall reported afterwards, although no swimmer we consulted actually saw them. Pity.
It was a luvverly day out, and well worth the trip, and a top effort by Bendall and his cobbers for their first time swim.
Next year's is November 11.
What did you think of today's swim?
A chip of the old block ... err finger.
Folks… this is a tale of a little swimming interaction I had at a pool in Brissy. I’m telling this tale because I think it is food for thought for swim organisers, when designing a swim course of any kind, to spend some time thinking about collision.
So, back in May, I was up in Qld for work. As usual, I pack the swim gear to get a swim in where ever. I normally venture to the Centennial Pool at Spring Hill if I am up that way, but decided I’d give Fortitude Valley a go. When I arrived, lanes were set out by pace, and normally, I’d pop in the Fast Lane, but there were a bunch of people swimming with flippers, slowly. So I jumped in the “Medium” lane, only to learn how frustrating it is not to be in the fast lane. On this day, I had forgot to pack my defog spray for my goggles, so didn’t have the best clarity of vision, which I don’t have anyway. Having tailed some fella for a lap, I decided to overtake him, only to discover there were two of them, and a swimmer coming the other way. Like the urban rev-head, I had put the foot down. However, I didn’t see the swimmer coming my way until my index finger made contact with his massive scone during my extension stroke. In response, I quickly pulled my hand out the way, apologised, and carried on.
So off to work, and the conference, where I realise I can’t lift the coffee pot. By the end of the day, the joint was swollen but could be relieved by holding onto a cold ale. For some reason, probably a male thing, I did not see a doctor for 2 months. When I decided to go, so began the referrals. Doctor says – “you need an X-ray”; take self for X-ray; return to doctor – “you need to see an orthopaedic surgeon”, referred to surgeon; surgeon refers me to CT scan and ultrasound, return to surgeon with imaging; "you need to see a hand surgeon", hand surgeon says “inoperable”, refers me to sports physio, two visits to physio. Now, 9 appointments, 13 total hrs and $590 later, I have given up to let nature take its course.
In clocking this guy on the head, I had taken an 8mm chip off the joint in the middle of my finger that is now permanently wedged at right angles. In all honesty, it has not caused too much grief swimming, and the most painful episode was the physio putting his full weight on the finger to try straightening it up. Luckily for me, he is a keen cyclist. However, I am paranoid about hitting oncoming swimmers as I was told it takes a year to self-heal.
So my point of writing about this little episode is to highlight the potential for collision when swim courses are set out. Opportunities where people can swim into each other need to be avoided. I recall one swim with a T-shaped course where you had to do 180 degree turns into the oncoming traffic. The same can happen with those courses with very sharp angles, like the ones in “Y-shaped” courses, where currents can sweep you into the way of swimmers behind.
Has this ever happened to you? Let us know your thoughts?
John Bamberry
@WoJoBungo
Monday, November 7, 2011
Noosa and Mur'bah - Bikes and bands
Here’s an unusual double - from the Noosa Triathlon on October 30 to the Killer Swim in Murwillumbah on November 27. Noosa is huge with 7500 punters. That would be like the whole population of Murwillumbah turning up at the rowing club to have a dip in the Tweed River.
Here’s another bit of trivia. When you come over the hill at Noosa and down towards Hastings Street, the whole of Lions Park off to your left is a sea of bicycles (a plethora of pelotons) on the triathlon weekend – about 7000 of them ranging from the latest carbon fibre wonders with (I am not making this up) aerodynamically shaped drink bottles. At the other end of the scale are some surprisingly banged up old things. We took $4000 or $5000 as a conservative average. Really conservative because these people will spend $3000 to $4000 on a set of wheels. But at $4000, there’s $28 million in bicycles in the park, or $35 million if you take a $5000 average.
Money is no object when you can buy time in a race. Maybe it should be like craft events in surf lifesaving. You bring your ski or board in to be weighed before the national championships, and if it’s too light, they add weights.
The 1500m swim leg is in Weyba Creek. Considering how close you are to the blue waters of Noosa’s Laguna Bay, this is pretty average. But you can see that it would be a nightmare getting the whole field across Hastings Street, especially when you have to close the roads for about six hours.
In Murwillumbah, well, it’s not like Noosa. Good, you say. I agree. It doesn’t have as many coffee shops but it also doesn’t have as many round-abouts either. There’s nothing like the Riverview Hotel in Mur'bah and nothing like the former resident band, James T and the Tomahawks. Their CD has become my music of choice for heading off to the various swim events. This is the only way you’ll hear them now because apparently there’s been a split. I’m hoping the Tomahawks will be a little like grandad’s axe – a new head and a couple of new handles but it’s still a bloody good axe.
It’s hard to explain the attraction of Murwillumbah – a little fund raiser for the Fingal Rovers surf club. Some swims you do if there’s nothing else on. But you have a core group that you keep the calendar clear. It’s great to be part of those monster events like Noosa because you can feel the energy. Murwillumbah is more like a swim with a few mates – who you still want to beat but it’s all good fun.
Here’s another bit of trivia. When you come over the hill at Noosa and down towards Hastings Street, the whole of Lions Park off to your left is a sea of bicycles (a plethora of pelotons) on the triathlon weekend – about 7000 of them ranging from the latest carbon fibre wonders with (I am not making this up) aerodynamically shaped drink bottles. At the other end of the scale are some surprisingly banged up old things. We took $4000 or $5000 as a conservative average. Really conservative because these people will spend $3000 to $4000 on a set of wheels. But at $4000, there’s $28 million in bicycles in the park, or $35 million if you take a $5000 average.
Money is no object when you can buy time in a race. Maybe it should be like craft events in surf lifesaving. You bring your ski or board in to be weighed before the national championships, and if it’s too light, they add weights.
The 1500m swim leg is in Weyba Creek. Considering how close you are to the blue waters of Noosa’s Laguna Bay, this is pretty average. But you can see that it would be a nightmare getting the whole field across Hastings Street, especially when you have to close the roads for about six hours.
