Ocean Swim Reports

Bondi to Bronte 2011 Report

To all those people who entered into the 2011 Banana Boat Bondi to Bronte & Junior Ocean Swim, we at Bronte Surf Club would like to say thank you for your support of our event, we truly hope you enjoyed the day

This year we had 1950 entrants who braved the Pacific to take a journey swim around one of Sydney's most popular coast line areas. 

Thankfully we were blessed with conditions that allowed us to run the event (even though there was a howling southerly) and for all the water safety who were there to help you, we say another big thank you. Without our volunteers and water safety, this event wouldn't be the success it has become over the years. 

A few more special thanks must go out to our event major sponsor Banana Boat, plus all the supporting partners, The Sunday Telegraph, Speedo, Fitness First Gatorade and Kellogg's. 

A big thank you comes from the team at The Kids Cancer Project, our event and the fundraisers involved managed to raise a total of $28,600 to date. You still have two weeks left before we close the fund raising for the Banana Boat Bondi to Bronte so make sure you chase up those people who can possibly help you win one of the great signed prizes from the Australian Speedo Swim Team. 

The official event results and the event photo gallery is available to view on the event website. 

So once again, thank you for your support at our event and we look forward to seeing you back next year. We hope that the rest of your summer ocean swimming season is successful and if you're interested in a couple of other great events, we recommend the Sunday Telegraph Ocean Swim Series events. 

Kind Regards
Stephen Ford
B2B Event Director
KMS Events.com

 

Bondi to Bronte 2010 Report

In an effort to help subsidise young Bronte surf club members to travel overseas and represent their club, the Bondi to Bronte Ocean Swim first begun in 2001. The swim has been running successfully now for the past 10 years and has grown into a major drawcard on the country’s ocean swim calendar.

The Banana Boat Bondi to Bronte Ocean Swim celebrated its 10th Anniversary on Sunday 5th of December 2010. The unseasonably cold water temperatures saw a lot of swimmers think twice about jumping in the water as over 2000 participants entered and only 1600 taking the plunge on the day.

Swimmers made their way into Bronte park after the swim to celebrate their achievement with live music, the Energizer kids maze, our dedicated sponsors including Banana Boat, Crocs, Speedo, Endura and Fitness First giving away freebies and local foodies Pasta Emilia and Bronte Pizzacutters providing the crowds with their gourmet Panini’s, pasta dishes and gelato. The atmosphere was buzzing with excitement with everyone celebrating the 10th anniversary.

The first 800 participants who entered online were keen to collect their Crocs backpack as they patiently lined up across Bronte Park to collect their prize.

This year we organised a 1900’s tall ship that was docked over the reef at Bronte. Spectators on board had a unique vantage point to see the swimmers round the bend and head into the shoreline of Bronte Beach. From all accounts on board they had a wonderful day celebrating the day with a champagne breakfast.

The two lucky door prizes drawn on the day were won by John Greaves, taking home the Vanuatu ocean swim and Yumi Kida who won the Fiji ocean swim trip.

Congratulations to Codie Grimsey and Eliza Smith who took 1st place in the male and female elite division. Well done guys, a great effort!

All in all it was a successful day for everyone included. The Bronte Surf Club volunteers once again put in a stellar performance. This amazing group of people come back year after year to help with the swim, reflecting just how great Bronte Surf Club is.

As we bring 2010 to a close, we look forward to seeing just how big 2011 can be. We’ll keep you posted....

Kind Regards
Stephen Ford
B2B Event Director
KMS Events.com

 

Bondi to Bronte 2009 Report

What fortunate conditions we had at Bronte on Sunday for our record attendance of ocean swimming fans. On the morning at Bronte, the conditions were rough and ugly but as we monitored the change in tide fortunately the ocean settled and opened a window of perfect high tide conditions for your swim.

Congratulations to Roy Swan and Julie Campbell for winning the Fiji and Vanuatu prizes provided by Pacific Swims. If you weren’t aware, Pacific Swims hosts the Fiji and Vanuatu swims with a growing following of swimmers each year. Have a look at the upcoming swims for this year at www.pacificswims.com

Some people offered us feedback about the event which was great and we will use this to improve for next year, our 10th anniversary. We are planning some big changes to the event, allowing for the increased numbers and more festivities at Bronte Beach after the swim, away from the promenade so that you can move around.

If you didn’t collect your Crocs shoes on the day, Bronte Surf Club will be open on Friday 11th 10am to 2pm and Sunday 13th 10am to 12pm for you to collect them. This is your last chance to collect your Croc Shoes.

