The organisers of the Mona Vale Cold Classic got lucky yesterday with perfect conditions for Sydney's only mid-winter ocean swim.
About 250 punters turned up for the event. About one third of those chose to wear wetties, while the rest of us opted for the naked look - budgie smugglers for blokes and cossies for the chicks.
I didn't do a warm-up before the 10am start. Although the sun shone, it was still jumper weather and the nip in the air gave me goosebumps when the wind picked up.
The water was unbelievable. Cool and clear. It's hard to describe what it felt like after the initial plunge, when your breath is sucked out of you. After the swim, I felt as though I'd been cleansed. As if all the winter germs had been purged from my body.
During the swim, a tiny wave surprised me by slapping my face at the first can (I was afraid I'd lose my goggles again, like I did last year in very different conditions).
I also became mesmerised by the 'Avatar' green weed on the reef on the way out. Electric.
Stretching out parallel to the beach, the conditions were choppy, so I struggled to find a rhythm. Coming in at the end was a little confusing, as the suport crew were telling us to swim further along the beach, rather than veer straight towards the finish line. I think there was a rip in the way.
After the swim, my knees started to shake, but the complimentary cup of hearty vegetable soup warmed my pristine innards! The swim was advertised as 1.2 km, but someone said it was more like 1.4 km.
Now it's back to the indoors and gas heater. And back to the drawing board regarding my swimming routine. My time sucked. If only I could grow flippers.
Take a look at my pics of Mona Vale. Unfortunately, there's none of people swimming. For those, go to www.oceanswims.com
