Pacific Jules

Wednesday 8 January - oh where oh where did the bluebottles go?

Bluebottles - the "blue peril", "little f&ckers" whatever we call them seem to have taken themselves on another adventure aftetr wreaking havoc on the weekend, together with their sharky friends.  So, where do they come from, and where do they go?  The answer, my friend, is actually blowing in the wind!

Speaking of wind, it has swung south, meaning the bluebottles have drifted away to  - who cares?  However the southerly also brought brilliant (albeit moody) conditions to our piece of paradise for those who infused vitamin Sea this morning.

water temp:

air temp:

conditions: Sublime, moody

vibe: all smiles

Many of you may have seen the post on the B&B and in newsfeeds for yet another study on Bluebottles, to assist in predicting when their blue armies may make an appearance (and the life guards and life savers can be prepared for an influx of a variety of pained expressions!) - c.40,000 of them actually recorded this last year!  

Here is the article in case you are interested:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-25/bluebottles-prediction-nsw-beaches-what-to-do-if-stung/104758648

a few type 2 fun facts about bluebottles that you may not have known but which may explain the varying degreees of pain.

• bluebottles are from the Jellyfish family (siphonophores) and a bluebottle is actually a "metropolis" (actaully the scientific term is colony but its really a thriving "smart" city!) of four kinds of individuals in the "zooid" family
• the zooids support each other and are interdependent
• the pretty blue "bubble" (the pneumatophore) supports the colony
• the pretty long thin tentacales (which can be metres long) detect and capture "food" which include larval fish and small crustaceans and mollusks - as the pretty blue bubble floats on the surface, the long blue tentacles silently descend, thereby capturing said food (and the odd arm and leg and foot and face and other human body parts)
• there are also digestive and reproductive zooids - all co dependent on one another for survival (what if we could separate them???)
• Bluebottles are prevalent pretty much all of Australia except less so in the top end, perhaps the crocs eat them? or the Irukanji (the most deadly marine stinger) kills them?  
• The Bluebottle also belongs to the phylum Cnidaria, which includes corals and sea anemones (i cannot think of a bigger contrast - all are beautiful however the bluebottle is also a beast!

Interestingly, the "floats" are like sails on a yacht and are angled towards the right or left, to maximise downwind efficiency (for sailors, this is like VMG or velocity made good - perhaps a new sail design in the making?). This is a clever evolution to ensure that only 50% of the bluebottles can be stranded on shore, leaving the remaining to wreak havoc somewhere else.  That said, it is hypothesized by scientists that the pneumatophore can alter the "shape" of the float or sail (and therefore direction) by a bit of muscular contraction - kind of like trimming the sails on a yacht.

That all said, a few general observations have been frequently shared on social media and the B&B pages to help you identify days when its safer to swim harbour side (within the shark net of course!):

• Bluebottles tend to be blown into Sydney beaches by North Easterly breezes, and exacerbated if the swell is also from the North East
• The Nor Easters are prevalent in summer however increasingly also bringing the blue peril in spring

Treatment:

Straight from "Beachsafe" (https://beachsafe.org.au/surf-safety/bluebottle).  As there are no public hot showers on Manly beach, the lifeguards will often announce a recommendation to run the sting area under cold water or applying cold packs or ice. There are several cold water showers along Manly Beach.  IF you can access hot water (noting no public hot water facilities on manly beach) then run hot water over the sting, as hot as you can manage.  If you believe you are having or will have a reaction, seek medical attention ASAP.   

Hopefully the study mentioned above will, by next summer, be able to assist in predicting when Bluebottle armies are likely to arrive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday 16 October - swim a few Kilometres today? why Knot?

Wednesday 16th October - another almost perfect day to swim those extra kilometres, whether you are training for an event, or general exercise infusing morning vitamin sea, or simply to search for sea life or capture that "money shot"... today was a great day for all of the above and so much more.      Whales were spotted heading South to the Antarctic wilderness for the summer....

 

Water temp: 18.7 degrees 

air temp at 7am: 11.3 degrees

conditions: ever so slight swell from the SSE (thats South South East), flat across the bay with a few little bumps as the SSE swell curved around the Bower, a light, with zephyrs of light, gentle breeze

vibe: happy for wonderful conditions & abundant sea life again (and funny fish face photos!)!

The talented mermaid Petra once again ensured that the daily talking point (or should I say chalking point) was displayed on the wall before 7am.    The addition of swell (height and direction) and wind direction & speed are fabulous as the visual reference and provides us information to compare the to the sea state observed.  Understanding that relationship will help educate all of us as to how to read the forecasts and determine what kind of swim to expect (well, as much as we can rely on forecasts!).    I was lucky to learn to sail when I was young.   I learned to look for signs on the water to measure wind speed in Knots (proxy for nautical miles per hour).    Overseas, wind speed is measured and reported in Knots (or the Beaufort scale which is based in knots).  In recent years, Australian news feeds have been reporting wind speed in Kilometres per hour.    I thought the B&B community may be interested in a bit of history and the points of difference, as a small poll this morning (there werent many swimmers!) indicated that both measurements were pretty much equally referred to.

