Swim Chats

• Breanna Ward

  Breanna Ward is a marathon swimmer and ocean advocate from Wellington, Aotearoa NZ. She is a Triple Crown swimmer which means she has achieved three extremely challenging water crossings: Raukawa Moana / Cook Strait, Lake Taupō, and Te Ara a Kiwa / Foveaux Strait. Bre swims to raise awareness for ocean conservation, fundraises for marine education, and has a soft spot for sharks. She also runs local Ocean Safety courses to enable us to be 'good' swimmers, in every sense of the word!Here's Bre's blog post about swimming Te Ara a Kiwa: https://still-belowthesurface.blogspot.com/2025/02/full-circles-in-te-ara-kiwa.htmlHere's the petition we mentioned to protect orange roughy: https://www.change.org/p/nz-government-stop-the-fishing-industry-destroying-ancient-coral-forests/And the Ethel Cain song Bre had in her head for her long swim! https://open.spotify.com/track/0nsIevK1SeDfZzDOi6Si75?si=f07525f7e62b48df

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• Toy Saia'ana

  Toy Saia'ana, a Kiwi of Samoan descent, first learned how to swim as an adult. For the past few years she has challenged herself to swim in many different environments (including in choppy seas, in the dark, through winter and without a wetsuit). She is constantly learning, exploring, and helping others. We also talk about swimming through grief and giving ourselves permission to pull back in order to move forwards.For more information about SwimMastery: www.swimmastery.online

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• Fifi Colston

  In this episode Shona chats to Fifi Colston, a Wellington artist, writer, children's book illustrator and costume maker who swims all year round at several of our local Wellington beaches. We talk about getting started, swimming in winter, a close encounter with orcas, and the mental health benefits of swimming. Fifi's website: https://fificreativecom.hosts.sh/Fifi's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/creativefifi

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• Swim Chats trailer

  Every swimmer has a story to tell. Writer and swimmer Shona Riddell chats to adventure swimmers, winter dippers, marathon swim coaches, marine conservationists and more to find out how they got started and the lessons they've learned along the way. Whether you’re a swimmer yourself, or just interested in stories about the sea and people expanding their comfort zones, you'll enjoy these swim chats. Please subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.

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