The Big Swim, Palm Beach to Whale Beach, Sunday, January 27, 2008
A bit of a wave and a special day
The Big Swim does it again.

At Waikiki, we swam in the early morning.

Up and down the coast I know there are lots of big things…. for example, banana, prawn, pineapple (and that weird Ayers Rock café thing about 50k north of Newcastle ... less said the better) And now I also know about the Big Swim.

No word of a lie this is indeed a big swim and it deserves its billing and place amongst Aussie Big Things.

Big car parks, big buses to get you to Palmy, big cups of water to keep you cool (good thought, much appreciated), big queues to get your bag on the ute to meet you at Whale Beach. Bloody big break to get out through, big cliffs to swim under while looking up at the big houses before you notice the big waves crashing on the big rocks a bit too close for comfort… big detour out and round. Big swim into the big break at Whale beach where the big white waves gave you a thorough pasting before letting you up on to beach where you cross the finish line with a big grin and feeling of satisfaction (and a time much bigger than you hoped but what the hell you’ve done it and that’s a big thing). Even a big helicopter to wave at…… no idea what he was doing there but it sure added to the feeling of bigness.

This is what makes these events work: the volunteers, some of whom have no connection with the local surf club, but who give of their time and energy to help out in a good cause. None of this would happen without them. Three cheers, for you!

Extreme Gran Sybil Walsh recently made her comeback to ocean swimming after sitting out a couple of months with a perforated eardrum, suffered from an aurgument with a rescue board whilst undergoing Bronze Medallion training with Manly LSC. We reckon ocean swimming has done an enormous amount to connect surf life saving with the broader community. Many clubs have taken in many, many new mature members as a result. Tacoma Jim Goins is delighted to have Sybil back.

This was my first time for this swim and the longest distance I’ve ever tackled. Fifty laps at Freshie pool a few days before sort of reassured me that I could manage the distance but 2.5 km dodging the 3 year old, sub-grommets on their body-boards doesn’t necessarily mean you’re ready for the same distance plus a bit in the ocean.

From what we could see the whole day went smoothly so big thanks to all involved in what must be a pretty large feat of organisation. From the Careel Bay football pitch car park (last time Iwas there us over 35/6slost 5-2 so this was a happier visit) where we were politely shown where to park, to the efficient, frequent and friendly bus-service and the rapid check-in, all went without a hitch and with good grace.

We always seem to arrive too early for these things and then you’ve got to just hang around, whiling away the minutes while secretly wishing you could just get in the water and get on with it. Plenty of time to examine the break, which seemed to get bigger minute by minute as the clock inched towards 10am. Plenty of time to poke your head into the loos to see if the queue has dropped beneath 20 blokes (I reckon there’d be money for that bloke Kenny and his Portaloo business at these big ocean swims). Bit of a panic about getting our bags on the transport to Whale Beach; like most people we left it pretty late to strip down to the speedos. For my part this was a mixture of not wanting to get sunburnt combined with my Irish-heritage really not feeling comfortable standing about in the budgys. Great for swimming, not so good for hangin’ in. Un-Australian I know, sorry.

Wave after wave went off, not in the normal age order either. The 40-49 blokes were last off and the notice-board said there would be 375 of us. That’s when I realised this really was a Big Swim. 375, forty-something blokes is more than twice as many as the total competitors in my local North Curly 2km .. BIG.

Andy France hasn't been to all that many ocean swims this season. We were surprised to see him at Palm Beach, given that we are unaware of any cellar door that he is able to visit between his home and the start/finish on the northern beaches.

We reckon you can ascertain reasonably accurately the age of a starting wave by the vigour with which its members attack the surf. Compare the approach here of David Harris, and his confreres, with that of David's son, Luke, several pics above. But, looks can be deceiving. The maturity in David means that he actually is approaching a difficult break with a crafty eye. We're not sure that he can see it, however, through those goggles.

Watching the waves of swimmers heading into the water gave me pretty much no idea as to where to go in. Each wave seemed to spread out over at least 100 metres, then fling themselves into the fray and as we watched it seemed to take the crowd longer than usual to get out through the break.

As indeed it did for me too. Big, messy white water that just didn’t stop coming made it a challenge. We’d talked about not giving it too much gas to get out through the break as there was a long way to go but inevitably you’re in a battle so you’ve got to give it some to get through to the other side. Hard work, made all the harder by the goggles coming off. Managed to catch them and get them back on again but they were never as comfortable after that and I swear there were a couple of drops of Palmy water continually rolling about in there, determined to bludge their way to Whale Beach courtesy of my discomfort.

