December Swims

Only 3 open water races in December, no swims in Sydney for the last 2 weeks of the year
- Bilgola Big Swim 1.5k
- Bondi to Bronte 2k
- North Curl Curl 2k
Total distance December swims 5.5k
There's more on next month, I'm looking to swim in 6 events in January
Need to put in some distance in training for a couple 5k open water swims end January

Bilgola, 13th December 2009

Tough conditions for an ocean swim.
Easterly chop all the way, difficult to get into any kind of rythm.
Only 4 waves of swimmers, big numbers in each wave, swimming close to other swimmers and boxed in all the way. Got bumped on the legs a few times and hit on the head twice. Had to wade through a thick raft of seaweed to get out.
1.5k swim, Went hard all the way. Navigation ok, hit all the buoys in a straight line. Time 32.12

Coogee

Lovely training swim around Coogee on Saturday.
Perfect conditions and clear water, could see the bottom almost the whole way.
Missed the group heading out by 10 minutes, for some reason they started on time today. No sign of them at Giles, 50/50 chance they went either North or East. I chose correctly and caught them at the Bommie. Bommie to Island, first time I've been on the nothern side of wedding cake island. Quite shallow there, Lots of schools of small fish and jelly blubbers. Island to Wylies and back to beach. Long swim today, In the water for about an hour.

Bondi to Bronte 6th December 2009

2k journey swim Bondi Beach to Bronte Beach

SE wind, Bit of a wave going out at Bondi
Big surf at Bronte
Good swim, went hard all the way
Navigation good, straight line to all the buoys
Time 37:46

North Curl Curl 5th December 2009

North Curl Curl 3 Points Challenge - Ocean Swim - 2k
Tough conditions
Overcast, green water, South East wind, Choppy.
Out from North Curl Curl surf club about 400m,
North along the cliffs towards Dee Why,
back towards South Curl Curl and into the beach.
Very bumpy along the cliffs. Feeling kinda seasick for the first time on an ocean swim. Took a few minutes on the beach to get my land legs, then ready to go around again. Wish all the ocean swims were like this.
Time 39:16. Good pace for the chop and conditions.

November Swims

November was the start of the ocean swimming season in Sydney and a busy month of swimming.
I competed in 6 events at quite different venues & conditions.

- Cook Community Classic Cronulla Ocean Swim 1.5k
- Sri Chinmoy Capital Swim Canberra Lake Burley Griffin 9.5k
- Berry Rickards Endurance Swim Penrith 5k
- Toowoon Bay Ocean Swims (2k + 1k) 3k
- Dawnys Cockatoo Island Harbour Swim 2.5k
- Coogee Island Challenge Ocean Swims (2.4k + 1k) 3.4k
Total distance November swims 25k