Bondi to Bronte Swim Open For All Ages

By Marcus Braid on December 12, 2014 in

Swimmers of all shapes and sizes are gearing up to take part in the 2014 Macquarie Bondi to Bronte Ocean Swim.

The 14th annual Bondi to Bronte will be held on Sunday, December 7 and will feature a junior ocean swim, the 800-metre Bronte Bay Swim and the 1.2-kilometre main event.

“The Bondi to Bronte is such a challenging course and we didn’t want to be a swim that’s only for the true blue experienced ocean swimmers,” event manager Kate Hughes said.

“Each year is always a different swim bcause of the variable conditions, which is why about 60 to 70 percent of participants have done the Bondi to Bronte two or three times.

“Last year the conditions were pretty favourable, so we’re hoping for another year of similar conditions. Last year there were also dolphins on the course, which was pretty cool.”

After a couple of years’ hiatus, the junior ocean swim was brought back last year and it was a resounding success.

“It’s open to all nippers from any surf club,” Ms Hughes said. “There’s a lot of rivalry in the nippers world at the moment.

“There are some pretty amazing swimmers from North Bondi, Coogee and also some of the clubs outside the area, like Cronulla and Manly. We know we’ve already got some entries from all over the coast.”

Bronte Surf Life Saving Club is coming off a highly successful season last year, in which a number of members competed against the best in the world at the 2014 Rescue World Life Saving titles in France.

“Bronte’s just had an amazing season,” Ms Hughes said. “We had a lot of top three finishes at state level, so we’ll all see how we’re going at the start of the season with the Bondi to Bronte swim.

“We also had one of the most successful world title competitions ever for the club. Even though Bronte is a really small club, it shows that the competitors we have are world class.”

The Bondi to Bronte raises money for The Kids’ Cancer Project. Every swimmer who fundraises $250 or more for the cause gets their entry fee refunded. Entries are open online now at www.bonditobronte.com.au.