In Murwillumbah, well, it’s not like Noosa. Good, you say. I agree. It doesn’t have as many coffee shops but it also doesn’t have as many round-abouts either. There’s nothing like the Riverview Hotel in Mur'bah and nothing like the former resident band, James T and the Tomahawks. Their CD has become my music of choice for heading off to the various swim events. This is the only way you’ll hear them now because apparently there’s been a split. I’m hoping the Tomahawks will be a little like grandad’s axe – a new head and a couple of new handles but it’s still a bloody good axe.
It’s hard to explain the attraction of Murwillumbah – a little fund raiser for the Fingal Rovers surf club. Some swims you do if there’s nothing else on. But you have a core group that you keep the calendar clear. It’s great to be part of those monster events like Noosa because you can feel the energy. Murwillumbah is more like a swim with a few mates – who you still want to beat but it’s all good fun.
Roger Muspratt
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Some home truths from an old hack... (Burleigh)
Ours is a participant sport and you don’t like to focus on the elite stars but Ky Hurst’s effort in the Dash for Cash at Burleigh on Sunday October 23 was outstanding – real old-time, surf club wading skills stuff.
The four-time Australian ironman champion looked well beaten as the field hit the shallows. The Grimsey boys seemed to have put too big a gap on him. But from there everything went right for the London-bound Hurst. It was a long and seriously treacherous wade with the bottom cut into deep pot holes and a deeper section right at the water’s edge. Then there was quite an incline up to the soft sand where a slight stumble robbed Trent Grimsey of his momentum in the soft sand and Hurst powered past to an unlikely win. It was a surf skills event with that murderous finish. With his win in the 2km and second to Grimsey in the 1km, Hurst had a good day.
The long wade and run to the finish line didn’t seem to worry most of the regular punters. We just tip-toed through the pot holes and strolled up to the timing mats. The bottom has been cut up Burleigh for a while now and some of coach Wes Berg’s surf squad have come to grief during their training sessions. Old folks can’t run through it. It’s okay for the kids if they step in a hole. They tend to bounce. We tend to break.
Melissa Gorman put in a tongue-in-cheek protest on behalf of the pool swimmers but the Burleigh guys were having none of it. Protest dismissed.
Burleigh surf club stuck to their early 7am start which caused a few grumbles. But most of the time you will always get better conditions earlier in the morning. And it was true here. For the 2km event, which started nearly on time, it was beautiful smooth swimming and brilliantly clear water. But an hour or so later, for the 1km, the wind was stronger and had started to stir up the surface.
Not as bad as the Coolangatta swim on September 25 but you get the picture.
It was one of those perfect days with a light southerly early. Which was lucky because there was the odd bluey reported at North Burleigh and a lot further up the coast. There was a small shore break, just big enough to have you in two minds about weather to dive over or under the waves. A slight northerly sweep through the gutter took some people off course and then the outside break depended on weather you were hit by a set or got through on a lull. This is perfect ocean swimming – just a bit of a wave but nothing dangerous. It’s just enough that if you do all the surf stuff properly, you’ll get a bit of a jump on the field.
We were in competition with the Gold Coast 600 car race on the Sunday but I don’t think the petrol heads affected the chlorine heads too much. And if you are both, there was plenty of time to get home and watch the race on television. There looked to be just over 400 entries which may not be quite as many as last year but still plenty of encouragement for the Burleigh club to persist with the event.
Things now dry up a bit for Queensland ocean swims. Some folks are doing a swim leg in next weekend’s Noosa Tri and then Killer has his big day at Murwillumbah on November 27. I’ve become a Murwillumbah regular now. It’s a bit hard to explain the attraction. The water is never really clear and the town’s half asleep and Tomahawks seem to have split. But that eucalyptus-scented water takes me back to swimming in water holes as a kid and with these smaller swims, you feel like if you don’t turn up, it might all be over. And there is the Killer factor. You can be guaranteed of the odd Killer clanger once he gets his mits on the microphone. You can sort of see it in the faces of the locals. Here he goes on the microphone again. What’s he going to come up with this time. They all love him down there. It’s worth going down just for that.
Roger Muspratt
The four-time Australian ironman champion looked well beaten as the field hit the shallows. The Grimsey boys seemed to have put too big a gap on him. But from there everything went right for the London-bound Hurst. It was a long and seriously treacherous wade with the bottom cut into deep pot holes and a deeper section right at the water’s edge. Then there was quite an incline up to the soft sand where a slight stumble robbed Trent Grimsey of his momentum in the soft sand and Hurst powered past to an unlikely win. It was a surf skills event with that murderous finish. With his win in the 2km and second to Grimsey in the 1km, Hurst had a good day.
The long wade and run to the finish line didn’t seem to worry most of the regular punters. We just tip-toed through the pot holes and strolled up to the timing mats. The bottom has been cut up Burleigh for a while now and some of coach Wes Berg’s surf squad have come to grief during their training sessions. Old folks can’t run through it. It’s okay for the kids if they step in a hole. They tend to bounce. We tend to break.
Melissa Gorman put in a tongue-in-cheek protest on behalf of the pool swimmers but the Burleigh guys were having none of it. Protest dismissed.
Burleigh surf club stuck to their early 7am start which caused a few grumbles. But most of the time you will always get better conditions earlier in the morning. And it was true here. For the 2km event, which started nearly on time, it was beautiful smooth swimming and brilliantly clear water. But an hour or so later, for the 1km, the wind was stronger and had started to stir up the surface.
Not as bad as the Coolangatta swim on September 25 but you get the picture.
It was one of those perfect days with a light southerly early. Which was lucky because there was the odd bluey reported at North Burleigh and a lot further up the coast. There was a small shore break, just big enough to have you in two minds about weather to dive over or under the waves. A slight northerly sweep through the gutter took some people off course and then the outside break depended on weather you were hit by a set or got through on a lull. This is perfect ocean swimming – just a bit of a wave but nothing dangerous. It’s just enough that if you do all the surf stuff properly, you’ll get a bit of a jump on the field.
