One of the joys of the FFF (Freshwater Fast Fives) is the rant. The ranters topics range from solar eclipses, to lessons in life from our fearless Surf Life savers, to distant boomer memories of feel good songs, and my favourite the weekly horse racing tipster’s take on the weekend action.   How...

I wonder whether the overnight rain also put people off as it was quiet outside Manly surf club this morning. Maybe it was also the 39 “Bench swimmers” who have mostly all left for a Kangaroo Island adventure (we’re very jealous!), hence an empty bench.   It was a lovely swim, although a bit bumpier...

Splendid day for the beach today. Waves rolling in gently like today makes me understand what people mean when they say they enjoy the waves. The swim was lovely with a good chunk of the algae gone. I very much enjoy watching skilful body surfing and where better can you be assured of seeing good...

The day started with an amazing sunrise, I had a few pit stops between Queensie and South Steyne to capture it.   Lainey doing a fine job on the Drinks Express cake stall, raising money for Lifeline, a great cause   Tide about as low as it gets, and people flocking from every direction  ...

Wednesday 25th January – and its Burns night (day) when Scottish all over the world celebrate Scotland’s much loved Poet, Robert (“Rabbie”) Burns.  Not to be confused with our very own manmaid Rob Burns! Burns wrote about nature, and the sea is a key theme in many of his poems so its fitting that we...

It seemed like no one was sharing my hesitation as Clare queried, was I tired,  no, were the waves too big, no. So in I went, hoping not to see anything,  or at least nothing fast moving. The temperature was lovely at 22.1 and viz was good, thankfully. A few lice though.   A gorgeous...

6:02am 5 mins before sunrise   Roger & Sam swam with the 609 crew.   Lovers Ali & Pirate (swimming 35kms along the Derwent,TAS  next week).   curves @6:23   Cammeray Girls 6:30 Drinkless Express Sam @ Shelly   Happy 67th General – aka Storman Norman Schwarzkopf, aka Paul Storman.   6:46am   Sam Christine...

  Marilyn Monroe famously liked to bathe in a champagne bubble bath. Today we set out at 6.30am in clear, warm, frothy water that Marilyn would have loved. By 7.30 coming back in, the heavens had opened, Guy’s temperature tower was frothing like an exploding volcano, and the rip was more of a dirty martini....

Have you heard of the Abersoch Dunkers? No, it’s not a German International basketball team or an Irish Hip Hop band, it’s a group of 25 regular swimmers who, like us, swim all year round in a popular, tiny, seaside resort of Abersoch, Wales!  Today, while we enjoy 22.7 degree water with the sun shining,...

John has been swimming with us since 2010 and today clocked up his 6000’th km. Well done John! A stunner of a morning today with calm water, great temperature in and out of the water and good visibility!   The Drinks Express head in. The water temp is 22.4 and waves are gentle. Viz is...