The Blue Room

The Horseshoe Bay Early Morning Swimmers have been swimming at Pt Elliot in South Australia, for more than 30 years. The group swims every day, all year around. In recent years, the tribe has grown with younger members from around the region. One member in particular has become known as a 'dolphin whisperer' and even during The Blue Room's visit to talk with the pod, the dolphins turned up to surprise with acrobatics.

The Blue Room's Sabra Lane joins the tribe for a swim (or two) and some long conversations about swimming, friendship, courage, good health and dolphins.

Features:

The Blue Room's Sabra Lane, Reenie Lee, Amy Mitchell, Lee Kleinig, Heather Randall, Kristy Plug, Aparna Picot, Luca Odinsman, Chantelle and Honour - plus a family of dolphins.

Themes:

open water swimming, ocean swimming, cold water swimming, mental health, health benefits of swimming, swimming groups, inspiration, courage, nature, dolphins, Pt Elliot, Horseshoe Bay, confidence in the ocean,

Extra information:

"Dawn Swimmers" - by USTHEM1984

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4kI-hcAh2o

Meet the inspiring group of women who swim in the Yarra/Birrarung River. It’s a group held together through friendship, pursuing good health and a love of nature. This dipping pod started during Melbourne’s lockdowns. The Blue Room's Sabra Lane joins the Yabbies for swim and chat about their swimming group, how it started and what inspires them.

Features:

Meg Elkins/Yarra Yabbie

Carrie Thomas/Yarra Yabbie

Holly Jones-Amin/Yarra Yabbie

Sabra Lane / The Blue Room

Themes:

open water swimming, cold water swimming, Yarra/Birrarung River, Swimmable Cities, Melbourne, swimming adventures, swimming friendships, swimming experiences, adventure, fun, COVID lockdowns.

The Glenorchy Memorial Pool closed three years ago, when the council ruled it was too dangerous. But the community fought back, launching a campaign to save it.

The pool reopens on October 3, 2026 - after a $6.5m refurbishment.

The Blue Room joined some community members for a 'soft' opening and a chat about what this pool means, and the value of communities fighting for what they want.

Features:

Anne Henderson/First Tasmanian to swim the English Channel.

Helen Conway/Honouree, Australian Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.

Jan Bryan/Keep Glenorchy Pool campaigner.

Emma Fletcher/Weedy Seadragon swimmer.

Jodie Harrison and Jodie / locals and swim teachers.

Sue Hickey/Glenorchy Mayor.

The Blue Room's Sabra Lane and Julia Mansour.

Additional Information:

"Here comes the Sun" - Community Swimming event, Kingston Beach - 8.30am - Sunday October 4, 2026.

Themes:

community pools, Olympic Pools, Memorial Pools, Glenorchy Council, swimming for fun, swimming for companionship, swimming for fitness, community campaigns for pools, Chris Wedd swimming coach, marathon swimming, training, swimming teachers, Pankind swim, 'Here comes the Sun" community swim,

The Weedy Seadragons swim at Kingston Beach, south of Hobart every Saturday. In summer, some members swim from Kingston Beach to Blackmans Bay and back - about five kilometres. Harold Gatenby is one of the founders of the group, and he sat down with the Blue Room's Sabra Lane for a chat about the group, and about the addiction that is ocean swimming.

Features:

Harold Gatenby, founder of the Weedy Seadragons.

Sabra Lane - the Blue Room host.

Themes:

ocean swimming, open water swimming, cold water swimming, swimming for fun and companionship, mental health, community, connection, friendship, Kingston Beach, Tasmania, adenture swims, Devil of a Swim, Bicheno, Shane Gould, confidence in swimming.

This is family. Meet the Weedy Seadragons of Kingston Beach, where swimmers become buddies, form life-long friendships and many feel this tribe is family.

The Blue Room speaks with some of the Weedy Seadragons to find out how they got into swimming, how they discovered the Weedys - and what this group means. This Tasmanian tribe is special too for the Blue Room host Sabra Lane, as it's her regular Saturday morning swim group.

Interviews:

Weedy Seadragon members - Andy, Grainne, Anita, Rachel, Simon, Sandra, Kylie, Tamara, Rhona and a special guest appearance by Elle.

More information:

https://theblueroom.au/swim-groups/weedy-seadragons-ocean-swimming-group/

The Blue Room's Sabra Lane joins artist & swimmer Catherine Stringer in her studio for a chat about her art and swimming. An exhibition of Catherine's work is about to open - it's called Below and Beyond. Catherine is now 71 years old, she started swimming with tribes seven years ago - and started her working life as a doctor. Water is a big part of her art - we talk about that and being in the Blue Room.

Features:

Catherine Stringer - swimmer and artist

Sabra Lane - TheBlueRoom.au

More Information:

Catherine Stringer's website:

https://www.catherinestringer.com.au/

The Social Gallery at Salamanca Arts Centre:

https://www.sac.org.au/events/below-beyond/

Podcast themes:

swimming, tribes, swim groups, inspiration, mental wellbeing, art, seaweed paper, diving, underwater, kelp, giant kelp, seaweed, Tasmania, Indonesia, King Island, the Neva, courage, fitness, physical wellbeing, University, study.