A few fun facts about the historical measurement of wind speed and the concept of a nautical mile & a "knot":

• 1450 Leon Battista invented the first instrument to measure wind speed - an anemometer (from the Greek word for wind, “anemos”), which measures wind velocity (number of revolutions over a set time) using a disk placed perpendicular to the wind. The familiar "spinning cup” anemometer (which is still used widely today) was invented in 1846, and the sonic anemometer was first developed in 1994 (modern aenometers can measure wind speed in km/h, knots and metres per second which is commonly used in scientific measurements such as the speed of light (light speed for star wars fans!) and sound.
• a "knot" refers to a historical (17th century) measurement of ship speed in the days of sailing ships where crew would throw a rope (full of knots evenly spaced)  over the side and count the number of knots that passed over a period of time, ie per hour, so references to "knot" are "nautical miles per hour"
• A nautical mile is based on the circumference of planet Earth. If the Earth were to be cut in half at the equator, you could pick up one of the halves and look at the equator as a circle. That circle is divided into 360 degrees, and a degree into 60 minutes. A minute of arc on planet Earth is 1 nautical mile (approx 1.8km give or take).   
• Therefore, the concept behind the nautical mile is that it takes into account the curvature of the earth.  A measurement in Kilometres (or simple miles) generally refers to shorter land based distance measurements and more for "flat" surfaces (music to your ears if you are a "flat earther" ha ha).
• in the northern hemisphere in particular, "breeze" over oceans, lakes and water is measured using the "beaufort scale" - developed by Britain's Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort (1774-1857) in 1805 to help sailors estimate the winds via visual observations (from 1-12 where 12 is hurricane force!).   Whilst we dont often refer to the beaufort scale in Australia, recognising the signs is useful information for when travelling overseas especially if you are planning a sailing trip and need to understand the local forecasts (http://www.bom.gov.au/marine/knowledge-centre/reference/wind.shtml).   

Somewhere along the line, the term "knot" entered the vernacular to measure, report and forecast wind speed and boat speed  as it took into account the curvature of the earth.  Like sailing vessels and aeroplanes, wind also travels over the curvature of the earth.   Therefore, knots (as opposed to simple km or miles per hour) are generally considered a more accurate way of predicting & measuring how a boat, plane or wind traverses the face of the earth.   

In the mid 1970's, Australia started reporting wind speed in kilometres per hour for "land based" posittions as well as knots for nautical and aviation use.  Quite a few people i spoke to today related to km per hour as they can compare reported wind speed to how fast their vehicle feels it is travelling, whereas those who prefer to refer to wind speed in knots look for signs on the water. 

So, what does this mean for swimmers?    The answer is, personal preference.   A "quick reckoner" to convert km per hour to knots is to divide by 2 (its actually 1.8 - something - but 2 will give a proxy).      As a general rule, swell east of SSE depending on wave height can be a little tricky, and breese from  "onshore" direction (from NE or SE as is the prevailing sea breeze on the East Coast) can also exacerbate messiness and conditions (and in the case of NE, bringing the "blue peril!").  The forecast information today, indicated a sublime swim which it deinitely was!

At the end of the day,  information about wave height and direction, and wind speed and direction is incredibly valuable, as we build up our own  "knowledge bank" to help us "forecast" the type of condiions we may face and therefore determine whether to swim, or not to swim, or how far and where to swim (or to use flippers, wear a wetsuit or not!).   So if you see km per hour on the temperature wall and you are a "knot" person, simply divide by 2 (or look for the signs!) and you will be equally happy :) 

Of course, no matter the reported forecast, mother nature is always the boss and frequently frustrates sailors in particular by changing direction and speed, and even disappearing altogether (as happened to us last night in the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron Tuesday twilight yacht race!).  

As always, take care of each other, be kind, look out for and after each other and have a wonderful wednesday!

Jocelyn

A few reminders!