We were in competition with the Gold Coast 600 car race on the Sunday but I don’t think the petrol heads affected the chlorine heads too much. And if you are both, there was plenty of time to get home and watch the race on television. There looked to be just over 400 entries which may not be quite as many as last year but still plenty of encouragement for the Burleigh club to persist with the event.
Things now dry up a bit for Queensland ocean swims. Some folks are doing a swim leg in next weekend’s Noosa Tri and then Killer has his big day at Murwillumbah on November 27. I’ve become a Murwillumbah regular now. It’s a bit hard to explain the attraction. The water is never really clear and the town’s half asleep and Tomahawks seem to have split. But that eucalyptus-scented water takes me back to swimming in water holes as a kid and with these smaller swims, you feel like if you don’t turn up, it might all be over. And there is the Killer factor. You can be guaranteed of the odd Killer clanger once he gets his mits on the microphone. You can sort of see it in the faces of the locals. Here he goes on the microphone again. What’s he going to come up with this time. They all love him down there. It’s worth going down just for that.
Roger Muspratt
Monday, October 24, 2011
Burleigh, Forries... Start to new season...
Two swims over the weekend -- Forresters Beach on the NSW Central Coast, and Burleigh Heads, on the Gold Coast. How did you like those swims? We've seen some tweets (from Trent Grimsey) and we've had an email about the long run out of the surf at Burleigh, which didn't please everybody. What did you think? Leave your response below...Above, two of the legends of ocean swimming around Sydney, Big Arm Warrior Stephen De Lorenzo, and Lochie Hinds, head into the surf at Forresters. Thanks to Lochie's mum, Stephane, for the pics. It looked a grand day indeed at Forresters.
Tell us what you reckoned?
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Shark to Maui! But then the real tragedy...
Sharks and Speedboats - Maui Channel Swim 2011
The morning of Saturday September 3rd started as other years when the Aussie Ticker brethren gathered on Kaanapali Beach in Maui for the boat trip to Lanai. However, the wind was up and there were a few grumbles about how choppy it might be for the annual relay swim back. We fielded 2 Aussie Ticker teams this year, a powerful new Open Mixed team (Sigi Hill, Chris Allen, Justin Brewer, Carly Brewer, Robyn Hill and Shelley Clarke) and the defending champion Makule (over 40 Mens/ fat bastards) team (Andrew DeVries, Matt McQuade, Graeme Brewer, Guy Farrow, Simon Buckingham and Matt Renshaw). Little did any of us know how the day would unfold.
As we motored over to Lanai, it became clear that the chop and swell was significant. In fact, one other escort boat sank on the way over and all their swimmers and passengers had to be rescued and taken to the start line! Later we saw it's bow disappear to the depths of the channel! When we got to Lanai, the conditions were no better and another support boat actually got dragged onto the reef and had to be pulled off. It was shaping up as a big day.
Both lead-off swimmers (Sigi and ADV aka The Great Man) started strongly. The experienced Makule men decided on a direct, high line to the destination point in Maui. Sigi's Open team bet on a lower line to the right, planning to use the current and potentially calmer waters to their advantage later in the race. By the end of the first leg, they were already 100m or so away. Strong second swims ensued from Shelley Clarke and Matty "Lone Wolf" McQuade. Then Justin and Graeme, Little Brew and Big Brew, son and father, hit the water to go "mano e mano" in a much anticipated 3rd leg of the relay. However, they were already 200m apart on different courses - by this stage we were running our own races. 10 minutes later the world turned when the crewman on our Makule boat yelled "Shark!". As you would understand, this is the last word any channel swimmer wants to hear!
We looked down and to our collective horror a large beast had appeared about 5-10 metres behind Brew (ie. Graeme). Although it's dorsal fin had not yet broken the surface, it was a clear this was a serious shark. The screaming and yelling began as we attracted Brew's attention and the shark appeared to stare and follow him from behind. Brew swam to the boat with impressive speed and we hauled his considerable mass onto the boat as quickly as possible. Intact and unscathed. The shark went right and then down and under the boat. It then disappeared. It had clearly investigating Brew and was either scared of him or decided he was way too big to eat. Both are equally likely!
We all looked at each other and tried to decide what to do. The race rules state that in such a situation you have to stop advancing in the race, but can move laterally as far as you like before starting again. We spent several minutes establishing that the shark was gone, then motored about 500m away. One other boat was nearby and had pulled out their swimmer and took the same course of action. Despite radio contact with all other boats, everyone else decided to stay in the race.
Then it was Brew's call - stay out or get back in? Almost without hesitation, he got back in and resumed - one of the gutsiest acts ever witnessed in ocean swimming. Farrow, Rench and I looked at each other, knowing we would be next! Thanks Brew! Oh well, screw it! If we die being eaten by a large animal, then so be it. This is what we do. We have a koa bowl to defend! I know I can speak for Farrow and Rench - our next swims were the longest 30 minutes of our entire lives!
So everyone wants to know how big the shark was. The first point to make is that the boat we were on was a Big Game Fishing boat. This was the captain's business every day (364 per year), except for once a year when some swimming idiots hire him out for the day. He said this was the biggest tiger shark he had seen for 8 years - around 15 feet long and 1000 pounds. And he is in the business of trying to catch them every day!
We battled on and eventually finished in about 4 1/2 hours. Despite losing around 10 minutes with the shark incident, we still managed to come 3rd in the Makule division, missing out on first by only 4 or 5 minutes. Oh well, we still ended up with a much coveted race towel and a great story to tell our grand kids!
Meanwhile, the Mixed team had powered on to the finish 10 or 15 minutes earlier. They had picked a great line, swam strongly and came up with line honours for their division..... and the much sought after Koa bowl! An outstanding performance.
