Our lovely fortnightly blogger Andrea unfortunately can’t blog anymore so asked me to blog today. As I had to go to the city early it’s a few photos of recent sightings and just a few of today’s swim,  then I’m reposting a blog I wrote exactly 5  years ago today about the ‘Big 5 of...

Outside temp: 13 Water temp: 22.1 Viz: 6/10 Happy Nippy Monday crew – Today was a little reminder of what the upcoming months will be bringing I’ve recently finished ‘Why we swim’ by Bonnie Tsui and will try squeeze in a few insights, over the next few weeks, in the form of some great excerpts...

Today’s blog is a dry blog as my skin is still healing from the chafing it got during a long swim last weekend. Feeling very vitamin sea deprived, I’m sure you can sympathise.  Here is Lainey and Ted’s sweet Tibetan Spaniel Freddy in canine anticipation of a treat Scary close-up, glad Veena thinks it’s funny...

No matter when you swim, there is someone from whom you can find out some intel about what you want to know – sea temperature – today a hot 23.9, the swell, what marine life has been seen, any stingers and coming events of interest. This morning, the key question on everyone’s lips was about...

My arrival at Manly at 6:20 was met with reports of bluebottles.  A quick walk to the water’s edge and I saw and then heard the pop of bluebottles as someone ran past.  There was much discussion about where to swim.  Some people chose to swim north, others chose the harbour.  After some period of...

After a fascinating and thought provoking BnB dinner last night where Simon Phin (aka Trooper) spoke on why we take risks and how we manage them from oil rigs to the swim,  I asked swimmers today how they rated themselves as risk takers. Fingerbone and the Driver (James and Chris to others) here. Despite the...

I love asking swimmers about their swim as they come out of the ocean alive and invigorated. I also have to say “What did you see?” The first swimmers I asked surprised me as they delved inside their cossies and pulled out pieces of fruit! “A banana’ said Lesbubbles and Fiona’s response was “a lime...

6:33 am Pre-dawn. Water temp 23.6 degrees Celsius. Ramp@6:28am. I asked Simon to give me a Classic Drinkless express pose at Shelly.   6:44am group wave.   Trish & Capless listening to Simon’s Shelly Sermon.   Barb & friends took the one way option.   Shelly pano.   Geoff and his mate took the dangerous...

Good morning b&b’s, today is clean up Australia Day!! We were a bit late to the party this morning, and it turns  out we are already a pretty clean crew… all I found was this ice cream stick.   The surf was a bit unclean today, with low vis and some sand bank dumpers. That...

Another moody, beautiful morning, the sea is warm and to mark the end of the week the talk is around having a slow swim…there is even a talk of a unofficial slow 6km. Now, a 6km swim for me is by definition SLOW. I have to miss this one, however you can see these brave...