That was it then. Out past the break and off we go. I must admit I did have a Lara Bingle ‘where the bloody hell am I and more importantly, why?’ moment about 200 metres off Palmy (and so about 2.5km off my destination) but plodding the black-line at Freshie came to mind. I can do this, let’s just get on with it.

And I did and what a marvellous big swim it was. Out to the point and head south, the cliffs towering above with houses, and in some cases the people that lived in them, peering down at the masses working their way through a choppy, swelly kind of sea. The hundreds of metres went past fairly easily but occasionally it felt like the waves were coming from both directions… those coming in from the ocean and then a swell bouncing off the cliffs and back out to sea. Made for a bit more ocean being drunk than I wanted; the ocean is for swimming, Coopers is for drinking as far as I’m concerned so that didn’t go quite to plan (well actually there wasn’t really much of a plan, truth be told).

Neither was the detour about two-thirds of the way down the cliffs quite what I was expecting. I’d been swimming reasonably close in to the cliffs, ‘though not as close as many, and got a bit of a shock to see big (yeah, that word again) waves breaking over a rocky outcrop. Swift re-direction eastwards out to sea, giving at least 50 meters from the rocks. Fair play to the surfie volunteers they had it well covered and were pointing people away from any potential danger but still it made me realise that with your eyes at best 2 inches above the water it’s sometimes very hard to see what the ocean may be about to throw at you.

Rounding the headland into Whale Beach you spot the first buoy in a long time. Beyond that was the beach and I thought it was a straight diagonal swim into the Whale Beach clubhouse, passing the buoy on my right shoulder. Wrong.

As I got to the buoy the surfies were pointing me and my fellow athletes up the beach rather than into the beach. Sure enough, riding up the top of a wave, I could see there was another buoy a few hundred meters up the beach. Bugger, head down, change of plan.

Apologies for the fact that I didn’t go round the first buoy at Whale Beach but given my big finish time I don’t think anyone’s going to be feeling robbed of a victory. And I wasn’t the only one …. none of the pack I was tagging along with rounded the buoy on their left shoulder. Ah well, no matter.

We tell them not to pose, bobbing about out there off Little Head. Not to wave to mum. No cheerios to the folks at home. But do they listen?

Richie "The Dugong" Stewart has been organiser or assistant organiser of The Big Swim since its inception 33 years ago. Why has this man, and his co-organiser, Rob Berry, not received an OA? These are the people who really deserve them, for their work is unpaid, voluntary, given of a generosity of spirit and sense of communal responsibility. These are the type of characters who bind our community together.

Heading up Whale Beach I recognised Nicolee Goins and we stopped for a little chat; just like we’d met at Warringah Mall (except wetter and certainly less busy than that mecca to the great Aussie leisure activity of shopping).

Got round that final buoy and headed in to what was a hard finish. It seemed to take forever and at one point I was wondering if some sadistic surfies had lined the finish up straight into a rip. Of course they hadn’t and it got worse when we actually got to the break. I’ve never managed to catch a wave in at the end of a race and it certainly wasn’t going to happen at Whale Beach. The waves were big (they knew their billing) and smashing down on our heads, there was no catching them for me. Just ducking under, resurfacing and trying to get a few metres closer before the next tumult of white water.

Even when I got into waist height Whale Beach wanted to give me one last reminder from her and Palmy that I’d just experienced the Big Swim… water pushed under and on my knees, ‘crash, bang, got you one last time, hope you enjoyed yourself, come back and see us next year’.

And indeed I did and I most certainly plan to. We all did. Glen and James and especially Nicolee, Rowena and I as first-timers. Completing the Big Swim means big satisfaction.

Respect and thanks to all the volunteers who made the whole event appear so effortless. From the people who showed us where to park, through cheerful bus drivers and check-in folk (who have to look at too many feet for my liking as they put on our timing straps) to the people in the water ensuring our safety and providing a reassuring presence wrapped in yellow. Special thanks to the lady on the grass at Whale Beach with the hose splashing out cool, clear water; I’d spent (well) over an hour in the water but that 30 seconds of hosedown was almost the best water of the day.

When I speak to my dad, who follows my swims from Belfast with interest (he’s thinking he might catch some of next weeks Cole Classic on the Manly surf-cam) and he asks me how the Whale Beach swim went I’ll just have to say “Dad, it wasn’t big, it was huge. Loved it”.

Phil Johnston

Given the size if the sea at the finish, there were a few things happening.

Just another glimpse of sunset from the Shore Bird on Waikiki. You can experience this, too, if you come with us to Maui and Waikiki in September. Watch out for our packages in late February.

Is this a sign? A secret sign? Reg, leader of the Judean People's Front, used the cover of The Big Swim for a strategy meeting with his cohort, Mr Cheeky, who appears to be conveying a message in code, for security reasons. In those days, when Reg and Mr Cheeky, Judith and Brian were the scourge of the Romans in Jerusalem, they didn't have a Cone of Silence, so this is the best Mr Cheeky could do.