Aussie Ticker - a first and a third! A big day at the office.
Tired and relieved, we shot straight to the outside Tiki Bar for the usual post-race festivities and a few quiet Longboard Lagers. It was then that the real tragedy of the day unfolded. The bar is between the beach and the entrance to the hotel.
The paramedics rushed through the crowd with a swimmer on a stretcher. He was badly cut on one arm and missing his hand on the other. We immediately thought "shark" and the whole crowd looked on in stunned silence as he was whisked to a waiting ambulance. It turned out not to be a shark at all, but a freak speed boat accident. He was a tough and gutsy solo swimmer who had done the whole channel himself when a boat accidentally ran him over 100m or so from shore. The poor bastard didn't sign up for that and there will no doubt be an investigation. It appears to have been a freak accident. Now a matter for microsurgeons, police and, I suspect, lawyers. We all wish him well.
A lot to think about for next year!
Mahalo for our health and Aloha!
PS. The Aussie Ticker brethren put in a strong showing in the Waikiki Roughwater the following Monday. In the various age groups, Sigi was 3rd, Brew was 3rd and Chris, ADV, me and Rench peppered the podium in the 45-49 with 4th, 6th, 7th and 9th! A calm day and no marine wildlife to speak of. Luane and Shelley finished 1& 2 overall in the open womens and some of Peter Thiel's Maui team finished 1,2 & 3 in the open mens. A good showing for Australia!
The morning of Saturday September 3rd started as other years when the Aussie Ticker brethren gathered on Kaanapali Beach in Maui for the boat trip to Lanai. However, the wind was up and there were a few grumbles about how choppy it might be for the annual relay swim back. We fielded 2 Aussie Ticker teams this year, a powerful new Open Mixed team (Sigi Hill, Chris Allen, Justin Brewer, Carly Brewer, Robyn Hill and Shelley Clarke) and the defending champion Makule (over 40 Mens/ fat bastards) team (Andrew DeVries, Matt McQuade, Graeme Brewer, Guy Farrow, Simon Buckingham and Matt Renshaw). Little did any of us know how the day would unfold.
As we motored over to Lanai, it became clear that the chop and swell was significant. In fact, one other escort boat sank on the way over and all their swimmers and passengers had to be rescued and taken to the start line! Later we saw it's bow disappear to the depths of the channel! When we got to Lanai, the conditions were no better and another support boat actually got dragged onto the reef and had to be pulled off. It was shaping up as a big day.
Both lead-off swimmers (Sigi and ADV aka The Great Man) started strongly. The experienced Makule men decided on a direct, high line to the destination point in Maui. Sigi's Open team bet on a lower line to the right, planning to use the current and potentially calmer waters to their advantage later in the race. By the end of the first leg, they were already 100m or so away. Strong second swims ensued from Shelley Clarke and Matty "Lone Wolf" McQuade. Then Justin and Graeme, Little Brew and Big Brew, son and father, hit the water to go "mano e mano" in a much anticipated 3rd leg of the relay. However, they were already 200m apart on different courses - by this stage we were running our own races. 10 minutes later the world turned when the crewman on our Makule boat yelled "Shark!". As you would understand, this is the last word any channel swimmer wants to hear!
We looked down and to our collective horror a large beast had appeared about 5-10 metres behind Brew (ie. Graeme). Although it's dorsal fin had not yet broken the surface, it was a clear this was a serious shark. The screaming and yelling began as we attracted Brew's attention and the shark appeared to stare and follow him from behind. Brew swam to the boat with impressive speed and we hauled his considerable mass onto the boat as quickly as possible. Intact and unscathed. The shark went right and then down and under the boat. It then disappeared. It had clearly investigating Brew and was either scared of him or decided he was way too big to eat. Both are equally likely!
We all looked at each other and tried to decide what to do. The race rules state that in such a situation you have to stop advancing in the race, but can move laterally as far as you like before starting again. We spent several minutes establishing that the shark was gone, then motored about 500m away. One other boat was nearby and had pulled out their swimmer and took the same course of action. Despite radio contact with all other boats, everyone else decided to stay in the race.
Then it was Brew's call - stay out or get back in? Almost without hesitation, he got back in and resumed - one of the gutsiest acts ever witnessed in ocean swimming. Farrow, Rench and I looked at each other, knowing we would be next! Thanks Brew! Oh well, screw it! If we die being eaten by a large animal, then so be it. This is what we do. We have a koa bowl to defend! I know I can speak for Farrow and Rench - our next swims were the longest 30 minutes of our entire lives!
So everyone wants to know how big the shark was. The first point to make is that the boat we were on was a Big Game Fishing boat. This was the captain's business every day (364 per year), except for once a year when some swimming idiots hire him out for the day. He said this was the biggest tiger shark he had seen for 8 years - around 15 feet long and 1000 pounds. And he is in the business of trying to catch them every day!
We battled on and eventually finished in about 4 1/2 hours. Despite losing around 10 minutes with the shark incident, we still managed to come 3rd in the Makule division, missing out on first by only 4 or 5 minutes. Oh well, we still ended up with a much coveted race towel and a great story to tell our grand kids!
Meanwhile, the Mixed team had powered on to the finish 10 or 15 minutes earlier. They had picked a great line, swam strongly and came up with line honours for their division..... and the much sought after Koa bowl! An outstanding performance.
Aussie Ticker - a first and a third! A big day at the office.
Tired and relieved, we shot straight to the outside Tiki Bar for the usual post-race festivities and a few quiet Longboard Lagers. It was then that the real tragedy of the day unfolded. The bar is between the beach and the entrance to the hotel.
