Pacific Jules

Where the Craybies Sing

Siyabona and G’day 

Another picture perfect day in the bay. Water a balmy  17.7 C thanks to Guy, with excellent viz  - it felt like the ultimate aquarium swim. I saw a turtle to my delight and was soon joined by fellow pink capped enthusiasts to admire it. Yay. And Yay again.

Last night the fabulous BnB monthly talk at the Manly SLC was on weed. Crayweed to be exact. 

This beautiful seaweed disappeared in the area and CTB  due to pollution years ago. There has been a big effort to repopulate the Crayweed as we now have cleaner seas.

Dorset generously sponsored the establishment of  new cray forests in CTB which have spawned craybies (gorgeous baby Crays) and slowly new forests  have taken hold. We are so lucky to have them returning to the bay and beyond, enhancing the eco system. A huge thanks to Dorset and the dedicated marine team. 

I took some pictures of the slides that Prof Ziggy showed during his talk for those of you who missed so you can mark and find the forests to admire, perhaps even hear the Craybies sing. 

Some dedicated BnB crew in this pic including Dorset 4th from RHS

Yaybie for so many craybie. Teens are a whole other subject :) but happily we can’t hear them talk back in this instance. 

This is where they are establishing, slowly but surely after a long absence. Prof Ziggy points out and highlights colonies

International collaboration on restoration of crayweed forests  is being fed data from our own CTB, there are movies, weed festivals  ( seaweed), a whole wonderful effort at keeping seas healthy. 

Dorset, Prof Ziggy, Michael (organiser of the BnB talks, thank you) and Lainey 

Some of the supporting crew. 

Alway great to hear someone talk and learn about something completely new - if you’ve never been to the monthly talk please come join. 

Jonny and I have been attending for over 10 years and have heard fascinating talks from styling your wardrobe, mindfulness, Brendan’s epic channel swim, climate change, bull sharks, Guys journey (still one of the most impactful) and the rest. Fire up the curiosity and come join. 

Back to today, a klomp (clump of) Saffers, the lovely  Potgieter and Britz families and gorgeous Kath sitting in the bench nicknamed  Potgietersrus  - a small town in SAfrica (rus = rest )with Wally Potgieter the fluffy. 

WOW chat. Georgina on RHS is the wonderful artist that generously donated her design (again) to the BnB and Budgy Smugglers for our new cozzies. Thank you GG.
BTW They feature some weed as it happens  :). Timing hey. 

Hambe Kahle ( go well) everyone 

Di 

x

Message from management re our new cozzies: 

To celebrate BnB members are being offered a 20% discount, in- store only for 2 weeks. (after 2 weeks the discount will revert to 10%)To receive this discount you must show your BNB pink cap when purchasing.

They look fantastic thanks to Georgina Hart's amazing design & generosity in donating her design to BnB, once more. You can find her amazing art at Georgina Hart art-online or at her gallery in Seaforth.

The swim suits should be available in store and online in two weeks in men’s, ladies thin strap one piece and ladies sport two piece.

In spring we will be able to do a pre-order batch if any ladies would like the thick strap design or if anyone would like towels. Dates for this pre-order will be announced nearer the time.

 

 

 

 

Tuesday 8th August - Tempting (to stay in bed) Tuesday

But I did get up and no regrets,  as is always the case with a swim in the ocean. I have a bit of a head cold so thought the salt water would clear it, or make it worse. I saw that yesterday the beach got closed due to pollution but what seems to happen surprisingly often after rain, the viz was quite good, in fact better than before. Temperature is the same as yesterday at 16.5c, not exactly balmy but definitely invigorating. A few small waves getting in, which was pretty much at the point, as you can see in the picture. It seems like we haven't had a high tide all winter ?

Edwina, Georgina,  Amanda,  Ro and Melise heading in. Lainey took a few pics for me as I was late, as usual. 

Martin,  Dave and Michelle. 

This morning I saw lots of blue gropers and a couple of pj's,  one sleeping on the sand, the other swimming. It could, of course, been the same one that woke up.

Post swim it's always amusing to watch everyone struggle to get their gear back on, which is more difficult in winter. Ro was very amused, she took ages so not sure what she was doing. 

David didn't even bother. His towel obviously keeps him warm enough. 

Georgina (bathers designer extraordinaire ) made quite a balancing act of getting changed, shies and socks are quite a challenge with damp feet. Come on summer!

Terese making a late start but with a bit of sun. 

Last look at the beach, a warm cup of tea and time to head home.

Have a great day.

Amanda 

 

 

4th Aug 2023 Almost Famous!

 

Guy delights us with a lovely 16.7C thank you for every chalky morning

 

Such a stunning sunrise!

 

 

Conditions are washy around the point, few sets of small waves, bumpy across the bay. Couple of Port Jacksons and half a dozen gropers A current meant coming back had speed

 

Dave, Marcus and Phil had already been for an early presunrise swim! They loved it

 

 

Mel and Tim couldn’t wait to get in

 

Parko makes it to 50! celebrating with decadent chocolate cake and champagne for breakfast

 

 

Almost famous! Drinks Express were asked to describe what we do in three words for an AppleTV doco fun, smiles, coffee, friends, banana bread were a few of the words

What would your three words be?

 

 

Chippolino educates locals Eric and Dave about the culture of the BnB be part of the collective, join the cult, absorb into the hive mind

 

 

IMPORTANT: We are extremely grateful to the fast acting members who assisted Katherine last weekend

It highlights the importance of knowing what to do in a situation like this.

