Lighthouse to Bigbay Swim 2012

Saturday morning ... flat seas ... water at 12 - 13 degrees Celsius ... 10.5km swim distance ... thick fog ... and a variety of support craft ... perfect conditions for a great swim. Many thanks Derrick for organising such a great event.

The start of the 2012 Lighthouse to Bigbay Swim, in Cape Town, had to be delayed by an hour due to the thick fog at the start line. The swim is a one-way, shore hugging, 10.5km cold water, sea swim. The conditions were really great, albeit a tad chilly. And getting out beyond the waves was at first a slight challenge ... especially for some of the longer life saving paddle crafts our dedicated support crew from the local life saving association were using.

The somewhat chilling swim went off perfectly. Practising my new stroke, feeding well ... and constantly hungry! Waters were flat. The constant view of the shore line was lekker. Seals were out and about. Shipwrecks, Table Mountain views, an assortment of paddlers, kayaks, stand-up-paddlers and a variety of rubber ducks all added to the mental stimulation in an otherwise, simple, run-of-the-mill, mind-numbingly boring swim :-)

I was quite happy with my 3h16 ... a good steady sub one hours per 3km pace. Minimal shivering at the end. A cool 33.5 degrees core temperature after the swim. Hot chocolate. Good lucky draw prizes and a great crowd.

... what more does one want from a day out swimming :-)