1) B&B talent quest finals are Tuesday 22nd October - still time to buy your tickets!

https://events.humanitix.com/bold-and-beautiful-s-got-talent?_gl=1%2A1sg0pt6%2A_gcl_aw%2AR0NMLjE3MjYyOTU1NzkuQ2p3S0NBand4WS0zQmhBdUVpd0F1N1k2czZ6UENjajhoZXhUNktwb3JQdzUtWkh5MjJRSVEyRHI3YXp2eXRGSndJNHJFSDZEZ0lsbWd4b0NQdUVRQXZEX0J3RQ..%2A_gcl_au%2ANzU5MTYwMTkwLjE3MjM2ODY4NTU.%2A_ga%2AMTI5Mjc0NDUzLjE3MjM2ODY4NTY.%2A_ga_LHKW5FR9N6%2AMTcyNjI5NTU3OC4xMy4xLjE3MjYyOTY3NDIuMjMuMC4w&fbclid=IwY2xjawF8Xr1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHZhOLHxtVyfD6C97s1jVj-1ToPTg8qs2rnR1TjFOrqf0I185zhZ96fkoBg_aem_I2EbWX1H9XzQlDROALPSRw

2) winter badges are still available, see Ian at the welcome desk with Cash or tap & go

3) Quite a few B&B swimmers have photos shortlisfed in the Northern Beaches Photo competition - take a look and vote for your favourite!  

https://www.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/whats/council-event-program/ocean-festival/underwater-photo-competition-2024

 

 

 

 

Wednesday 14 August - challenging ourselves !

Wednesday 14th August - something was missing - that yellow ball of nourishing energy that is the sun, for starters, and lake Manly had also disappeared.....  and after 1055 days, it is with gratitude that we appreciate the enormity of Guy's daily efforts to inform us of the temperature, and with his unique gift, weaving in a story - sometimes raw, always authentic, stories of reslilience, persistence, determination, perseverance, courage, sadness, and also happiness, joy, kindness and fun.     We all have our favourites - I cant choose only one, however the fun Christmas themes, the happy rainbows, the anzac day commemmorations, the celebrations of our Olympians are definitely high on my list (and the ice cubes - reminding us that we are all a little crazy - in the best way!)!   

Photo:  Jon Howard

Creating something new every day takes energy - sometimes a lot.   I think its more ultra than an ultra marathon.  We must take Guys' baton and continue to creatively find a way to challenge and motivate ourselves into the water each day, channelling kindness and courage, with gratitude and salty joy.    Guy - we hope you are feeling wrapped in all our love as you prioritise you.   Your reminders to be kind, support each other and look out for and after each other, to be grateful for what we have, to challenge ourselves to be better versions of ourselves, and so much more, will be forever part of the Bold and Beautiful community.   

todays stats:

water temp - a "guestimate" in the low 17's

air temp at 7am:  15.9 degrees (with a "feels like" 17.3, approximately the same as the water!)

conditions - a restless ocean

vibe - few swimmers... mirroring the mood set by the rain drops, rain clouds and wondering where our perfect acquarium went?

Speaking of challenging ourselves, quite a few swimmers in the B&B community constantly test their capabilty, resilience and perseverence (and patience), in, on and out of the water.    I decided that the topic of todays blog would be exactly that. 

 In the spirit of the theme, this morning i dragged myself (emphasis on the drag) out of bed  at stupid o'clock to join the morning "vladswim" squad (also, i had an office day and the traffic is too awful to both swim and drive to the office!)... if one has goals, one must form a series of habits to give one the best pathway to achieve them (refer to Atomic Habits by James Clear if you would like a refresher on Habits!).   

The Vladswim squad is full of inspiring swimmers (who are also incredible humans), supporting each other, no matter how fast they swim their laps, to achieve their goals.   Chatter includes encouraging fellow swimmers to attempt this or that event, showing up is the first step, and then, in the words of legendary skiier Michaela Shiffrin, "onwards".  The above picture includes Christian Renford who in a few weeks will swim the English Channel, and he will be the first 3rd generation in one family to achieve this feat.   A recent article on Christians quest is here:

https://www.swimmersdaily.com/2024/08/how-to-swim-the-english-channel-as-an-amateur-the-australian/

Also included in this photo is our own B&B swimmer, Christine Freek.   Christine started swimming with the B&B in 2021, and her first open water swim was accompanied stroke for stroke by Ian.   Christine has since caught the marathon swim bug.   Last year, she completed the 20km Swim around Great Keppel Island, and this year, rottnest, Palm Beach to Shelly beach and recently the Gibraltar Strait, with 2 other Vladswimmers, Tim and Jo.  

Christine and team mates touching land in Morocco

After this mornings pool session, Christine kindly shared her inspiring story for todays blog - a reminder that we can all do hard things!   She and her team mates Pascal, Tim and Jo (from Vladswim squad) each individually (swimming together), completed the 15km swim from Europe to Africa across the Strait of Gibraltar:  Spain (Tarifa), to Morocco (Punta Cires) in a time of 3 hours 46 minutes.

Pascal, Christine and Tim receiving their completion certificates back in Spain (not pictured, Josephine who also finished)

Our search of the records shows this crossing of the Gibraltar Strait is the equal 4^th fastest time by Australian females, but Christine says “It’s not really about the times, every swim is different so it’s hard to compare, it’s about getting it done, embracing whatever conditions are thrown at you and having fun.”

