Avoiding The Stingers At Coogee

The pool below the surf-lifesavers' clubhouse at Coogee Beach.

Last night, around nine, I was swimming here. Bright moonlight was shining on the bay. The light above the clubhouse was shining into the water of the pool. It was a warm night- great for swimming in cool, clear saltwater. Waves were breaking over the sides as I swam. I didn't want to leave. I kept swimming until I was shivering.

This morning, it was a different story. The onshore winds had brought stingers to the beaches. There was a bloke in the water fishing them out, but the waves kept washing more in. It' wasn't going to be fun swimming here.

The stingers were mostly bluebottles (Portugese Man-Of-War). The south and central areas of the beach were littered with them.

So I walked down to the south end of the beach, and along the headland, to swim at Giles Baths. The onshore winds were from the north-east, so this pool was in the lee of the point.

Free from stingers.

Clear, cool, wonderful water. A great swim.

First Swim At Dawn Fraser Baths This Season

It's been a while since I wrote anything. I carried on swimming at Wylie's, Mahons and the surf- lifesavers pool at Coogee right through September. The water warmed up very quickly and was around 19 degrees by October. The October school holidays were awful with storms, persistent rain, dangerous seas and cold temperatures. No swimming for me until the last couple of days.

This weekend I swam at Wylie's a couple of times. Twenty degrees now and beautiful clear water. I thought today (Sunday) I would swim at Balmain in the Dawn Fraser Baths where I had meant to go on the first day of the summer season. Of course the storms etc. prevented that.

Not so sunny today but still warm.

I love the walk down to the baths, through the park, under the massive trees.

Nine o' clock, and I was the only swimmer.

The water was gorgeous.

Last (Official) Weekend Winter Swimming

It's officially the start of spring on Tuesday, so today was my last winter swim for 2009. The water temperature is 16 degrees(it actually rose to 17 last weekend). It was a warm, but blustery afternoon with strong westerlies. I went to Wylie's right on high tide, thinking the westerlies would flatten the swell, but it was a wee bit rough at times in the pool.

Another Winter's Day At Wylie's

The water is getting cooler. It's finally down to 16 degrees C. This time last year it had been 15 for a while, and even got down to 14 for a couple of days in mid-august.

Today I swam on high tide, with the waves crashing into the pool, and huffed and puffed my way through twelve lengths of breastroke.

Mid - Winter Swimming in Sydney

According to the ABC weather report, this week is, statistically speaking, the coldest week of the year in Sydney. The water temperature has, however, risen. Two days ago it was 16.5 celsius; today, it was back up to 17.

A perfect day for winter swimming: sunny, warm, blue skies and a light breeze. Wylie's was gorgeous right on low tide. I did twenty lazy laps of breaststroke, then had a hot shower and a hot mug of tea.

When I used to swim here in the winters during the nineteen-eighties, you had to make do with just the hot mug of tea - only a cold shower in those days. The baths were closed to the public during the winter, but as a member I had my own key to the gate. Winter swimmers in those days stuck to the regulation channel swimming attire of bathing costume, goggles and cap. These days, however, quite a few people are wearing wetsuit tops, triathlon wetsuits or even the full steamer with a hood. There also seem to be quite a few people swimming lengths in full face mask, snorkel and flippers. I'd be interested to know if the winter swimming clubs allow their members to wear any of the above nowadays. Personally, I'm happy enough with my speedos, cap and goggles.