A new day

I love sunrises. They are a reminder that each day is an opportunity it make a fresh start, to have a positive impact – to start something new.  A new year is similar – an opportunity to reflect on the year that has been and decide what your direction or goals will be for the new year.  When I reflect on what I was doing a year ago, I see how different things are now. COVID was just starting to have an impact on our lives and by April I was no longer working.  I took the opportunity of a break in employment to focus on my family and swimming. I decided to swim everyday in the ocean until I went back to work.  I made it to 101 consecutive days.  I know for many of you that is a drop in the bucket, but for me, an average week was 3 swims, a good week was 4. Even though I started a new job in September, I have kept swimming, I learned to carve out that time for me.  This year I plan to swim 1000 km, what are your swimming goals?

Today the conditions were beautiful, small swell and decent visibility. Below are some photos from the day.

The light was just right for this early ray

A Numb ray

Here are five interesting facts about them:

1. These strange rays can grow up to 60 cm long, but are usually about 40 cm long.
2. They are ambush predators, hiding underneath the sand and attacking very quickly.  They electrocute their prey and then swallow it whole.  They are not considered dangerous to people, but if you touch one with your hand, the shock will make your hand go numb.
3. They are also called coffin rays as they are able to stretch their mouth to swallow very large prey.  When they have a large victim in their stomach it gives them a boxy look like a coffin.  They mostly eat fish, but have also been found with =rats and even little penguins in their stomach.  Sometimes, they try to eat prey so big that they choke on it.
4. At breeding time, females give birth to 4-8 live pups which are about 11 cm long.
5. Numb rays can be found in shallow water near the west, south and east coasts of Australia.

Have a beautiful day!

Alana

Covid has brought with it many changes for everyone all around the world and B&B is no exception.

Whilst we have lots to be extremely grateful for in Australia and within B&B, a number of our swimmers have been personally affected and are experiencing challenging times.

In response to this it was suggested that some swimmers might like to support their fellow swimmers, by utilising their skills where they could.

As such, within our daily attendance software we have included a ‘profession section’.  Swimmers can now, should they choose, list their profession and location within their profile on our website.  This then allows anybody within our B&B community to: ‘Check with B&B First’ when looking for a resource / tradesperson to use.

If you would like to participate in this, please go to our B&B daily attendance website: webapp.boldandbeautifulmanly.com.au

Click on your name, top right.  Then click on ‘my profession’ and add your details.

To search if a fellow B&B swimmer has the skills you’re looking to use, click on your name, top right, then ‘Find a professional’.

Don’t forget to keep on logging your swims too.

You don’t want to miss out on your Covid Summer Badge or your Corona Super Swimmer Summer Badge.  You might be awarded a Budgy Smuggler Voucher as the lucky recipient of random swimmer of the month or year.  Most importantly it’s lovely to see who has swim each day.  Don’t forget, if you can’t swim at Manly, you can still log a Covid Swim.

Please keeping swimming, look after yourselves and stay connected.

Disclaimer: 

Bold & Beautiful is owned and operated by Bold and Beautiful Swim Squad Manly Pty Ltd (“B&B”).  B&B allows members to record their names and photos on the B&B website. At the request of some of the swimmers B&B is permitting swimmers to record on its website their names and details of their occupations.

If anyone, after obtaining any swimmers details from the B&B website and uses those swimmers services or products, they do so without any endorsement or recommendation from B&B. Also they do so at their own risk and acknowledge that B&B has no responsibility for any products and services that might be provided by B&B swimmers.