The paramedics rushed through the crowd with a swimmer on a stretcher. He was badly cut on one arm and missing his hand on the other. We immediately thought "shark" and the whole crowd looked on in stunned silence as he was whisked to a waiting ambulance. It turned out not to be a shark at all, but a freak speed boat accident. He was a tough and gutsy solo swimmer who had done the whole channel himself when a boat accidentally ran him over 100m or so from shore. The poor bastard didn't sign up for that and there will no doubt be an investigation. It appears to have been a freak accident. Now a matter for microsurgeons, police and, I suspect, lawyers. We all wish him well.
A lot to think about for next year!
Mahalo for our health and Aloha!
Simon Buckingham
PS. The Aussie Ticker brethren put in a strong showing in the Waikiki Roughwater the following Monday. In the various age groups, Sigi was 3rd, Brew was 3rd and Chris, ADV, me and Rench peppered the podium in the 45-49 with 4th, 6th, 7th and 9th! A calm day and no marine wildlife to speak of. Luane and Shelley finished 1& 2 overall in the open womens and some of Peter Thiel's Maui team finished 1,2 & 3 in the open mens. A good showing for Australia!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Mona Vale Coldstream consciousness
Car pool pick up Doctor Nuclear, fix all the world's problems before we arrive.
Swim in the ocean with no concrete walls.
Try a bit of hypoxic swimming around the course.
Car pool on way home, fill the car with a lot of IF ONLY I HAD
Epiphany this is the sport for the carbon free years.
Glistenrr how was I to know you were lurking in the bushes for the honour of swimming last.
Swim in the ocean with no concrete walls.
Try a bit of hypoxic swimming around the course.
Car pool on way home, fill the car with a lot of IF ONLY I HAD
Epiphany this is the sport for the carbon free years.
The Peach Farmer
Ta Mona Vale surf club for a great day.Glistenrr how was I to know you were lurking in the bushes for the honour of swimming last.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Prahran pool gets a facelift for winter
By KAOSVIC - ocean swimmer by preference, pool swimmer by necessity
My local pool opened up today after a month off for a facelift. More accurately it had a bottom lift.
It got a shiny new bottom, some new tiles and that's about it. It's still the same daggy pool it's been since it opened in 1964.
I've been a regular at Prahran pool since before I could swim. There were no lanes in those days. Just a heap of kids hanging around the shallow end til we got brave, or daring, enough, to tackle the deep end.
The scary pool guard, was his name Ernie?' would keep us under control, much like puppies, with not much more than his voice and a loud whistle. If he noticed you, he made you swim back to the shallow end to prove that you could actually swim before you were allowed to stay up the deep end with the cool kids.
My all-girls school used to take us there for swimming training early in the school year. Although it was probably February and March, the water always seemed to be freezing. And the communal showers were too unless you had the money to pay for a short spurt of hot water.
I never made the swimming team, but have had many happy hours at this pool over the past 40 years.
It's nothing fancy, and not much had changed. It doesn't have yoga, pilates, or child minding.
It does have a cool cafe, good coffee, a spa, and a Massage lady, Joy, who really knows how to help tired swimmers shoulders.
The pool always used to close in April and re open in October. A few years ago the local Council found the funds to keep it opened reduced hours all year round.
It's now 5.50 am to 9.30 am and 4.30 to 7.30 Monday to Friday and 8 til 10.30 am on weekends.
Just enough hours for the squads, the kids and the desperates.
You have to be pretty keen to get into a 50 m outdoor pool every Saturday morning and Monday morning all year round. The wind blows through wet bodies and although the water is a cozy 28 degrees, the air is single digit.
I often wonder if I'd be a better swimmer if I could get up earlier, but I know I can't commit to more.
I do know, whatever the weather, I always feel better for the effort.
I've done thousands of hours and thousands of kms at Prahran over the years. If the weather permits, it's pretty fine to hit the roof top banana lounges with a novel for some post swim recovery.
I taught myself to swim in the bay, I'm a proud and passionate ocean swimmer and I'd rather be in the ocean than the pool any day. But summer is short and winter endless in Melbourne. Thank goodness there is a compromise.
I'll never warm to the chlorine fug of the indoor pools.
But you'll find me year round with swimmers of all shapes and sizes lapping up and down at Prahran.
I hope little nip and tuck will keep Prahran in workable condition for many years. It's my pool and I love it.
My local pool opened up today after a month off for a facelift. More accurately it had a bottom lift.
It got a shiny new bottom, some new tiles and that's about it. It's still the same daggy pool it's been since it opened in 1964.
I've been a regular at Prahran pool since before I could swim. There were no lanes in those days. Just a heap of kids hanging around the shallow end til we got brave, or daring, enough, to tackle the deep end.
The scary pool guard, was his name Ernie?' would keep us under control, much like puppies, with not much more than his voice and a loud whistle. If he noticed you, he made you swim back to the shallow end to prove that you could actually swim before you were allowed to stay up the deep end with the cool kids.
My all-girls school used to take us there for swimming training early in the school year. Although it was probably February and March, the water always seemed to be freezing. And the communal showers were too unless you had the money to pay for a short spurt of hot water.
I never made the swimming team, but have had many happy hours at this pool over the past 40 years.
It's nothing fancy, and not much had changed. It doesn't have yoga, pilates, or child minding.
It does have a cool cafe, good coffee, a spa, and a Massage lady, Joy, who really knows how to help tired swimmers shoulders.
The pool always used to close in April and re open in October. A few years ago the local Council found the funds to keep it opened reduced hours all year round.
It's now 5.50 am to 9.30 am and 4.30 to 7.30 Monday to Friday and 8 til 10.30 am on weekends.
Just enough hours for the squads, the kids and the desperates.
You have to be pretty keen to get into a 50 m outdoor pool every Saturday morning and Monday morning all year round. The wind blows through wet bodies and although the water is a cozy 28 degrees, the air is single digit.
I often wonder if I'd be a better swimmer if I could get up earlier, but I know I can't commit to more.
I do know, whatever the weather, I always feel better for the effort.
I've done thousands of hours and thousands of kms at Prahran over the years. If the weather permits, it's pretty fine to hit the roof top banana lounges with a novel for some post swim recovery.
