The Bluescope WIN Community Partners Shellharbour Ocean Swim is this Sunday, April 2nd and this year, 15 Brisbane swimmers are joining in on the fun as part of their Shellharbour Illawarra Tour (SHIT23).

We caught up with David Orchard of the Langlands Park Swimmers to find out why he and his swim group are heading down south.

“Essentially, we are part of the Master’s Swim Squad at Langlands Park Pool in Brisbane,” said Mr Orchard.”

“We swim 3km four mornings a week and are also keen ocean swimmers.

“We got into ocean swimming as an extension of our pool swimming and now we are all getting older we have less parenting to do which means we like to get away for ocean swims on the weekends.

“We love the freedom of the ocean and combining the enjoyment we have for ocean swimming with social and tourist activities.”

This isn’t the first swim trip for the group, with many of them travelling overseas to conquer the ‘epic’ ocean swims as they like to call them.

“We’ve gone on quite a few open water swim trips over the years, including Lake Tahoe, Greece, Turkey and Croatia just to name a few,” said Mr Orchard.

“Closer to home, we’ve made a trip out of the Rottnest Channel Swim a couple of times and last year we went down to Tasmania while also doing little weekend stays at ocean swims closer to home like the World Series Swims at Noosa and Mooloolaba.

“Personally, I loved the Magnetic Island to Townsville Swim because it was a huge effort and we met such a friendly swimming crew up North.

“We are all really looking forward to our SHIT23 tour though because we get to swim in some of the region’s most beautiful ocean pools which is something that we don’t have here in Queensland and of course the beautiful Shellharbour Ocean Swim course.

“We have plans to swim at Coalcliff Ocean Pool, Blowhole Point Rock Pool, Continental Ocean Pool in Kiama and Werri Beach Ocean Pool.”

Tracey Freeman, Bluescope WIN Community Partners Shellharbour Ocean Swim organiser is excited to welcome the SHIT23 Team to the Illawarra Region.

“We are all looking forward to welcoming the large contingent of Queensland swimmers to Shellharbour,” said Ms Freeman.

“Their decision to come to our swim for a weekend away, really epitomises what our Shellharbour Swim is all about.

“And that is a relaxed community-based event that welcomes everyone.

“We are also really excited to have them here as we will be running the 2km ocean swim for the first time.”