It’s Called the Bondi Icebergs for a Reason!

Last Saturday (June 25) I had lunch with friends at Bondi Icebergs, an iconic Sydney landmark, because of its location on the famous Bondi Beach. We were in luck as the sun was out, we could sit outdoors and the views were amazing. We event saw whales playing out in the ocean!

Dori joined us for lunch on Saturday and invited me back the next day to swim as her guest in the Bondi Iceberg Winter Relays.

Now, in addition to having a great location, the Bondi Icebergs is also a world famous winter swimming club with a rock pool” that’s built off the cliff side rocks of Bondi Beach. It’s literally built right in the ocean so the waves, sand and seaweed crash over the rocks into the pool – so it’s really cold.

Dori’s a member and trains with the Bondi Icebergs because the water’s so “English-channel” cold it’s the perfect training for the double crossing she’s planning (she’s already swum across the English Channel twice before and now she’s aiming to do a round-trip or “double crossing”). And as a Bondi Iceberg member, Dori must swim at least 3 weekends a month every month from May-October (these are the winter months in Sydney) for at least 5 years before becoming a permanent member.

As the weather was so amazingly beautiful and sunny that weekend, I thought this was great opportunity to get some bragging rights on “swimming with the Bondi Icebergs”.

When I arrived on Sunday the pool was jam packed with people and the races had already started so I didn’t get a chance to jump in the water for a warm-up. So when I jumped in to do the 40 meter swim, my first thought was “**** this water is cold!”

I swim in the heated outdoor pool at North Sydney during the winter at night and this was during the late morning and the sun had been out all day so I didn’t think it’d be that bad. I had no idea it’d be so cold!