Third Beach, Vancouver, B.C.

I swam from Third Beach after a great walk through old growth forest in Stanley Park. The day was really warm, and quite a few people were in the water. Lots of the swimmers seemed to have arrived on bikes, having pedalled around the seawall, as the bike racks were full.

The sand on this beach was much finer than at Kitsilano, and the water seemed to deepen more quickly.  I had an amazing long swim, sometimes just floating looking at the coast and mountains. The ocean was really clear and clean.

I read on the chalkboard outside the lifeguard station that the ocean temperature was 17ºC, which is a degree warmer than it was in Sydney a couple of days ago. 

Kitsilano Beach

Recently I was in Vancouver, British Columbia, and I walked to Kitsilano Beach for a swim or two. It was a warmish August day, so I swam out to the raft just off the beach. The sand was quite coarse at this end of the beach, and there were enormous (glaucous) gulls pottering along the water's edge. 

There were a couple of lifeguards on duty, though I was the only person in the water at that time. Apparently, they are due to finish their season on Labour Day (September 2nd). The lifeguard chairs in the photo have canopies, and the lifeguard is holding a parasol, so they must take sun protection seriously. 

The beaches around Vancouver have large logs stationed along the sand, presumably for sitting on.

I really wanted to swim in Kitsilano Pool, an outdoor heated saltwater pool along the beach. It is 137 metres long, and has a lap swimming system that takes a bit of figuring out for newcomers. It's very different swimming so many metres in one length, and by the time I'd done 8 lengths, I realised I'd already swum my usual kilometre. It takes me 22 lengths at Wylies Baths, and 20 lengths at Balmain Baths.

There are great views from the beach across English Bay and Burrard Inlet to the mountains in the north. 

A Short Swim Around Coogee Bay

I enjoyed last week's Dawny to Cockatoo Island swim so much that I decided to have a go at the 1 kilometre swim around Coogee Bay, an event which is hosted by the Coogee Surf Life Saving Club (http://coogeesurfclub.com.au/club/). There is a total of three swims in the event: an 800 metres dash for the juniors (11 to 13 years), the 1km course inside the bay and a 2.4 km swim out of the bay and around Wedding Cake Island.

Before the majority of entrants arrived. The line of breakers in the distance is Wedding Cake Island.

The swim around the island is, by all accounts, one of the most amazing swims along the Sydney coast, with submarine views of large boulders on the shoreward side and reefs of rock, seaweed and marine life on the open ocean side - all seen through clear blue water.

The registration process: entrants registered by age group and distance.

There is no way that I could manage the 2.4 kms out to the island, let alone navigate the currents behind the island and make it back to shore, so it was the 1km swim for me. 

The first buoy has already been placed in the water.

The day was gorgeous, warm and sunny after a week of rain and surprisingly cold temperatures. It's a popular swim, and there were lots of entrants in many age categories. The junior dash was first, then the 1km swim went off in two waves, the younger age groups first.  I was, of course, in the second wave. Altogether there were 427 people in the 1km swim, and, amazingly (unless I've misunderstood something) almost one thousand in the swim around the island (some people doubled-up by swimming in both).

A glorious day at Coogee Beach

The water temperature was 18°C, and there was a very high tide. Swimming out into the bay, I could notice the difference between this week's swim in the swell and the chop and last week's swim in the calm, flat waters of Sydney Harbour. I set off from the beach using a front crawl stroke, but several times reverted to breaststroke to catch my breath and give my shoulders a rest. One or two people were doing backstroke or sidestroke at various times. 

Last week I swam the 1.1km in 21 minutes, and felt fine afterwards. This week the 1km swim took me 33 minutes 16 seconds, and I had to have a sit in the sun for several minutes after finishing. Later in the day I had sore legs and shoulders. A reminder that the open ocean takes a bit more effort than the ocean rock pool or tidal baths. 

Later I walked up onto the cliffs to watch the real swimmers rounding the island.

Looking from the cliffs to Wedding Cake Island (barely visible in the very high tide). 

It's impossible to see the swimmers in this photo, but they were somewhere out the back when it was taken.

The Last Swim In San Francisco

It was with quite a bit of sadness that I travelled to Aquatic Park for the very last time this holiday. I really enjoy swimming in San Francisco Bay with its views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. I also love going to the swimming clubs here. Members of the clubs are friendly and helpful, and make visitors feel welcome. For my last swimming day, it was the Dolphins Club that was open to the public. That makes five swims from this club now, and only one from the South End Club.