Christine started swimming with B&B in 2021, and while a pool swimmer all her life, growing up in regional inland NSW meant she only really took to ocean swimming when she moved to Manly in 2021 and started swimming with us!

“I still remember my first swim with the B&B,” Christine said. “Ian met myself and a friend at 7am and swam with us to show us the ropes, which really helped us gain confidence and skills in the open water. The B&B community has a special place in my heart”.

Christine receiving her first B&B cap from Ian in May 2021, alongside now good friend Helena Sracek.

Christine is still a regular at B&B, but spends most of her mornings swimming with Vladswim, under the coaching of Vlad Mravec, and a community of fellow marathon and ultramarathon swimming enthusiasts.

Christine is no stranger to a long swim, having also completed the 26km Palm Beach to Shelly Beach swim along the Northern Beaches (8 hours 14 minutes) earlier this year, a 20km circumnavigation of Great Keppel Island in Queensland (5 hours 49 minutes), the 10km South Head Roughwater from Bondi to Watsons Bay, 10km swims at Lake Argyle in Western Australia, and was a participant in the 19.7km Rottnest Channel solo swim this year which had to be abandoned mid-race due to deteriorating weather conditions.

We asked Christine a few questions!

What was the highs and lows of swimming the Gibraltar Strait?

The best part was absolutely doing it alongside my team mates and good mates, it truly is a team sport, and taking this on together was really special.

The low was getting really sea sick on the swim, something that hasn’t really happened to me before, but I was vomiting most of the way across – character building hey?

Which swim are you most proud of and why?

I’d say Palm to Shelly. It’s our home long-distance swim and one that meant a lot to me to finish. If I’m honest I was also very apprehensive going into it, knowing it was going to be my longest swim yet, and the water temperatures (in April) were starting to drop, so I knew I’d be working hard to manage the cold. But I think that’s what makes me most proud of it, because I genuinely wasn’t sure at the start line if I’d finish, so I learnt a lot from that swim. You can do hard things!

Christine at the end of the 26km Palm to Shelly swim in April 2024

What’s been your biggest learning from your swim training?

That getting to the start line is the real achievement (the finish line is great too). There’s a lot that goes into these long swims, both in and out of the water, and I think completing the training programs and seeing yourself growing stronger physically and mentally is the best achievement of all. It’s all about the journey! As our coach Vlad often says: relax, smile and be happy!

Any advice for fellow B&B’ers who want to get into long distance swimming?

Surround yourself with the right people. It’s truly a team sport, and we have such an incredible community of swimmers here in Sydney! Team work truly makes the dream work! I’d also say don’t be afraid to start – my favourite quote is that ordinary people can do extraordinary things – it just takes a lot of hard work, determination, and persistence. 

Edit - will we see Christine with a Winter Without Wetsuit badge next year?  

If you’d like to learn more about Christine’s swim journey, or see some videos from her swims, jump on Instagram @christine_freek or @vladswim to be inspired by others training for long swims!

Edit:  I can absolutely attest that the "bug" for long distance swimming is definitely infectious... and somewhat contagious if one finds oneself in the company of many..... and there is no known antidote!    One of the hardest things I have had to get my head around is that there's no talk of "failure", in fact, every swim is an opportnity to learn no matter the outcome.  And safety is paramount.   Many of the B&B swimmers undertake amazing extraordinary activities (like marathon swims), and future blogs will feature some of them!

as always, stay kind, stay safe, look out for and after each other, and have a wonderful wednesday!

Jocelyn

 

 

Wednesday 24th July - the return of the Upwelling!

Wednesday 24th July - the week the upwelling made a triumphant return to Manly after a year or so away  - testing our resilience, our mind set, and our bravery (or craziness)... also, upwelling sounds a little like a horror movie, and for some, it probably felt like it as we battled through gritted teeth, numb limbs (and other body parts) and "ice cream" headaches to achieve the coveted Winter Without Wetsuit badge... that said, a few more "blue stars" are appearing in the daily attendance...   the upwelling has, perhaps, influenced decisions to finally feel the need for Neoprene..

todays conditions:

water temperature:  a balmy 15 degrees  - has the "downwelling" started already?  

air temperature at 7am: 5.9 degrees

conditions:  flat, liquid gold as the sun made its daily appearance

vibe:  to neoprene or not to neoprene?

