It’s been a week of erratic conditions at the B&B. The perfect, flat ocean of Monday and Tuesday gave way to a strong swell from Wednesday onwards, causing us all to think hard to find the swimming route best suited to our ability and mood. Thankfully the tranquility returned in time for the weekend, and I was greeted by this beautiful scene when I arrived at the beach:
Nothing could disturb this serenity. Could it? Could it?? More on that later…
Jen and Caroline heading into the water, as the sun finally broke through the clouds:
Neil had opened up the club at 4.30 and had already been for a run and a swim, so while I was still rubbing sleep from my eyes he was contemplating lunch options. What amazing energy!
Ian signed in the newbies.
John had checked the weather forecast and opted for swimming rather than sailing. Good choice!
John and Peter waiting patiently for 7am. Meanwhile, the gathering crowd had heard that John H was hitting 1000km and would shortly be exiting the water. Swimmers excitedly looked for John and his tunnel:
Nicky (welcome back!) and Clare, searching.
Shelly and Jenny, searching. I finally found John at the water’s edge:
He’d opted for a beach tunnel and was too quick for me:
Congratulations, John! Superb achievement!
Suzie and Kerrie post-swim. Here’s Suzie pre-swim, proving the statistic that 9 out of 10 swimmers feel better after their dose of Vitamin Sea:
It’s that time of year when the shadows lengthen and the sun is low:
Thankfully, I had my able assistant on hand to block out those pesky rays:
The lovely Tracey.
There were plenty of Johns around today (a jiggle of Johns?). Here’s the wonderful John B again.
At the point I bumped into Andrea, Trish, Suzie and Jane. This was Trish’s first time to swim out from the beach, while Jane only started swimming with the B&B at Easter and is already addicted. Well done, guys!
It’s also the time of year when swimmers huddle in Sunlight Corner.
The sunlight had clearly affected this lot.
Peta tried to catch some rays.
I made sure there were no stragglers before I left Shelly. I needn’t have worried. They were all looking at cuttlefish:
This gent helpfully dived down to point it out, but I still couldn’t see it:
I managed to get a good shot of the toilet block though:
This guy had seen 30-40 duskies swimming together on his way to Shelly:
And here he is with the toilet block. Finally, I found some fish:
Then I spotted another huddle of swimmers and guessed that SOMETHING BIG was happening:
And I was right:
This one’s for you, Lesbubs 🙂
Great visibility at the point.
The crayweed looking good.
Back at the beach, Janet and I preferred the warmth of the water to the cold wind.
Michele, Janet and Martin. M&M were doing the late shift after a big day of travelling yesterday.
I got changed and ordered my coffee, and thought I was off photo duty for the day. But no! Before I could ask Rainer to tell me all about his recent holiday and how many KeepCups he’d bought this week, the shark alarm went off!! (Side note: I’ve been in Bondi before when the alarm has gone off and I wasn’t very impressed by it. This, on the other hand, was a loud and looong siren, which must surely settle the Manly vs Bondi debate once and for all?)
Some swimmers searched for an explanation.
Others looked alarmed.
And then a bit odd.
I gave Sue the good news that she still had five fingers.
Fiona laughed in the face of sharkiness.
Jess got snapped, but not in a sharky way.
Michele and Martin arrived back intact, and denied allegations that the IRB had been sent out to pick them up because they’d started after 7am.
Rumours spread. Overfed dusky? Bull shark?? Rainer just a bit more “comfortable” after his US holiday??? None of the above. A three-metre tiger shark had swum under some swimmers at North Steyne and they’d sensibly raised the alarm. We got the message: it was time to leave the beach to the day trippers. But not before I snapped these two beauties:
That’s it from me. Stay safe, everyone!
Stats:
410 swimmers
10 newbies
The Monthly Dinner – 14th May 2019 – Guest Speaker Peter Anthony Talks on talking
The Next B&B monthly dinner for the year will be held on Tuesday 14th May at 6.30 pm at Bluewater Restaurant. Our guest on the night will be B&B Swimmer, Peter Anthony, who has a Masters in Communication and has written a book on conversations. The title of his talk is You talkin’ to me? and is a talk about talking. Great conversations build better relationships, better businesses and stronger families. And can make you better parents, better partners, even better lovers. Own your hook, claim the wall, master the benches. Learn how to tell your story in your own best words, and why your way is the best way.
Please book early for this event as it is sure to be popular. The cost of the dinner is great value at only $25 a head, which includes shared entrees, and a selection of mains to choose from (including a vegetarian option). Glasses of beer or wine and desserts are also available at the special price of only $5 each. Numbers are limited, so bookings are essential: To avoid disappointment and secure your spot please book at www.boldandbeautifulmanly.com.au/bb-bluewater-monthly-dinner.html .
19 comments
Fiona
May 5, 2019 at 1:11 pm
Excellent blog Gemma…Love the story line… so much suspense!!! Let’s do it all again tomorrow 😄
Edwina harrison
May 5, 2019 at 1:20 pm
Brilliant Gemma , love the pic of Susie and Kerrie . Glad no one harmed from large sharks 🦈🙏💖
Shelley K
May 5, 2019 at 1:23 pm
Scariest blog ever (and not just those photos of me)!
Mary
May 5, 2019 at 1:40 pm
Super Gemma blog. Such beaut prose with a captivating storyline.
Gemma
May 5, 2019 at 2:13 pm
Thanks Fi. Yes, let’s!
Gemma
May 5, 2019 at 2:14 pm
Thanks Ed! And I only found out afterwards it’s your birthday 🙁 Have a fantastic day!
Gemma
May 5, 2019 at 2:15 pm
Shelley I think the scariness was due to my misspelling of your name – apologies. Could either you or the beach consider a name change?
Gemma
May 5, 2019 at 2:16 pm
Thanks Mary! We missed you 🙁
Anne
May 5, 2019 at 2:21 pm
Great blog as usual. I was doing a lovely long swim completely oblivious to the tiger shark.
Inge
May 5, 2019 at 2:30 pm
Gemma there is so much to digest in this brilliant blog! What are those pink purple things? No not the jiggle of Johns silly!
Lips
May 5, 2019 at 2:32 pm
Great journalism Gemma. Love a good shark scare!
Inge
May 5, 2019 at 2:39 pm
On another note, why would anyone think it is okay to swim in a crowd of ocean swimmers and wear very hard hand paddles, like someone did this morning?
Please can we discourage swimmers from bringing these bone-cracking-eye-gouging-haematoma-inducing airborne missiles down to The Bold. They are banned from many pools for good reason.
Robyn
May 5, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Sensational blog Gemma. Loads of photos and suspense. Was a great swim and a top Sunday.
harrison edwina
May 5, 2019 at 6:21 pm
thanks gemma 🙂
harrison edwina
May 5, 2019 at 6:22 pm
i hope no one got hit? what next!!
Inge
May 5, 2019 at 8:01 pm
I have seen someone hit in the head with one of these and to make matters worse the swimmer this morning decided to swim back through swimmers still getting into Shelly.
The swimmer was also using them incorrectly as the arms were swinging very wide.
Simon
May 5, 2019 at 9:18 pm
Great story Gemma, thanks
Lesbubs
May 7, 2019 at 7:55 am
Yr photo of the toilet block and explanation had me riveted!
You’re wasted as a lawyer Gem you are clearly a journalist / writer
You so good you should give up yr job and blog for bnb full time especially now as Mike will be working in Manly! 🙌🏼😬
I always appreciate a good bubble pic 💦💧
Gemma
May 7, 2019 at 8:36 am
Thanks Lesbubs! I hope you’re looking forward to taking your new workmate out for his first B&B swim!