On the 28th of December, 2024, Julie Zocchi set out to participate in the Anglesea Rock2Ramp ocean swim event. An experienced ocean swimmer, Ms Zocchi had regularly swam 1-2 kilometres in open water for months. But on this particular day, something felt different.

“I entered the water with a bit of an excited and nervous feeling that I thought was pretty normal at the start of a swim event,” said Ms Zocchi.

“Other than that, I was in good health and swimming regularly.

“However, as I began swimming out, I noticed an unusual discomfort. I didn’t feel comfortable. I remember thinking, ‘I shouldn’t have had that coffee,’ because I could feel it on my chest.

“As I started swimming, I felt very tight around my chest and couldn’t get my breath into a rhythm. And this all seemed to happen very quickly.”

Realising she was in distress, Ms Zocchi signalled for assistance. A paddleboarder came over to help as she struggled to breathe.

“I told him I was having trouble getting my breath and wanted to take my wetsuit off. By this stage, I had unzipped it and immediately felt relief,” said Ms Zocchi.

“I reassured him that I was capable of completing the swim and told him I’d been doing most of my swimming in bathers recently and had only tested my wettie out for swimming in the past week.

“I managed to pull one leg out but struggled with the other. I ended up putting one leg up on his board, and he pulled the wettie off.”

Now free of the wetsuit, Ms Zocchi made a plan with the paddleboarder before continuing the rest of the swim, which she was determined to complete.

“I asked him to look after my wetsuit and watch me as I took off,” Ms Zocchi said.

“I assured him that if I had any breathing problems, I’d get on the board with him or any other water safety that were on the course.

“I began swimming and felt fine, so I gave him the thumbs up and swam off.”

Ms Zocchi completed the race but began feeling unwell as she walked up the shore to the finish line.

“As I finished the swim, I was seeing dark spots and felt very thirsty. I didn’t think I would faint but felt close to it,” said Ms Zocchi.

“I got dressed and lay down on a picnic bench while my friend went to find a medic from the event to come and check me out.

“My distress was happening every time I went to sit up; I felt like I was going to faint. The medic called an ambulance, and off I went to the hospital.”

To her shock, upon arriving at the hospital emergency department, doctors initially diagnosed her with a heart attack based on enzyme markers in her blood.

“I was admitted to the ICU for three nights, awaiting an angiogram to assess the severity of my condition and what treatment, medication or surgery I would need moving forward,” said Ms Zocchi.

“Come Monday morning, the angiogram results brought me surprising news. My heart was actually extremely healthy; no heart attack at all.

“A very sheepish cardiologist told me my heart was fine and that I had suffered from Swimming-Induced Pulmonary Edema (SIPE).”

“In fact, what he said about SIPE sounded as if he had read the article oceanswims.com had published on SIPE, which I later found when looking for more information.”

What is Swimming-Induced Pulmonary Edema (SIPE)?

SIPE is a potentially life-threatening condition caused by fluids accumulating in the lungs. This occurs due to the abnormal leakage of blood from the small vessels (pulmonary capillaries) lining the lungs into the air spaces (alveoli). 

Also known as Immersion Pulmonary Edema, SIPE typically occurs during physical exertion in water activities such as swimming, scuba diving, snorkelling, and freediving. Long-distance and cold-water swimmers are at a higher risk of developing this condition.

Returning to the Water

Ms Zocchi was discharged the next day and quickly began to recover in the comfort of her home.

“Being able to sit up and cough if I needed to was much better for me than lying down with cannulas and a catheter immobilising me,” said Ms Zocchi.

“Just a few days later, on January 4, I returned to the ocean for a cautious swim.

“I continued to ease back into my ocean swims, and a month later, I completed a three-hour swim with no breathing difficulties at all.”

However, the experience has changed how Ms Zocchi approaches ocean swimming.

“What I learned was that most of the medical profession don’t know a lot, if anything, about SIPE, and I am best to monitor myself,” said Ms Zocchi.

“If I feel a bit ‘off,’ I won’t swim. I have cancelled several swim events I was registered in because I didn’t feel right as I began or the conditions were choppy and unsettled me.

“I know it’s not the ‘push on regardless’ attitude that makes champions, but I love swimming, and this is what works for me.

“I’m very grateful I’m still swimming.”

Although Ms Zocchi had planned to compete in multiple races over the 2024/2025 summer season, the Anglesea swim was her only event.

“I now have a drawer full of t-shirts that I’m a little embarrassed to wear because I paid for them rather than swam them,” Ms Zocchi said.

“But oh well, they make for good nightwear!”

Ms Zocchi’s experience serves as an important reminder of the risks associated with open-water swimming and the importance of listening to one’s body. While her journey with SIPE was frightening, her love for the ocean remains steadfast.

To find out more about SIPE, check out our article on Swimming-Induced Pulmonary Edema.