What causes upwelling?   Guy summarised it beautifully on yesterdays temperature story.   Aside from the persistent (and on saturday Pesky) strong howling North (ish) Westerlies, here are a few more fun facts (courtesy of the inter web unaffected by Crowdstrike, corroborated with other interweb information from sources such as CSIRO, national geographic and the NOAA):

• The deflection of water to the left of the wind (in the southern hemisphere) away from the shoreline is due to the Coriolis effect, and "objects" travelling in a straight line appear to curve, or deflect, due to the rotation of the Earth
• the water rising to the surface during upwelling is rich in nutrients, having travelled all the way from the deep sea floor.  Therefore we can expect an abundance of sea life feasting on the buffet from the deep (and associated food chains)!
• the East Coast of Australia is known "upwelling zone", near the separation point of the East Coast Current
• northwards migration patterns of whales (and tuna!) normally match the timing of upwelling events (ie in winter when cold westerlies/ north westerlies/south westerlies prevail)
• the most predictable region for Upwelling in Australia is the Bonney coast - between Cape Jaffa in SA and Portland in VIC
• the west coast of Australia rarely experiences upwelling due to the south pole bound Leeuwin current 
• Peru has one of the most fertile ecosystems (25,900 square km of coastline) thanks to persistent upwelling, and one of the richest fishing grounds in the world as a result (which in itself causes other issues around over fishing, however thats not for this blog)
• the famous sea fog in san francisco is caused by seasonal (summer) upwelling, where cold water cools the air, creating the spectacular sea fog, and chilly summer mornings!  
• the opposite of upwelling is of course downwelling, where breeze pushes warmer water onto the shore, relegating the cold, oxygen and nutrient rich water back to the deep to feed other creatures and matter of the deep

The benefits of cold water immersion have been shared widely on various B&B pages... so, enter the water with a huge smile, dive into the liquid gold, rich, energising ocean, enjoy the invigorating, energising cold water therapy with the incentive of a hot shower (its only 20c - plus membership of course :) !), hot coffee (or tea or beverage of choice), fireball and the warmth of the friendship and cameraderie of our wonderful adventurous community!

swimmers today were all smiles after diving, sans neoprene, into the liquid gold for an infusion of vitamin sea:

Even Buddy was sans "overcoat" today, peferring to soak up the apricity..

as always, stay warm, look out for and after each other, stay kind and have a wonderful Wednesday!

jocelyn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday 3rd July - Orange and black: orange skies and the black puffer!

Wednesday 3rd July -   Few swimmers dragged themselves (or was that joyfully leapt?) out of warm beds today - however those who braved the arctic vortex were rewarded.  After a cold, rainy, wintery pre dawn, the clouds parted as though on cue at 7am to reveal a bright orange ball of light and energy, painting the clouds fifty shades of orange.   

water temp: 17.4 degrees

air temp at 7am:  a balmy 7.7 degrees!  

conditions:   the ocean slightly stirring, milky, perhaps giving our cuttlefish and Port Jackson sharks some rare privacy whilst they continue their "familiarisation" underwater.... 

Vibe:  chilled... literally! 

Today the farshun garment of choice appeared to be a black puffer jacket (of course the odd splash of colour could be seen!).  Perhaps a result of the end of financial year sale bargains?  Perhaps because black matches pretty much everything?     Or, perhaps to warm up those brave souls who brave the ocean in winter, with or without a wetsuit (its week 6 for those counting the weeks until they complete 20 swims in 7 weeks, bag the coveted WWW badge and shimmy back into neoprene!).     

If you ARE on the hunt for a puffer jacket, bargains galore to be found.  A few helpful hints:

1)    Synthetic (ideally recycled) zips withstand the salty seaside air and water much better than alternatives, even stainless steel needs a good clean every now and again. 

2) warm hand pockets, ideally located near the hips, are essential for those  who forget or dont wear gloves, or a handy place to hide those handwarmers! 

3) syhthetic (ideally recycled like Patagonia brand) insulation these days is as warm as down, and withstands exposure to salty air and water a lot better.   Ideally some water repellancy or water proofing on the jacket fabric will help you stay dry whilst you are waiting in the coffee line!

4) hoods not only keep your head warm (in the absence of a beanie); they protect against unwanted "swim cap hair" photos!

Here are some of the high farshun on display today:  warm, dry and stylish!

Rebels in colour!   Helen (visiting for the first time!) saw a Port Jackson Shark straight away!  

Coco and walter preferred colours today - kind of matching the shades of sky? 

Its hump day - mid week in (nearly) mid winter.  Stay warm, look out for and after each other, spread kindness always and have a wonderful wednesday! 

Jocelyn

 

PSA - if you havent seen the ad on the B&B facebook page, check out the new hoodies, and also details of the next B&B Tuesday night gathering!  and a new monthly event at the wharf bar, details below:

NEW EVENT - B&B Meat Raffle at The Wharf Bar

Felons Brewing - the new owners of the Wharf Bar have generously offered to run a monthly meat raffle at the Wharfy every first Sunday at 12 noon to 2.30 pm. All proceeds of the raffle will be donated to the B&B to assist with our ongoing operating costs and fundraising program.