The half mile swim was really good fun. The day was warm and sunny, and, if anything, the water seemed warmer than last week. I wore my swimming cap, but probably didn't really need it.

Later, after a quick, hot shower, I enjoyed lounging in one of the club's comfortable rooms. The large windows showed the amazing views of San Francisco Bay. 

Then it was time to leave to catch the plane back to Sydney. I've really enjoyed San Francisco and the swimming both this year and last year, and I'd love to come back again one day. Meanwhile it's home to begin swimming at Balmain Baths, which opened last weekend for the summer season.

A Swim From The South End Club

The two swimming clubs situated at Aquatic Park on San Francisco Bay are The Dolphin Club ( http://www.dolphinclub.org/about.html ) and The South End Club ( http://www.south-end.org/club.shtml ). Both date back to the 1870s, and were formed as both rowing and swimming clubs. Members swim in the Bay all year round

The clubs are open to the public on alternate days, excluding Sundays and Mondays. Previously, both last year and this year too, I'd been for a swim on days when it was the Dolphin Club that was open for public swimming. I was lucky enough on my fifth swim in San Francisco Bay to swim from the South End Club. 

The swimming course at Aquatic Park

A swimmer returns to the South End Club pier

San Francisco Beaches

After a couple of great swims from the Dolphins club at Aquatic Park, I went to look at a few of the San Francisco beaches.

Firstly, I walked along the coastal footpath from Baker Beach around to The Bay. Both Baker Beach itself and Marshalls Beach along the walk were quite dramatic with booming surf and views of The Golden Gate Bridge. The waves were too wild and the currents too strong to swim at these ocean beaches.

When I got around to the Bay side of the Bridge, the beaches at Crissy Field (East Beach) were calm enough for swimming, so in I went. The water was cold but it was a really hot day, so I soon warmed up.

Marshalls Beach

Baker Beach

Crissy Field (East Beach)

Another Swim In The Bay

My first swim in San Francisco Bay this year was overcast and misty and filled with the continual sound of foghorns across the water. My next swim was very different on a very hot and sunny day.

Water temperatures are 14 C according to the Internet, but it didn't really feel that cold because I was wearing a swimming cap.

A Swim In The North Pacific

I managed to have a pretty wonderful swim in the cold waters of The Bay on a cool, foggy day in San Francisco.

I started out from the Dolphins Swimming club at Aquatic Park. I swam along the half mile course marked by buoys inside the sea walls.

I had views of Alcatraz, but only glimpses of the Golden Gate Bridge through the fog. Foghorns were sounding out continuously across the bay.

There was no temperature chalked up on the board, but I reckon it was about 15°C, so I was glad of the hot shower and sauna in the clubhouse afterwards. 

Lord Howe Island

Lagoon Beach

I've recently spent a week out in the South Pacific on Lord Howe Island. It's about 600 km off the mid-north coast of New South Wales, and has the most southerly coral reef in the world. This world-heritage area has a relatively shallow lagoon with several beaches, and also has ocean beaches on the opposite coast. Plenty of swimming spots to choose from.

Mount Gower and Mount Lidgbird seen across the lagoon

The water is incredibly clear. There 90 species of coral and 500 species of fish from both the tropics and the temperate regions. 

Beach at Lovers Bay

It was lots of fun to swim, with mask and snorkel, from beaches along the lagoon, out to reefs of gorgeous coral and algae. At each reef, there were many colourful fish, both large and small. It was easy to spot parrotfish, angel fish, anemone fish and so many more. Off Lovers Bay, I swam next to a large turtle. 

View across the lagoon to North Bay

From North Bay, I swam out to and old wreck that was filled with shoals of catfish and butterfly fish.

Sunrise at Neds Beach

At Neds Beach, on the ocean coast, the reefs are very close to the shore. There's a sand channel that can be followed out to deeper water. I saw turtles here too, and also swam with three (small) Galapagos Sharks nearly every morning.

The Long Swim (in order of direction)

In April, 2009, I decided to swim in all the rock pools and tidal baths along the coastline of Sydney. My conceit was that I would adapt the idea behind Roger Deakin's book, "Waterlog", (itself adapted from an idea contained in John Cheever's story, "The Swimmer"), that is to cover a given geographical distance by swimming bodies of water situated along that distance. Essentially, I would swim along the Sydney coastline from South to North (therefore from Port Hacking to Broken Bay), using the ocean pools and saltwater public baths on the beaches, and in the bays and the rivers. My only rule was that I must swim at least one length in the direction of completing the overall swim.

