Rottnest Channel Swim - Swim

This was my 2nd worst performance in this event.

If I do it again I will actually train.

An almost complete lack of training.


Conditions at the start of my wave at 05:55 were near perfect. The SW swell was about 15cm with a light E/NE breeze so the water was glassy.

I was making way at a slow but acceptable 3.3km/h and was on target for about 6h or slightly under.

However, at 10:30 when I was at 12km it all turned to shit when the wind rapidly swung around to the NW then W.

The ocean blew up and I spent the next 6km swimming through a choppy 1 to 1.5m swell. To make it even more fun, because my skipper took me on a Southerly course, large boats heading to the island for the day blasted past me so periodically I would get hammered by the bow waves from large high speed boats.

After 18km when I was inside Thomson bay it all settled down a bit but the damage was done.

I have proved to myself, without intending to, that I can swim a 19.7km ocean race without training.

It is not a strategy I would recommend however.

If conditions are good you might get away with it but if they turn bad it will bite you on the arse.

It's now almost a week after and I still have the tooth marks to prove it.