So, we are inviting all B&B swimmers to assemble at the Wharf Bar every first Sunday to meet and mingle with your fellow swimmers in a very pleasant social setting. And don’t forget to buy your raffle tickets and support the B&B. Next raffle is on Sunday 7 July. Hope to see you all there. Please drink responsibly. 

 

 

The Arctic Blast and the Warm Ocean

My car told me the outside temperature at Manly was 10 degrees this morning. Very thankful for the 18 degree water temp. You can read the story of today's art work on Guy's insta page temperature_guy_manly

I often put a drop of liquid soap on my camera lens to stop fogging. Before getting the camera wet it gives the old vaseline-on-the-lens effect, not really intended here

Napoleon is feeling much better.

That's better!

But sorry (not sorry) today was a sea creature kind of day. Get ready!

This is the preview, seen at half way

This is not a cuttlefish. 

A few peope were hanging around the Great Cuttlefish Battle Ground. I thought there was one big cuttlefish with his head in between the rocks, presumably feeding

But nooooo. He was bullying another big male who seemed to be trying to get out.

Here you can see the underneath cuttlefish

And it's on!!!

Very clear at the Shelly end of the swim

Freediver maintaining a respectful distance. It's actually quite difficult in the shallow water because the cuttlefish go where they please and as a photographer you have to keep moving to give them that space, not that they seem to care but still.....

Lots of these around today

A flathead masquerading as a rock at the Point

And most importantly, it's Annie's birthday today - I hope you're having a very  happy one!

What am I listening to? I threatened it and here it is, sorry Belinda W. Margot..... enjoy!

And now a note or 2 from Management

Winter swimming
The Winter swimming season is nearly here! Although the water temperature may be a little colder than you might like, there are several advantages of swimming in winter, including flat seas, good visibility and no bluebottles. Perhaps the biggest advantage is that you can also qualify for a WINTER BADGE by swimming a minimum of 20 times between 1st June and 31st August. You must also swim in at least 7 different weeks. If you manage to do all of your qualifying swims without a wetsuit (or other thermal enhancing equipment) you will also qualify for the coveted WWW badge (Winter Without Wetsuit). Start now, and don’t forget to log your swims to qualify. If you don’t know how to log your swims, contact Ian ([email protected]).

Budgy Smuggler Random Swimmer of the Month

The Budgy Smuggler Swimmer of the Month for May is Jamie De Uriarte. Jamie will receive a voucher for a new pair of Budgy Smugglers from the Budgy Smuggler shop. To be in the running for Swimmer of the Month, all you need to do is log your swims. The winner is selected randomly from all those who have swum at least once during the month. The more times you swim the more chances you have to win the prize. So, start logging now. If you don't know how, just email Ian, [email protected]

 

 

Wednesday 12th June - Toasty toes!

Wednesday 12th June and an arctic vortex has engulfed Sydney and brought long awaited snow to the ski fields (well, perhaps snow in training)...   Arctic voretex's also bring out footwear challenges - how to keep our delicate toes toasty after a winter infusion of vitamin sea? 

The ocean, however, defies the arctic vortex and continues to wrap us up in a warm hug with temperatures still closer to 20 than 15, and the warmth of the morning sun fills us with happy energy as we bask in the apricity and exude post swim glow.  Mother nature decided that surfers in our corner have had an elegant sufficiency of waves and the gift of "lake manly" and "kodak bay" keeps on giving.  

Many of you may have read the blog from Nick cave thats doing the rounds  (and thanks all for sharing - it is always good to be reminded!).   I wont repeat it but it seems like our community is totally in synch with its message (even those who choose to wear neoprene!).   for all the positives, other studies have shown that cold water can also impact ones memory as evident by a certain manmaid, over the last few days,  forgetting not only his towel & wetsuit one day, but another day he forgot his whole swim bag, only realising when he arrived to swim.. oops.    And not to mention forgetting keep cups!   

Back to today.  

Water temperature: 19.4 degrees

Air temperature at 7am: 10:0 degrees (after single figures overnight!)

Conditions: Guys happy fish picture is all you need to describe today - get in if you can before Surfers gifts (ie waves) return!

Vibe: happines and sheer salty joy!

In previous blogs, a "guess the butt" has produced much hilarity.  Today, its "guess the toasty toes".    See if you can guess the "owners" of the (mostly) toasty toes today!   From todays observations, Ugg boots seem to be a popular weekday choice with Merry People boots a close second!  Perhaps Merry Boots are more of a weekend vibe?

Have a bit of fun matching toasty twinkle toes!! 

and of course, Zinky, Canine of the day, happily walking with her humans and enjoying sunlight on her "toes"..

