The Junior Ocean Swim 500m and 1km courses starts and finsh in the same location on Bondi Beach. Swimmers leave the beach just south of the lifeguard tower before looping around within Bondi Bay and back to the sand for a high five as you cross the finish line.
The final positioning of the buoys will depend on the conditions on the day. A course briefing will be held on the day for final course details. Swimmers should ensure they sight the buoys and listen to directions from the water safety team. Our water safety team will be there to guide and encourage all swimmers to help give them the best swim experience possible!
What's not to love about a junior ocean swim! The perfect first time ocean swim challenge for SLS registered U9 – U13 nippers and an ideal stepping stone to the longer B2B course for the nippers once they turn 13.
The Carroten Junior Ocean Swim is held at Bondi Beach. Two course distances are offered, a 500m sprint or a 1km challenge. Both courses start and finish in the same location on Bondi Beach, so all our junior swimmers can have their family and friends to cheer them on and celebrate with them at the finish.
A trophy is awarded to the biggest surf club team that participates in the Carroten Junior Ocean Swim. So get your surf club swim buddies together to make sure you have the biggest team on the day!
Registrations for the Junior Ocean Swim open at 6.45am at Bondi Beach. Junior swimmers will be able to collect their swim cap and timing band from our friendly volunteers at the Registration tent.
Registrations for the Junior Ocean Swim close at 7:30am, with the compulsory swimmer briefing at 7:45am .
Start time: 8:00am
NB: For swimmer safety during the event, all junior swimmers are required to wear a hi-vis pink rash vest/shirt.
Please note: Start times are indicative only and may be subject to change by the event organisers on the day of the event. Announcements will be made if changes are required. Your understanding and patience is appreciated.
U9, U10 & U11-U13
U11, U12, U13
This event is open to all SLS registered U9 - U13 nippers.
This event is for the budding ocean swimmer! We know the kids love to get in and have a go with their friends, so this event is open to all registered Nippers from ANY Surf Club in Australia (2024/25 season) aged under 9's - under 13's
The Junior Ocean Swim prize presentation will take place at 9:00am at the Carroten tent on Bondi Beach.
Prizes are awarded for 1st, 2nd & 3rd place in each age category and gender.
All registered participants on the event day also go into a random draw for a lucky door prize.
Wetsuit wearers will not be eligible for prizes. Find more about our wetsuit policy in the wetsuit policy section
There is also a perpetual trophy awarded to the biggest team from a visiting Surf Life Saving Club.
Prizes are donated by our sponsors and event partners.
You are also welcome to have a look at our prizes presentation page
Please note:
The timetable below is indicative only and will be updated and posted here closer to this year's event to be held on 7 December 2025. Please keep up-to-date for current event day information by subscribing to our newsletter and following us on socials
Please enter your child into the wave that corresponds to their Nippers age group for this season.
| Wave Sequence | Start | Category |
| Wave 1 | 8:00am | U11's to U13's - 500m |
| Wave 2 | 8:05am | U10's - 500m |
| Wave 3 | 8:10am | U9's - 500m |
5minutes break | ||
| Wave 4 | 8:15am | U13's - 1km |
| Wave 5 | 8:20am | U12's - 1km |
| Wave 6 | 8:25am | U11's - 1km |
First and foremost, our responsibility to is to ensure the safety and comfort of all swim participants and our Water Safety Team. Equally, we want every single person to enjoy their swim experience.
Water temperatures and surf conditions can vary significantly year on year. Swell direction can keep people in the water longer than their average 2km pool swim, which in turn keeps our water safety team in the water longer.
We have a clearly defined wetsuit policy that enables all swimmers to decide whether to wear a wetsuit on the day dependant on conditions. The policy allows for participants to have a fair and equitable opportunity to win prizes if that is a priority for them.
Please ensure, if you are keen to be in the running for a prize, that you have read and understood our complete wetsuit policy