Tomorrow 620am (Saturday 5th August), Drinks will give an overview of the emergency procedures and equipment such as defib, rescue boards and tubes, available at the surf club. How they work and what they do.

It will be a brief chat but undoubtedly an invaluable resource for those in this swimming community who are unsure of what to do if presented with an emergency

 

Wednesday 2nd August - The El Nino effect - Summer in winter - wild winter swimming & "getting high" in the aussie alps!

Todays blog is brought to you from Thredbo, where I am skiing for a few days.    Did you know that Thredbo is also a destination for "wild swimming"? and, at altitude one can truly say that they "get high" from swimming!    Last year a marvel of brave mermaids squealed with delight as they sampled the icy cold thredbo snowmaking dam and Thredbo River...  in Thredbo these feats are still the talk of the town and we "*may*" have started a trend, of sorts.....    I understand that Falls Creek also arranges an event in early winter to raise money for charity by dunking in their lake!  The Aussie alps are full of opportunities for wild swimming - please don’t swim alone & make sure you’re prepared ! 

Photo of the Thredbo River

Hot off the press:  A HUGE thank you to everyone for supporting the petition to help our beloved cuttlefish, which was tabled in the NSW Parliament yesterday (link in case you havent yet, https://www.change.org/p/taramoriarty-ban-giant-cuttlefish-spearing-in-coastal-nsw!) - a great start and hopefully momentum will be unstoppable!  

Back in Manly El Nino continues to work with mother nature to bring sublime swimming conditions: (thank you lainey for the photos !) 

water temp: 16.4

air temp: 15.4 - heatwave ! 

conditions: calm with a few bumps 

vibe: happy 

c

Sadly, El Nino is bringing summer weather to Thredbo this year.    Whilst the snow recedes revealing the beauty of the  snowgums, it also reveals an icy beast..  softening in the warming winter sun to form slushys even bigger than 7-11!   Notwithstanding, a few days in the mountains work wonders for head clearing... 

If wild swimming isnt your thing, Thredbo also has a world class leisure centre, with what the locals claim as the "worlds slowest pool", water slide and a ninja warrior type obstacle course.    it is not unusual to see Olympians and other world class athletes completing "altitude training blocks" at Thredbo (1,365m in the village). I havent swum with anyone famous - there are 2 days to  go, however!  

Winter wild swimming is enthusuastically supported around the world.

If you havent seen the movie "hold your breath", I recommend it. Free diver Johanna Nordblad attempts to break the world record for distance traveled under ice with one breath (Netflix).

Then there is the "ice mile" - a one mile swim in water temperature of 5 degrees Celsius or less wearing just a standard costume, goggles and one swim hat.   I believe some of the B&B community have completed or attempted or training for this amazing feat!     If you feel like its your thing, to find out more check out the website as it does recommend a doctors advice!  https://www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com/the-ice-mile/

In iceland swimming in freezing water is called "beserking" (in 2017 I tried it, with the bribe of peppermint schnapps!) involving dunking (head under) in a stream, clothed (in contrast to the natural ultra hot springs!) - here's a picture of my friends Andrea, Paul and I in may 2017 dressed as "wonder woman", having earned the status of "Beserker" which apparently is for life. 

This is Andrea and I (dressed in wonder woman costumes, because, why not?) running towards the stream, in order to "dunk" in!

In Argentina, you can swim around the Perito Moreno glacier, in August (an organised event) where the water is between 1-2 degrees.  dont get stuck on the ice! 

Of course there is the polar plunge - in Antarctica for the South and Svalbard (or Northern Canada or Alaska) in the North.    have plunged in both and i can report that its pretty darn cold!   Literally takes your breath away!   A shot of vodka afterwards is most welcome (and a super hot shower!)

I hope you are all enjoying summer in winter, as always stay warm, be kind to each other, look after and out for each other and have a wonderful wednesday! 

Jocelyn

Announcement - in case you missed the announcement on social media:

New BnB budgies have arrived. To celebrate BnB members are being offered a 20% discount, in- store only for 2 weeks. (after 2 weeks the discount will revert to 10%)To receive this discount you must show your BNB pink cap when purchasing.

They look fantastic thanks to Georgina Hart's amazing design & generosity in donating her design to BnB, once more. You can find her amazing art at Georgina Hart art-online or at her gallery in Seaforth.

The swim suits should be available in store and online in two weeks in men’s, ladies thin strap one piece and ladies sport two piece.

In spring we will be able to do a pre-order batch if any ladies would like the thick strap design or if anyone would like towels. Dates for this pre-order will be announced nearer the time.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

Tues 1st Aug: Sunny but fresh

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 Our monthly (sort of) Tuesday night drinks and talk returns.

Tuesday 8^th August at 6:30 PM. Upstairs at Manly Surf Club.

Come along, the bar will be open. Bring some finger food, have some fun and learn a thing or two.

'Crayweed' (Phyllospora comosa) once formed dense beds on shallow reefs all along the Sydney coastline, but sometime during the 1980s it all disappeared. This has had severe repercussions for local fish, crayfish and marine biodiversity. For the last few years, Cabbage Tree Bay has been part of an experiment to reintroduce Crayweed. With extensive plantings coupled with the living seawall at Fairy Bower pool, enormous gains have been achieved. This month Prof. Adriana Verges, the lead researcher on Operation Crayweed will outline the success so far and how these measures are now being introduced in other areas of Sydney Harbour.  

We swim it every day and now you can get an in-depth look at what is blooming below the surface.  Please register using the link B&B Monthly Talk