 

As always, stay safe (nasty flu going around), look out for and after each other, be kind and have a wonderful wednesday! 

 

Jocelyn

 

 

 

 

Winter most definitely here

You know it's going to be a cold one whne it's early June and a mere jumper and t shirt just don't cut it any more. Puffer jackets are out already, wetsuits too. Except for the obsessive badgeniks, and those of us blessed with subcutaneous thermal protection.

The upside is the beautiful winter mornings

The moment every underwater photographer dreads arrived for me today and this is the last photo my trusty and very robust TG-6 camera has taken.

Spot the difference!

I wish I knew where the missing piece was. The shutter button feels like a 6 year old's wobbly tooth. I must have the Boy Scout gene because I have a brand new TG-6 still in its box (until now). I'll be spening some time setting it up today.

Drinks said it was a fabulous swim. I'm going to write this every time I blog regardless of whether or not I ask him. One of the happiest, most optimistic people I have ever met.

Not many people today, well, not by the time I got there which was late as usual. But I figure Michele was in the water somewhere (I just noticed that very high arch, the ballet dancers would be frothing)

Did I say it was a beautiful morning?

Viz has not improved, this was a small compensation for not having a camera. Here are some from last Saturday when we saw all the things.

This would give any cuttlefish the munchies. Weed and snacks aka tasty nums (did I say that?)

remembering decent viz albeit a tad milky

Life imitating art

Super athlete on her way to a quintillion push ups this morning

Napoleon must have overdone it he has a sore shoulder and needs rubs and sympathy

The Northern Beaches unofficial emblem

Ian handing his Mister Nice Guy crown to Derek

This one wanted to be in the blog too, and posed so nicely

What am I listening to? Sometimes YouTube just delivers and last week it handed me an obscure gem. Sadly I can't upload it. It's a live performance by Eno, John Cale, Eno and Kevin Ayers from 1974, so if it's your thing you can look for it. 

Instead here's something else I heard and liked. Fleet Foxes music always takes you to a wonder-filled wilderness that you never want to leave. Kind of our CTB.

And now a word or several from Management

Winter swimming

The Winter swimming season is nearly here! Although the water temperature may be a little colder than you might like, there are several advantages of swimming in winter, including flat seas, good visibility (yeah right) and no bluebottles (jimbles instead). Perhaps the biggest advantage is that you can also qualify for a WINTER BADGE by swimming a minimum of 20 times between 1st June and 31st August. You must also swim in at least 7 different weeks. If you manage to do all of your qualifying swims without a wetsuit (or other thermal enhancing equipment) you will also qualify for the coveted WWW badge (Winter Without Wetsuit). Start now, and don’t forget to log your swims to qualify. If you don’t know how to log your swims, contact Ian ([email protected]).

 

Bold & Beautiful x Red Demo Day

 

Red Paddle Co. will be showcasing their mens and womens Waterproof Changing Robes with a live demo at our 7 am swim on Saturday 1st June. These may be just what you need to get you through the winter and achieve your winter badge! So come along and check them out for yourself or head to the website (https://red-equipment.com.au/collections/womens-pro-change-robes-evo) . 

 

Use the code BOLDBEAUTIFUL20 to get 20% off their products.

 

 

Underwater Photography & Videography Class

 

REGISTER NOW | 8PM 9th June 2024 | 

Complimentary to B&B Swimmers only

 

A 1-hour online tutorial with David and Alice Edgar (whale photographer and freediving model) as well as Gregory Liechti (whale guide, underwater photography) covering a range of tips and tricks that we've learned over a decade of swimming with humpback whales in Tonga.

 

The session will cover:

 - GoPro settings

 - Mirrorless/DSLR camera tips and tricks

 - Whale photography composition

 - Humpback whale behaviour

 - Underwater choreography

 

Questions are very welcomed at the end of the tutorial!

 

REGISTER HERE: https://www.tongawhaleswim.com.au/bb-registration

 

Wednesday 22 May - Atomic Habits... small actions to reach big goals

Wednesday 22 May  - 9 days until winter... each day brings more chill to the air!  The water, however, teases us... one day dropping in temperature, the next, increasing, confuddling everyone with decisions - is it time for neoprene, or am I brave enough to obvigate the need for neoprene and hold out until the winter WWW badge is safe?  

Water temp: 18.1 degrees (Goddess Amphitrite you are playing with us!)

air temp at 7am: 4.6 degrees!  Brrrrr

conditions: lake Manly!