I taught myself to swim in the bay, I'm a proud and passionate ocean swimmer and I'd rather be in the ocean than the pool any day. But summer is short and winter endless in Melbourne. Thank goodness there is a compromise.
I'll never warm to the chlorine fug of the indoor pools.
But you'll find me year round with swimmers of all shapes and sizes lapping up and down at Prahran.
I hope little nip and tuck will keep Prahran in workable condition for many years. It's my pool and I love it.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Another New Beginnings End
Ocean swimmers are an independent bunch
While the rest of the world follows calendar years, or summer and winter seasons
I love it that we've decided that the Australian ocean swimming season finishes at the end of May and starts again at the beginning of June
For no real reason, other than the sea water on the south east coat of Australia is usually warm-ish from November until May, the cool-ish from June to October
I have enjoyed some good swimming over the last 12 months
Followed pretty much the same regime as last year with pool training and ocean swim races most weekends in summer, but ventured a little further afield and extended with some longer swims and some adventure swims
Some glimpses of improvement in swim times, not getting slower anyway
Total distance swum in open water races was about the same as last year
I got off to a slow start with no swims entered in October, while I completed a lifesaving course.
And then ditched a couple of the crowded swims that I didn't enjoy from last year
Although did end up doing more 5k longer swims than last season
I don't think os.c is giving out the results of the Ocean Swim Tallies until the presentation nite next month, I'll have to wait and see if I'm in the running again for Magoo's Distance Tallies Trophy. I did hear that some other swimmers had made a late charge with some longer swims this month.
Highlights from last season ...
- Magnetic Island to Townsville swim 8k -
Loved completing a challenging long swim in tough conditions, Loved the rolling celebration party afterwards - From the Surf Club, to the Waterworks Hotel in Townsville, to the Sun Ferry, to the Picnic Bay Hotel on Magnetic Island - Remember what happens on the island, stays on the island
- Pan Pacs Masters Open Water Swim 5k - A fun swim around a small lake on the Gold Coast - Took home a gold medal (team) and a silver medal (individual). Sometimes race selection is more important than swimming ability
- Sri Chinmoy Lake Swim Canberra 5k -
Not what I was expecting - heavy rains had brought muddy brown water and a strong wind chopped up the course. A good challenge and I enjoyed finishing
- "Bold & Beautiful" Manly Swims -
Some good informal swims with B&B Swimmers - including a "10k" harbour swim and "10k" ocean swim, both swims supported with paddler and fully catered with a teddy bear's picnic at the halfway mark
- "Across the Heads Swim" with B&B Swimmers and Swimsydney.com - Tough conditions, a little nervous, a good challenge. I never thought I would be doing something like that when I started ocean swimming a few years ago
- Around Cape Banks Swim - Little Bay to La Perouse - Informal swim with Murray Cox (swimsydney.com) - another good adventure
- Coogee to Bondi Redux - An Informal swim with my Seas The Limit training buddies - Good confidence booster to complete a swim 5k in big seas, rough water and 2m swell
- South Head Roughwater Swim - with Murray's team swimsydney.com - spectacular scenery and quite fun actually
- Swimming at Coogee every weekend (almost) all year round with my old swimming friends
- Swimming in an ocean swim event somewhere up or down the coast most weekends in summer with my new friends from ocean swimming
Thanks coach Chad for keeping the training fun and interesting and helping me with the confidence and mental preparation needed to take on longer and more challenging swims
Every swim is still an adventure for me
 |
| 2010-2011 Another year of swimming tragic |
 |
| .. But I'm not the only one |
 |
| WoJo YOU WIN |
 |
| Eight Ball |
 |
| Bondi Beach, Australia |
Ocean swimmers are an independent bunch
While the rest of the world follows calendar years, or summer and winter seasons
I love it that we've decided that the Australian ocean swimming season finishes at the end of May and starts again at the beginning of June
For no real reason, other than the sea water on the south east coat of Australia is usually warm-ish from November until May, the cool-ish from June to October
I have enjoyed some good swimming over the last 12 months
Followed pretty much the same regime as last year with pool training and ocean swim races most weekends in summer, but ventured a little further afield and extended with some longer swims and some adventure swims
Some glimpses of improvement in swim times, not getting slower anyway
Total distance swum in open water races was about the same as last year
I got off to a slow start with no swims entered in October, while I completed a lifesaving course.
And then ditched a couple of the crowded swims that I didn't enjoy from last year
Although did end up doing more 5k longer swims than last season
I don't think os.c is giving out the results of the Ocean Swim Tallies until the presentation nite next month, I'll have to wait and see if I'm in the running again for Magoo's Distance Tallies Trophy. I did hear that some other swimmers had made a late charge with some longer swims this month.
Highlights from last season ...
- Magnetic Island to Townsville swim 8k -
Loved completing a challenging long swim in tough conditions, Loved the rolling celebration party afterwards - From the Surf Club, to the Waterworks Hotel in Townsville, to the Sun Ferry, to the Picnic Bay Hotel on Magnetic Island - Remember what happens on the island, stays on the island
- Pan Pacs Masters Open Water Swim 5k - A fun swim around a small lake on the Gold Coast - Took home a gold medal (team) and a silver medal (individual). Sometimes race selection is more important than swimming ability
- Sri Chinmoy Lake Swim Canberra 5k -
Not what I was expecting - heavy rains had brought muddy brown water and a strong wind chopped up the course. A good challenge and I enjoyed finishing
- "Bold & Beautiful" Manly Swims -
Some good informal swims with B&B Swimmers - including a "10k" harbour swim and "10k" ocean swim, both swims supported with paddler and fully catered with a teddy bear's picnic at the halfway mark
- "Across the Heads Swim" with B&B Swimmers and Swimsydney.com - Tough conditions, a little nervous, a good challenge. I never thought I would be doing something like that when I started ocean swimming a few years ago
- Around Cape Banks Swim - Little Bay to La Perouse - Informal swim with Murray Cox (swimsydney.com) - another good adventure
- Coogee to Bondi Redux - An Informal swim with my Seas The Limit training buddies - Good confidence booster to complete a swim 5k in big seas, rough water and 2m swell
- South Head Roughwater Swim - with Murray's team swimsydney.com - spectacular scenery and quite fun actually
- Swimming at Coogee every weekend (almost) all year round with my old swimming friends
- Swimming in an ocean swim event somewhere up or down the coast most weekends in summer with my new friends from ocean swimming
Thanks coach Chad for keeping the training fun and interesting and helping me with the confidence and mental preparation needed to take on longer and more challenging swims
Every swim is still an adventure for me
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Awaiting winter
Two different swims over two days -- Sat'dee, the Noosa swim, then Sundee, the 2nd Inaugural Bondi Bluewater Challenge. Smooth water with slight offshore breezes at both, but very different in setting and water.