A big thanks goes to our Major Sponsor Banana Boat for their ongoing support of the event. Also, we can’t forget to say thanks to our other event sponsors -

Crocs Shoes, The Sydney Morning Herald, Speedo, Pacific Swims, Fitness First, Endura, Scott Sign

For those people who raised money or the Enviro Surf program, we are grateful for your efforts and hope you keep track of the changes you have help make.

We can’t forget to thank the Bronte Surf Club volunteers either who supplied you with water safety and assistance on the day.

Some stats on the B2B event for your information are: Male attendance - 73% | Female attendance - 27%
It would be great to see the female attendance increase, let’s see if we can encourage more females to participate in future swims.

Keep up the training over the Xmas period and jump straight back into the water at the Sydney Morning Herald Cole Classic @ Manly on Sunday 7th February. Early bird entries close soon so go to the website and enter - www.coleclassic.com

Until next October when we’ll be sending out our first B2B email, keep well, train and we look forward to seeing you again next year.

Kind Regards
Stephen Ford
B2B Event Director
KMS Events.com

 

Bondi to Bronte 2008 Report

Congratulations

Well done to all the attending swimmers at the 2008 Banana Boat Bondi to Bronte Ocean Swim. On the day we experienced one of the calmest ocean conditions in the 8 years of running this event. The course was approximately 2.1km and produced some of the fastest swim times we’ve recorded. With record attendance numbers the event was a great success and we aim to continuously develop the event for ocean swimmers in future years.

Lucky Draw Winners

If you didn’t stay for the presentation we awarded Simon Goldschmidt and Samantha Rowe a trip to Vanuatu and Fiji for the 2009 ocean swim. These all expenses paid trips are provided by our long term partner and supporter Pacific Swims. For those interested in an ocean swim holiday, check out the Pacific Swims website.

Special Thanks

The 2008 Banana Boat Bondi to Bronte Ocean Swim was bigger and better this year thanks to our major sponsor and event partners. We would like to give special thanks to:
Banana Boat - Major Sponsor
Pacific Swims - Major Prize Partner
Eyeline - Swim Cap Supplier
Harris Farm Markets - Fruit Supplier
Endura - Sport Drink Supplier
Sydney Morning Herald - Advertising Partner
Everyday Hero - Fundraising Partner
Fitness First - Event Supporter
Scott Signs - Event Supporter
Waverley Council - Event Supporter

Photos and Results

The results and event photos are available on the Bondi to Bronte website.

Once again, thank you to and I look forward to seeing you at the 2009 event.

Kind Regards
Stephen Ford
B2B Event Director
KMS Events.com

 

Bondi to Bronte 2006 Report

'Strong winds and rough seas failed to deter more than 900 ocean swimmers as they battled a grueling 2.4km course in the annual Banana Boat Bondi to Bronte Ocean Swim on Sunday December 3.

In an exciting finish, 1996 Olympian and Bronte Surf Club Malcolm Allen took 30min 11sec to win the elite men's division after a late wave saw him overtake the leader with less than 100m to go.

Andrew Beato, from Quakers Hill, looked to have the race sewn up as he led a group around at the last marker buoy but took too wide a turn and Allen saw his chance as a set wave appeared.

With Beato marking time in the calmer water, Allen displayed all the skills of a seasoned body surfer to ride the wave to shore to seal the win and reverse the results of the previous week's Coogee race.

"That was one of the more challenging swims on the calendar - it was like a washing machine out there,'' Allen said. "When we got close to the finish I saw that Andrew had a strong lead and I was hoping for a wave to pop up at the right time and it did. Now that my pool swimming days are gone I find these swims much more enjoyable even if they do stop you going out on a Saturday night" Allen joked.

First home in the women's elite division was Coogee winner Luane Rowe (32:06), beating Manly ironwoman Naomi Flood (32:16). But Flood made up for her second-placing grabbing the $500 first prize in the 500m dash for cash while Allen again impressed the large crowd with his body surfing prowess to make it a double when he also got the cash in the mens division.

The race was also a showcase of surf lifesaving skills, especially in the testing conditions, with volunteers from North Bondi, Bondi, Tamarama and Bronte making sure there were no serious incidents apart from the odd bluebottle sting and a few minor cases of hypothermia.

Race Director Stephen Ford said it was fantastic to see the support of the large cross section of Bronte Surf Club members, "everyone chipped in to make the day a great success for Bronte".

A special mention goes to our fabulous sponsors Banana Boat who have supported the event and Bronte Surf Club for the last four years. Thank you to Aaron & Paul Collins and all of the Banana Boat Team for your marvelous contribution.'

Report by Duncan Horscroft