Vibe:  happy-  smiles and friendships, basking in apricity warm up the morning

Chilly mornings mean its hard to part with warm doonas and blankets and puffer jackets become essential farshun items at the beach (watch for the obligatory puffer farshun blog which I am sure will appear at some stage!)..   in summer, its so light in the mornings, its warm, and a lot easier to leap out of bed, drive, walk, ride or scooter to swim....  the journey becomes a habit.    As the mornings get darker and colder, despite the incentive of colourful sunrises, the (mostly) clear waters revealing an abundance of sea life, cuttlefish and port jackson shark mating season (and biology lessons from Lainey!), and the euphoric feeling being energised after a swim & coffee and catch ups:  theres that first step - dragging away from that warm doona.  Which begs the question, how does one convert a summer habit into a (more difficult) winter habit?     

Many of you will have heard of "Atomic Habits" by James Clear (if you havent, the interweb is full of info!).   Atoms, as we learned in Chemistry, are small particles.  Atoms underpin the theory - a habit is made up of small actions (etc).  For example,  "habit stacking" - linking something/s you want to do or achieve, with something/s you need to do along the journey.    So, you want to swim, and to swim in winter, you NEED to wake up and part with your doona...    If you're struggling with that necessary first step in order to enjoy a wonderful winter swim, then James recommends focusing on identifying how to achieve the need, ie that first steps, for example, setting an alarm & getting out of bed.  The first steps are the hardest and once achieved, all the other steps (the journey) lead to a wonderful magical winter swim!    If you havent read his book or subscribed to his newsletter (theres a podcast too), then I highly recommend it!  The book is full of insights and stories which I found interesting and its always good to read/hear different perspectives. Another insight that resonated with me was the importance of embracing and enjoying the journey in forming the habits needed to reach a goal.  There's even an app in which you can create a "habit tracker" - i heard about the app recently (yes ive clearly been living under a rock) and I have been using it!    

Good luck everyone as you transform from your summer to your winter habit!    Here are a few anecdotes from this mornings puffer clad swimmers!  

Helen sets her alarm & drinks a cup of hot tea before venturing to Manly to swim.  Sarah from Sales swims super early at 6am, she doesnt need to set an alarm, wakes up at precisely 0430, stretches, cycles to manly, swims, cycles to yoga then indulges in a hot coffee

Sally fills her hot water bottle, and as she has committed to show up, that is the incentive she needs!  Natasha adopt a "first five seconds" habit, leaps out of bed, actually focusing on the end goal is sufficient for her.  George "owns" her decision to show up - she shows up when she says she will!

Sarah (who flies to the UK this afternoon - with her seatbelt firmly fastened!) ensures all her gear is ready and waiting the night before.

I didnt see many canines out this morning waiting for their humans - perhaps they decided to practice a winter habit of staying in bed?

As always, stay safe, and, as Guy reminded us today to take care of each other and ourselves, be kind and have a wonderful wednesday ! 

Jocelyn

PS - always remember your keep cup! 
PPS - only 9 days to go until the winter badge race begins! 

 

 

 

 

Cloudy above but clear below

From a distance Guy's artwork looked like a ninja turtle , but I was wrong. The story of this piece is on his insta page temperature_guy_manly so rather than repeat what is there, have a look, give him a like and subscribe.

Drinks said the swim was fabulous but then he always does.

Edwina's injury is getting better slowly. 

There were 3 cormorants hunting at the Point today much to the delight of the swimmers who saw them. Here is one of them. I broke the don't shoot into the sun rule.

When 2 cuttlefish photos are better than 1

Don't ask me what's going on here

Jeremy and me chatting with Ian

on the bench

what am I listening to?

Steve Albini who produced some of my favourite albums died very recently.

He produced this.....

 

 

I've seen showers and I've seen rain not so sure about sunny days that I thought would never end

The wall was strangely unoccupied and ready for conquest

Moody and unpredictable is this week's weather and conditions theme. Today's Southerly swell gifted us a fairly flat surface but visibility was ordinary at best. Lainey saw a couple of cuttlefish closer to Shelly but the best I could manage was this school of batfish

Normally I would edit my photos to make them look brighter and clearer but today I want to give an accurate view of the conditions. Views over sand rather than rocks or seaweed were murkier still.

Sarah the eternal optimist said it was wonderful at 6am

Cake day. Because.

Everyone I asked said the swim today was lovely. Shaun continues his exponential progress, what a legend. 

If you want to learn what this is about, look at the insta post 

Laughing in the face of a huge monster wave

Momentarily brighter despite the beach closed and possible pollution signs.

Last night I went to the talk about shark nets. I was sad to hear that if a grey nurse shark gets caught in one it's the end for that beautiful creature. They are very delicate and sensitive animals. I always thought they had an anxious, wtf look about them (this is not my photo). I love those sharks and seeing them is always a joy.

What am I listening to? This came up on my music feed recently so I looked up a live version. The brilliant Amy at Glastonbury in 2007, sadly a member of the 27 club

Forecast is for wetness the next 3 or 4 days with hopefully a return to sunshine by Tuesday in preparation for the winter badge season