The great big Pacific Ocean washing machine.

Ah, yes, those duckie drivers are at it again. The rev-heads of the surf. It's true, the invention of rubber duckies into surf life saving at Avalon all those years ago has brought a new demographic into surf life saving. Just mind the swimmers, guys.

David Koch is becoming a dab and well-experienced hand at MC-ing ocean swims. This was his fourth -- three at Whale Beach, and the Shake Shake Swim for Gizo at Manly last April. He does an excellent job, does Kochie, giving generously of his time. This time, it seems, he even gave us a song.

For some, there is nothing better after a very big swim than to use the emotional credit that that gives them to tuck into a box of Freedom Fries, as the Yanks call them now by law. Here, two ocean swimming artists, Fifi la Stupenda and Jane Gillings, contemplate the tactility of a fry while La Stupenda stuffs it with gusto into her gob. Just like a seagull.

The Sports Mistress, down for another sleepover at Mrs Sparkle's place for the weekend, bounds from the sea at Whale Beach, leaving many boofheads in her wake.

A lucky winner of a trip to swim overseas.

Pics by Glistening Dave, Tacoma Jim and oceanswims.com

BIG SWIM RESULTS

NEWCASTLE HARBOUR RESULTS

BLEEDBACK

What do you notice here? A pic of a character heading out with one of the boofheads' waves? Yes, but there's more. Or less. There's no timing chip.

He wore no cap, either. He was a swimmer, swimming along with the other 1,500 swimmers from Palm Beach to Whale Beach without, evidently, having paid the entry fee to enter The Big Swim

There were a few of these at Palm Beach. We call them Hugheys, loosely after someone else we know who is in this habit, and who is quite the recidivist, in fact

Why can't these people enter and pay the fee to receive the protection of Whale Beach SLSC's water safety crew, like the rest of us do? Why can't they provide some return to the club that puts on this very big swim at very great expense?

Who can fathom the psyche of the Hughey?

Whilst we're about it, there are other kinds of Hugheys in ocean swimming, too: the type who steal.

As many will know, oceanswims.com set up a stall selling View Swim Gear at The Big Swim, personned by Mrs Sparkle. One "ocean swimmer", idly fingering various models of goggles, waited until her back was turned and absconded with a $40 pair of goggles.

In contrast, two other ocean swimmers, who lost their goggles in the break during warm ups, asked us for new goggles, to pay at the end -- their gear already had been despatched to Whale Beach -- and both turned up at the finish to make good their debts.

Well done to them. That's the way real ocean swimmers behave.

If the offender referred to above reads this, perhaps they might consider their conscience and make good their debt to oceanswims.com. Send the payment to oceanswims.com 15/9-13 Koorabel Ave Gymea 2227.

If you don't, you don't deserve to consider yourself an ocean swimmer, for you're not like the rest of us. You're just a Hughey.

Special Correspondent Cyril Baldock reports exclusively for oceanswims.com from Glenbawn Dam --

Australia Day Saturday 26th January, 2008, and I decided to break from the traditional Ocean Swims and try something different as it also fitted into my end season goal (FINA World Masters).

As last year's reports on this swim weren't first class, I thought it only fair to report that they really got their act together this year.
The course was simplified into an Oblong 400mtrs X 100mtrs. (1Km, 3Kms X 3 and of course 5Km X 5.)

I appreciate that some swimmers believe this format to be boring, however, personally I like always knowing where I'm at, so being able to pace the distance properly.

My only disapointment was that my Legendary "Manager" Doug "ZAM" Johnson was not able to attend. After becoming used to his help over the last three years, it is hard to do without him. And he doesn't even take a % of winnings.

Water safety was second to none, with enough SES personel on hand to organise a swim around Tasmania.

It would be great if more local inland communities could host swims like this (especially now that the drought seems to be breaking) and give the locals a taste of open water swimming. Also giving us city slickers a chance to swim and see more of this great country of ours.

Another suggestion would be if some of the organisers of Sydney's ocean swims could offer the odd prize of a trip to Sydney (wouldn't cost much) and give country kids a chance to experience Ocean Swims. They could get new experiences such as kissing Bronwyn Bishop and Blue Bottle stings. ( I swear Bronnie that I'm not comparing these two experiences).

North Bondi could take it a step further and offer two swims at North Bondi for second prize.
Can you just imagine a 16 year old country lad turning up at Stroud Olympic pool on Monday morning wearing a "Ready Aye Ready Cap." He would have to fight the young chicks off.

See you all at Manly.

Cyril Baldock