06/07/2014 – Holland v Costa Rica

So I got up at 6am to watch Netherlands v Costa Rica..

To my disappointment, nothing much happened during the first 30 minutes and I decided that photographing middle aged men in pink speedos submerging themselves in 17 degree water would be less painful than any more of this match.

 

Outside, I was greeted by a sunny yet cold morning.

 

I had been away for over a week, so I had trouble remembering everyone’s names.

Here’s Walter (I think)..

 

A great shot of James and ‘mullet groper’ Neale..

 

And of course Lisa!

 

Lisa kindly offered to take under-water pictures for me today. An offer I gratefully accepted. Suffering from a vicious strain of man-flu, I really didnt need the extra weight of a camera stuffed down my budgies on the way over to shelly.

And here are some of the photographic gems Lisa managed to capture on the way over..

(i call that first one ‘tears of a clown’)

 

 

 

But Lisa’s real talents lie in capturing sea life:

 

 

Now, if these photos dont inspire you to come down and swim with us, nothing will.

Well, except maybe for this photo of Jane doing her famous towel dance..

 

Or, if you’re a woman of certain age, this classic shot of Drinks holding a baby..

 

I also received these great photos from Nick. And while he’s no Lisa, his photos are of acceptable quality and contain a healthy amount of omega-3:

 

 

 

All the rage this year.. swim socks!

 

 

When I got back to the club, word on the beach was that there were still no goals in Holland v Costa Rica.

So I decided to photograph the apres-swim coffee scene. Which was in full swing.

 

 

 

Finally, Marije joined the party.. and what an entrance!

 

Claiming a 4-3 victory for Holland after penalty shoot-out.

 

Straight from the Ivanhoe to her (slightly late) winter badge swim. With her bestie Nigella.

 

 

I leave you with a beautiful little piece by our very own Julia Baird in yesterday’s SMH:

How to get your head swimming with ideas

Quote: …”purposeless” swimming is one way we can be truly, effortlessly mindful: try thinking about your tax when a dusky whaler whisks its tail a foot or two under you. Your in-tray when a jimble jellyfish whips welts on your arm. Or your car registration when a flaming cuttlefish sweeps past, trunks gently waving, back rippling like a silk shawl.

Have an effortlessly mindful Sunday everyone!

Signing off –

Lips together with star photographer Lisa (right) and Shane (middle) who worked extra hard to make the blog today.

 

 

Bottom of the Blog – the very useful stuff

Monthly Dinner – Bluewater Cafe, Tuesday 8th July at 6.30 pm

In her early life Valerie Taylor was a champion spearfisher.  She switched from killing sharks to filming them when along with husband Ron, she became fascinated with marine life. Ron and Valerie were the first people to film great white sharks without the protection of a cage or anything else during the making of the series Blue Wilderness in 1992. Valerie became a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2010 for service to conservation and the environment as an advocate for the protection and preservation of marine wildlife and habitats. Valerie will give a talk about her various experiences with sharks over the years. She will also show a short film on the marine world in Indonesia and how it has changed.

The cost will be only $20 a head and includes shared entrees, a selection of main to choose (incl a vegetarian option) and free corkage (for byo wine only) and a little thank you for the staff.

All beers, wine and deserts are an optional extra at the special price of only $5 each!!
BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL, so book here now!!

 

Week 6 of the Winter Badge season.

There are 14 weeks in the winter season.  To qualify for the prized Cold & Bold Badge you simply need to swim 20 times within the season ensuring you have swum in a minimum of 7 different weeks.  So, attempting to do it all in the first few weeks does not count!!  Make sure you use the i-Log to register your without wetsuit for the WWW badge.

B&B i-Log

The B&B i-Log is the best way to capture your swims!!  Log your swim ANYTIME of day using this really efficient and easy way to ensure your swim is recorded in the daily attendance and on the Pacific Challenge.. To get started, send an email to Ian Forster ugoboyo@gmail.com (This is not a link so please copy and paste into your email). He will check that your email address is activated on the attendance register then send you info on how to get started.

Staying safe

There may not be any waves just at the moment, but are you prepared for their return? Remember that there are no badges for scaring yourself silly!  While it is great to extend your boundaries, it is important to know your limits.  Do read these excellent tips on staying safe in the surf.  To read, or even download, click here.

 

The Stats

Regulars:  150

Newbies:  6

Temp:   17.6 degrees

Sunrise:  6.59 am

Sunset:  4.59 pm