Swim Chats

• Graham Joe on capturing sunrises, providing hot food for cold swimmers, and swimming under the stars

  Graham Joe is the owner of Gelissimo @ Freyberg, an outdoor cafe/kiosk right next to Freyberg Beach in Wellington. It’s a hub for morning swimmers who congregate there for coffee, scones, porridge and toasties. The post-swim conversations I have there every week, over excellent coffee, were the inspiration for this podcast. Graham started getting in the sea a few years ago after an accident left him in pain and unable to run. He found that getting in the cold water helped his recovery so he kept doing it, slowly building in confidence and distance. Now early swims are a staple of his day, all year round. If you're in Wellington, you should definitely check out Gelissimo @ Freyberg!Gelissimo website gelissimo.co.nzGelissimo on Instagram www.instagram.com/gelissimo_gelato/

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• Brett Richardson on pre-dawn sea swimming, marathon strategies, and the vital role of support crew

  Brett Richardson is a Wellington swimmer who swam across Cook Strait (Te Moana-o-Raukawa) in 2020 and Foveaux Strait (Te Ara a Kiwa) in 2024. He swims in the ocean year round, often early in the morning – which, in winter, means it’s pitch black in the water (aside from his head torch) from start to finish. In this episode Brett shares how his swimming grew from new-to-ocean-swimming to marathon level, the strategies he incorporates for successful long swims, and the joy of getting in the sea every week – no matter what the weather’s up to. Health and safety note: Brett is a highly experienced ocean swimmer. If you’re new to sea swimming the best advice is to join a local group, start in the warmer months, check the conditions before you get in, and stick close to shore as you grow in confidence and ability. Brett’s YouTube video of his Foveaux Strait swim‘After 10 hours, Brett Richardson emerges from Cook Strait hypothermic and victorious’ (Stuff, November 27 2020)NZ Sports page for Meda McKenzie, who swam Cook Strait at 15 years old in 1978.

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• Clarissa Dunn on the symphonies of the ocean

  Clarissa Dunn is a Radio New Zealand Concert presenter, a marriage celebrant, an event MC, a soprano, and an ocean swimmer. She swims to connect with her family and with nature, and it also provides a mental break from her busy life. For her episode, Clarissa had the brilliant idea of making an 'ocean music' playlist on Spotify. I'm still embedded in the '90s hard rock era, so this has opened my mind and I can hear the breaking waves and darting fish in the various pieces of music – you can listen to it here: Clarissa's Ocean Playlist. As a radio presenter and classical music aficionado, Clarissa has a beautiful way of describing the light and sounds of the sea. Clarissa's RNZ pageClarissa's Instagram page

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• John Hancock on Sir Bernard Freyberg's heroic wartime swim and our annual ANZAC Day tribute

  Our first 'swim history' episode! Featuring special guest John Hancock, a marathon swimmer and the organiser of this year's ANZAC Day swim in Wellington. In this episode John tells the story of the brave, accomplished, and fascinating Sir Bernard Freyberg who painted himself in black and undertook a stealthy nighttime swim in Gallipoli during World War One. We also discuss a few other notable swimmers in history: John F Kennedy, Kahe Te-Rau-o-te-Rangi, and Mao Zedong. Finally, John Hancock reflects on his own 'big' swims, across Lake Taupō and Cook Strait / Raukawa Moana.Lots of background links for this one – it is a history episode, after all!⁠Shona's family war tortoise⁠ (Great War Stories, NZHistory.govt. nz). ⁠ANZAC biscuit recipe⁠ (Edmonds Cooking) Bernard Freyberg's Wikipedia pageImage of Freyberg (taken in 1904 at Te Aro Baths in Wellington) is courtesy of Horowhenua Historical Society inc, Levin, New Zealand 'Debunking Freyberg's Mexican myth' – NZ International Review'When Sir Bernard tried to swim the Channel' – Greymouth Evening Star, August 1950, via paperspast.natlib.govt.nzKahe Te-Rau-o-te-Rangi, who swam from Kāpiti Island to the mainland in 1824 (Eleanor Spragg. 'Te Rau-o-te-rangi, Kahe', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1990, updated July, 2013. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand)'The swim that changed Chinese history' (Mao Zedong's river swims) The China Project, 14 July 2021.'Caroline Kennedy recreates her father JFK's heroic wartime swim.' CNN, August 2023. (correction: JFK's crew were attacked by a Japanese boat, not a plane as I incorrectly stated in this episode)John Hancock talks about his Cook Strait and Lake Taupō swims on the Effortless Swimming podcast

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• Melissa Donaldson on exploring the water, changing mindsets, and helping others to experience the joy of swimming

  Melissa Donaldson is a marathon swimmer and SwimMastery coach from Brisbane, Australia. When Melissa was approaching 50 and working in the corporate world, she began to swim as a hobby. Within a few years she was swimming 20km-plus distances and trained as a swim coach to help others safely achieve their goals and find joy in swimming. She runs the SwimMastery Swim Studio in Brisbane and continues to explore her own relationship with the water, seeking new challenges and opportunities along the way.SwimMastery: swimmastery.onlineThe SwimMastery Swim Studio in BrisbaneThe Apolima Strait Swim in Sāmoa (22.3km)The Great Keppel Island Swim in Australia (20km)The 'Cliff to Bridge' Derwent River Swim in Tasmania (15km)

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