Young swimmer to escape croc-infested waters to swim the new 5km at Bondi to Bronte

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Young swimmer to escape croc-infested waters to swim the new 5km at Bondi to Bronte

Bailee Zammit, 15, from Cairns has only been ocean swimming for a short time but she is gearing up to to swim the 5km at Bondi to Bronte.

Cairns ocean swimmer, Bailee Zammit, will leave the crocodiles behind and travel two and a half thousand kilometres to take on the new Bondi To Bronte 5km ocean swim on the 20th of March.

At 15, Ms Zammit has been involved in the Cairns Surf Lifesaving Club for as long as she can remember but it is only just recently that she has become hooked on ocean swimming.

“I love being in the ocean and participating in surf lifesaving since a young age gave me the confidence to initially try an open water swim around Green Island,” said Miss Zammit.

“When I did my first open water swim I instantly fell in love with it.”

Ms Zammit participating in her open water swims

Although Ms Zammit can’t ocean swim as much as she’d like in Cairns due to the dangerous crocodiles and stingers that regularly occupy the water, she is gearing up to tackle an ocean swim where they won’t be a problem.

“Because of the presence of stingers and the occasional croc for much of the year up here in Cairns, it limits the number of ocean swims that they can run,” said Ms Zammit.

“I have done all the ocean swims at Green Island and I train in the pool around seven or eight times a week.

“The Bondi to Bronte will be my first 5km ocean swim and I’m really excited to do it.

“I had been looking for a challenging swim to take me to the next level and I saw an ad pop up on Instagram one day and I’ve always loved Bondi so as soon as I saw it I knew it was for me and took the opportunity up.”

When asked why Miss Zammit liked ocean swimming her reply was simply: “it makes me feel free”.

“I love the feeling I get when I swim in the ocean, I feel free and like I can do anything.

“It’s just you and the big blue water with nothing else in sight and that’s incredible.

“You never know what is going to happen, the conditions are ever-changing and you never know what is going to be like in the ocean.

“I also love that when I swim I feel like I have the whole ocean to myself. It’s very calming and helps me clear my head.”

To join Ms Zammit at the Bondi to Bronte Ocean Swim on Sunday, 20 March 2022, head to the Macquarie Bondi to Bronte Ocean Swim listing to enter. Entries close at 5 pm, Friday 18 March.