Almost two years later, I finally completed (with certain exceptions) my swim trek. The eighty swimming enclosures along the route are listed below. Ten of these enclosures have been closed completely or have had the shark nets removed. In five of these I was unable to swim at all, but in five I swam the original area without the shark nets. One pool was being cleaned on the day I was there, and I will return at a later date to swim there. One pool is restricted to women and children, so that leaves seventy-three tidal swimming enclosures that I actually swam. Here they are:

Port Hacking

1. Gymea Bay Baths

2. Lilli Pilli Baths

3. Gunnamatta Bay Baths

Cronulla Beaches

4. Oak Park Pool

5. Shelley Beach Pool

6. Cronulla Ocean Pool

7. Cronulla Rock Pool

Botany Bay

8. Kurnell Tidal Baths

The Georges River

9. Como Baths

10. Oatley Bay Baths

11. Jewfish Bay Baths

12. Carss Point Baths

Botany Bay

13. Sandringham Baths

14. Dolls Point Baths (closed) (did not swim)

15. Ramsgate Baths

16. Monterey Baths

17. Brighton-le-Sands Baths

18. Kyeemagh Baths (closed) (did not swim)

Eastern Suburbs Beaches

19. Little Bay Rock Pool

20. Malabar Rock Pool

21. South Maroubra Rockpools

22. Mahons Pool (Maroubra)

23. Ivo Rowe Rock Pool (South Coogee)

24. Wylies Baths (Coogee)

25. McIvers Baths (Coogee) (women and children only) (did not swim)

26. Ross Jones Pool (Coogee)

27. Giles Baths (Coogee)

28. Clovelly Bay

29. Clovelly Pool

30. Bronte Baths

31. Bronte Bogey Holes

32. Bondi Icebergs Pool

33. Wally Weekes Pool and Children's Paddling Pool (Bondi)

Sydney Harbour (Port Jackson)

34. Watsons Bay Baths

35. Parsley Bay Swimming Enclosure

36. Nielsen Park Swimming Enclosure

37. Redleaf Pool (Double Bay)

The Parramatta River

38. Balmain (Dawn Fraser) Baths

39. Chiswick Baths

40. Henley Baths (closed) (swam within the original area)

The Lane Cove River

41. Woolwich Baths

42. Tambourine Bay Tidal Pool (closed) (did not swim)

43. Lucretia Baths (Woodford Bay)

The Parramatta River

44. Greenwich Baths

45. Balls Head Tidal Pool (closed) (swam within the original area)

Sydney Harbour (Port Jackson)

46. McCallum Pool (Cremorne)

47. Clifton Gardens (Chowder Bay)

Sydney Harbour (Middle Harbour)

48. Balmoral Baths

49. Balmoral Beach Swimming Enclosure (shark net removed) (swam within the original area)

50. Northbridge Baths

51. Garrigal National Park Swimming Enclosure

52. Guerney Crescent Baths (Pickering Point)

53. Sangrado Baths (closed) (swam within the original area)

54. Clontarf Pool

Sydney Harbour (North Harbour)

55. Forty Baskets Beach Pool

56. Fairlight Beach Pool

57. Manly Cove Swimming Enclosure

58. Little Manly Cove Pool

Northern Beaches

59. Fairy Bower Rock Pool (Manly)

60. Queenscliff Pool

61. Freshwater Pool (yet to swim here)

62. Curl Curl Pool

63. North Curl Curl Rock Pool

64. Dee Why Rock Pool

65. Collaroy Rock Pool

66. North Narrabeen Rock Pool

67. Mona Vale Rock Pool

68. Newport Rock Pool

69. Bilgola Rock Pool

70. Avalon Rock Pool

71. Whale Beach Rock Pool

72. Palm Beach Rock Pool

Pittwater

73. Avalon Baths

74. Taylors Point Baths

75. Salt Pan Cove Baths (closed) (did not swim)

76. Winji Jimmi Baths (closed) (did not swim)

77. Bayview Wharf Baths

78. Scotland Island Swimming Enclosure

The Hawkesbury River

79. Illawong Bay (Kur-ring-gai Chase National Park) (shark net removed) (swam within the original area)

80. Brooklyn Baths