Swimmer's Daily

  • Adventure swimmer and local entrepreneur Adrian van Westenbrugge wanted to do his bit for charity as thousands of South Africans are suffering during this national lockdown. This is when he decided to swim for 12 hours in his backyard swimming pool, which was broadcast live on Facebook, to raise a target of R300 000 to provide meals for families heavily impacted by the lockdown. The man of the hour, Adrian “the Buff” van Westenbrugge joins us this morning to tell us more about his swim for charity.

  • In this video, we have taken a closer look at how to make open water swimming safer and more enjoyable.

  • A group of surfers in Cannes, in southeast France, defied a government ban to take to the waves on Monday, amid a debate over whether beaches should continue to be closed to the public to stop the spread of Covid-19.

  • In this episode of the Propulsion Swimming podcast we talk through the Sun Yang Doping Scandal that has currently hit swimming. Find out why he has made the news recently along with us debating whether FINA is doing enough to stop Doping in Swimming!!

  • This week’s Throwback Thursday video features the first triumph after 36 years of the Australian Swimming team in the men’s 4×100 meter freestyle relay in front of their home crowd at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney (AUS). Leading by 0.15 seconds at the final relay exchange, Ian Thorpe was passed by U.S. swimmer Gary Hall, Jr. at the 350 meters mark, but eventually recovered and touched the wall first with an anchor of 48.30 to deliver the Aussie foursome of Michael Klim (48.18), Chris Fydler (48.48), and Ashley Callus (48.74) a gold-medal time in 3:13.67 – Enjoy watching!

  • Who remembers the King of Somersaults Steve Lobue at the Men’s High Diving Final of the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest? The American star executed 5 somersaults and claimed the Gold Medal with an accumulated total of 397.15 points. Today, he remains the only athlete capable of executing jaw-dropping quintuple somersaults.

  • Portland branch aquatics coordinator Nicole teaches us an important skill for all young swimmers: always ask before going into water!

  • After over 7 weeks of lockdown restrictions, and adventures limited to our doorsteps, we have found ourselves yearning for wild spaces & human connection. If you’re also in need of a little wilderness & inspiration, we hope you’ll enjoy our new film.

    Hydrotherapy is a short film by Friction Collective. It’s a story of adaptation, strength & re-wilding set in the raw and beautiful landscapes of Snowdonia National park. Laura has not only overcome a life changing illness through wild swimming, but has also found a greater connection to the natural world. This has ignited her mission to make a stand for the natural environment, and protect wild waters and wild spaces across the UK.

    While restrictions on open water swimming have been lifted in some parts of the UK, this activity still comes with significant risks. With very few lifeguards on duty at the moment and cold water temperatures, now is not the time to risk your safety, or risk putting any additional strains on emergency services. We really hope that you feel inspired to start planning some wild swimming adventures, but for now, we urge you to hold off from participating in any form of open water swimming. Further information is available from the RNLI & Outdoor Swimmer.