Noosa's water was muddy. Indeed, when we swam on the Fridee, literally you couldn't see the hand in front of your face. It was slightly clearer on race day, but not by much. They've had a lot of rain up there, and it washes out through the river and in run-off. But we had a lovely couple of days staying with friends. We've done this swim four times now, and we've always struck murky water. It's not dirty or polluted, just cloudy, murky. They tell us it was perfect last year, but we missed it. But for a Sydneysider coming out of the cold that's been Sydney the last week or two, it was reassuring to exit the plane at Maroochydore into such balmy, near summer temperatures. Rained a lot, especially overnight, but the setting at Noosa is idyllic, with the national park forming a backdrop to the swim which, despite the murk, was run in very good water.
Main swim was 2.48km, according to the oceanswims.com GPS-in-plastic bag, not 2km as advertised, but there's nothing wrong with that. We like a bit of extra distance. The booees were set very far out to sea.
Then Sundee at Bondi... Cooler, urban backdrop, smooth water still which was clear through the break, but murky once you moved out to sea, not a muddy murk, just a white, opaque murk. Nothing unpleasant about it out there. It just wasn't clear, although we did see the stark white float of the shark net marker hovering a couple of metres below the surface just past the far out turner off Mackenzies Point. It seemed like farther than the advertised 2.1km, but the GPS on Mrs Sparkle's back told us it was absolutely spot on 2km.
A triffic thing they did at Bondi was to award little prizes to what swim spirit Cyril Baldock referred to as "the average swimmer" in each age group -- the average time. What they did was to take the swimmer in the middle of the age group, say 15th out of 30 swimmers in the age group, and give them a prize, too. If that swimmer wasn't present, then Cyril read down the list until they got someone who was there. It wasn't really the "average" swimmer, more the median swimmer. But the difference is immaterial. The gesture recognised the rank and file. "We want this swim to be the swimmers' swim," Cyril told the mob over the electric microphone. Indeed. We applaud the move.
A melancholic feel at the end of the day. We have two more swims in NSW -- at Evans Head on the June long weekend and Mona Vale on June 26 -- and Queensland has the 3.8km Caloundra swim next weekend. But the season now is as good as over. Noice to have life a bit easier, but sad to miss the good times over the past eight months.
Into winter now, into the Pacific... another favourite part of the year. Come to think of it, it's always our favourite part of the year. Not a bad way to be, perhaps.
Tell us about your swims...
Monday, May 2, 2011
BYRON BAY BLUES by KAOSVIC
My third time and worst result. I did an awful 14 minutes slower than last year . I barely beat five other women in my age group.
Why why why?
It has been two months since my last event – the Pier to Perignon from Sorrento to Portsea. But I swam that event faster than Byron, despite the course being more than twice as long.
And I know conditions were not favourable at Byron this year. Everyone seemed to pull up slower times and the local paper reported that there was heavy chop around the point and a blustery offshore wind made it hard going in the home straight.
The home straight? The whole way if you ask me. I didn’t find it particularly hard to get out, but once around the point it was a slog the whole way home. There was a decent swell, which meant visibility was tricky. The pines of the surf club were even hard to spot. So I made the mistake of following some guys in front of me and they led my astray. We ended up to the left of either the fourth or fifth buoy and the lifeguards were sternly pointing us back to the buoy, about 50 metres to my right. I briefly considered not swimming around it, but I would only have been cheating myself wouldn’t I. Every time I lifted my head for a look for the finish, I seemed to cop a mouthful of salty water. By the time the finish line loomed I was sick of it. Sick of swimming, sick of stroking, sick of not being there yet. Finally I stood up when everyone else did, and was promptly dumped by a massive wave – a 360 degree forward roll dumping that filled my bathers and my nose with sand. When I finally got to check my watch there wasn’t much time left under the hour. Truly uninspiring.
And while I’m at it, the t-shirt was awful. Purple with all the sponsors’ names on the front. I totally understand the importance of sponsors but unless they swim with me, their names should be on the back.
There were some good things about the event. I got to meet the lovely and talented Seppo (Michelle from Brisbane) who won a place in her age group. I got to meet some Peninsula Pirates, who have been intimidating me for years in Bay swims, and I discovered they are not so scary out of the water.
And the rain that had dogged our visit to Byron finally stopped and we had blue skies for the swim.
But I must say I enjoyed the two pre race day swims with the locals much more than the actual event. On Friday and Saturday we met them on the deck at the club. A bunch of fit looking veterans, mainly men, led the walk down to the other end of the beach and then the swim back to the club. Lovely. Particularly on Saturday when we swam towards a complete rainbow. That was my swim highlight.
I have to come back next year. Pride demands it. I can do better.
That’s it for me this year. I’m off to the pool to work on my technique. But I’ll be back for the Brighton swim when the weather warms up again. See you in the water.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Arrival of winter swimming
Port Macquarie was Sat'dee, too, and that was to do with the Port Macquarie Iron May. So, really, these swims have little to do with the start of winter swimming, outside Byron Bay. But together, that's what they herald.
And what a weekend! South Curly deserves credit for the courage they showed in going ahead with the swell as it was on their own beach. Curly is gnarly in any kind of swell, but when it gets up, it is one of the most dangerous beaches on the coast. So it was moved to Freshwater, next door, and what a lovely swim it was. Some very big swells rolling through, but the rip ripped us out to the gates, and it wasn't too difficult getting back. Ended up at 1.47km, with a couple of hundred of metres of that running into the sea.
The swell was from the east, which means Byron would not have had the protection it normally has from difficult seas, which usually roll in from the sou'-east. Port Macquarie switched their course into the Hastings River.
How was your swim this weekend...
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Easter swims...
Wildly diverse swims over Easter... Tilbury Classic at Nowra Culburra, then a glorious day at Pacific Palms, near Forster, then almost a wash-out at Coogee-Bondi, which went ahead as a truncated swim inside the bay at Coogee...
Tell us about your weekend of swimming...
Tell us about your weekend of swimming...
Saturday, April 16, 2011
2nd Super Sat'dee-Sundee...
The start of the season's 2nd Super Sat'dee-Sundee... eight swims this weekend, that we know of, one postponed before the weekend got under way... two Sat'dee, six Sundee, two Queensland, six NSW...
New start to it, with a new swim, The Swim for Saxon, at Queenscliff, at the northern end of Steyne beach, named for Saxon Bird, the 19-year-old Queenscliff iron man who was killed at the Stra'an Surf Life Saving Champeenships on the Gold Coast a year ago. And for that reason, the biggest turn out of gun swimmers we've seen in years. And they came to swim for Saxon. We know this because the winning swimmer, Tom Fraser-Holmes, donated his $1,000 winner's prize back to Queenscliff surf club for rescue equipment. What a nice young lad! And proof that these kids don't always just swim to pay their squad fees.
It was a miserable morning on the beach, to be sure, with the wind howling in, the rain driving almost horizontally, freezing us to the bones -- and, in our case, that's through a fair bit of flesh -- and leaving us wondering why the hell we were there. The break was a mushy mess, whitewater everywhere, rips galore, gutters and banks, waves crashing and rolling in every which way. But the water! Oh, the water... so warm, so clear... so clear, indeed, that you could count the grains of sand on the bottom. It was, without doubt, the noicest water we've swum in all season. But, by all accounts from those who swim along that beach each morning, it's been like that down there for a few weeks now. How lucky they are.
Shellharbour also ran on Sat'dee, with Warriewood, Terrigal, Mollymook, Dicky Beach and Hervey Bay due on Sundee. Bondi postponed before the weekend to May 22. A courageous decision, by a club whose beach faces sou'-east, directly into the bad weather this weekend.
But tell us what you thought... click the comments link below...
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Lovely autumn swim at Stanwell Park...
Lovely day, typical of the autumn ocean swimming season, at Stanwell Park. Water clean and reasonably clear, equable temperature, bright, sunny day with a clear blue sky, and a gentle offshore breeze to smoothe out the water and keep those pesky blueys out to sea.
Gee, it was noice. But tell us what you thought... What was your swim like...
Gee, it was noice. But tell us what you thought... What was your swim like...
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Seas subside for season ending intro...
From our eyrie here in Paris, it all looked noice. While we've been here (three days in Paris after a week darn sarth), spring has arrived (see right). Now we know why scientists say the seasons change on the equinox, because this one certainly did. Paris is greening as we watch it, and the railway corridor yesterdee from Paris to Orleans was a corridor of emerging colour.
We swam on Fridee in a pool in Paris, and that was an experience that we'll blob about in the next couple of days. We'll have Aquagirl's report from Bonbeach, last weekend's season ender in Victoria, up very soon. But tell us about your swims this weekend...
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Such a perfect day on Sydney Harbour, Tangalooma...
... it was such a perfect day at Sydney Harbour. It seems this swim just strikes some of the best days of the season. We recall one of the earlier swims at which it rained very heavily after the swim, but all the rest, pretty well, have been like this. The water was the best we've tasted it, for the harbour, there was a gentle chop, just a little breeze from the nor'-east to take the edge of the heat, and plenty of sunshine. Just so noice.
Results are up now. Later on, we'll break them into categories and handicaps. And we'll post our report, which will be words from Aquagirl, visiting from Frankston South, photograrphs from Glistening Dave, and our video, "'ullo, Eileen!"
We hear they had a good time t Tangalooma, too. Check out @seppo311's comment below... Settles rear their ugly heads again.
But tell us about your swimming this weekend, whatever and wherever...
Monday, March 7, 2011
Super Sundee (Super Weekend)...
It was Super Sundee in NSW, Super Weekend, really, with five swims on offer with 11 events in all. Don't know which way to look. We arrived at Freshwater to see the Manly course laid out past the headland with our marker booees. Some people turned up and were heard to gasp in wonder, "gee, it's a long swim!" But, no, the Freshie people didn't require us to swim all the way down to Manly and back.
All three swims on Sundee reported triffic conditions -- Freshie, Manly and Tamas-Cloey. Water is so clear right now, you can reach out and pat the blue groper, maybe not the baby sharks. We got some noice video, we think, and will post it on oceanswims.com very soon.
It rained in Coffs, a bit, and Lake macquarie was a bit blowy from the south with side chop, disorienting particularly those who float high in the water.
But tell us about your swims...
All three swims on Sundee reported triffic conditions -- Freshie, Manly and Tamas-Cloey. Water is so clear right now, you can reach out and pat the blue groper, maybe not the baby sharks. We got some noice video, we think, and will post it on oceanswims.com very soon.
It rained in Coffs, a bit, and Lake macquarie was a bit blowy from the south with side chop, disorienting particularly those who float high in the water.
But tell us about your swims...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)