Dr Vanessa Pirotta spends a lot of her time in The Blue Room, or what she calls our Blue Backyard. As a kid all she wanted to do was to become a dolphin trainer - she's now a whale scientist and become a regular contributor in the media, explaining science. Vanessa talks with the Blue Room's Sabra Lane about her fascination with the ocean, whales and science. We also discuss the approaching 70th meeting of the International Whaling Commission - and what YOU can do to help protect whales.

Features:

Dr Vanessa Pirotta

Sabra Lane, The Blue Room.

Extra Resources:

Dr Pirotta's website: https://www.vanessapirotta.com/

Instagram: @drvanessapirotta

"Humpback Highway" - Dr Vanessa Pirotta:

https://unsw.press/books/humpback-highway/

Themes:

The Blue Room, the Blue Backyard, oceans, whales, dolphins, killer whales, Orcas, research, science, STEM, swimming, snorkeling, diving, university degrees, courage, adversity, "Humpback Highway", Tonga, Humpback whales, dolphin trainer, Rosa Pirotta, women in science, whale snot, drones, krill, International Whaling Commission, krill supplements, keystone species.

The Blue Room's Sabra Lane interviews marathon swimmer Joanne Norman on becoming the first Australian woman to complete the Oceans Seven Challenge. What makes Joanne's story truly remarkable is that she was bitten by a Cookiecutter shark on her first attempt at the Molokaʻi channel. She recovered and successfully swam it a year after the attack. What makes her tick, why did she start marathon swimming - and Jo reveals she swims with her eyes closed - all of the time.

Features:

Joanne Norman, Marathon Swimmer.

Sabra Lane, The Blue Room - theblueroom.au

Joanne Norman on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/jo_norman_swims/

Themes:

Courage, open water swimming, marathon swimming, Oceans Seven Challenge, inspiration, inspiring swims, surviving a shark attack, cookiecutter shark, English Channel, Catalina Channel, Strait of Gibraltar, North Channel, Kaiwi Channel, Cook Strait, Tsugaru Strait, Dubai, Abu Dhabi. Film, "Don't be Prey", Mark Sowerby, Rob Woodhouse.

Pop divas and sisters Vika and Linda Bull have just been inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, released a new album "Where do you come from", are currently on a national tour and have written a song for swimmers called "That's how I pray".

The Blue Room host Sabra Lane interviews them both to talk about how the song came about, what swimming means to them and about their careers, life, Tongan heritage and how strongly they feel about community harmony.

Features:

Linda and Vika Bull

Podcast host Sabra Lane

Additional information:

Vika and Linda's website including Gig dates:

https://vikaandlinda.com.au/

Their book:

"No Bull" - Affirm Press, 2022.

https://www.simonandschuster.com.au/books/No-Bull/Linda-Bull/9781922848260

Themes:

Singing, song writing, harmonies, ARIA Hall of Fame, swimming, open water swimming, ocean swimming, health, mental health, alcohol, absintence, Tonga, Tongan heritage, inspiration, Joe Camilleri, art, whales, Philip Island, ocean pools, Fitzroy Pool, Collingwood Pool, Doncaster Pool, sport. "No Bull".

Dr Heather Massey is a marathon swimmer. She's also a researcher at the University of Portsmouth’s Extreme Environments research group in the UK. She's just recruited people for a study comparing cold water swimming with medication in treating depression. Heather joined the Blue Room's Sabra Lane for a chat about her marathon swims, the science of cold water immersion, after drop and floating. Plus what do we know, and what don't we know when it comes to proven results from cold water swimming?

Features:

Dr Heather Massey/Researcher at the Extreme Environments Laboratory at the University of Portsmouth.

Sabra Lane, The Blue Room.

Themes:

Cold water swimming, wild swimming, cold water imersion, marathon swimming, English Channel, Ice kilometre, after drop, depression, science, University of Portsmouth, acclimatisation to cold water, cold water exposure, driving after cold water swimming, numbness, pain, hot water

More information:

Dr Massey's research:

https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/en/persons/heather-massey/publications/

Float to Survive:

https://www.floattosurvive.au/

Australian author Tim Winton joins the Blue Room podcast host Sabra Lane for a long chat about his obsession with the ocean. Tim is admired the world-over for his salt water stories. Nearly all of his novels are love letters to the sea. As Tim says in his dedication in “Land's Edge" - For my family and for those who know that a bad day's fishing is always better than a good day's work.

Tim says swimming is family culture and ‘pretty precious' for his tribe. We talk about swimming, what it means, what it does for the mind and explore some of his work including his TV documentary 'Ningaloo' where he swims with whale sharks and opens the window on that part of the West Australian coast. The author also talks about the struggle of writing Juice, while making Ningaloo, as well as fighting for its protection and sharks.

Features:

Tim Winton/Author and conservationist

Sabra Lane - The Blue Room

Resources:

Penguin Australia's Tim Winton page:

https://www.penguin.com.au/authors/tim-winton

Three-part TV documentary series Ningaloo Nyinggulu:

https://iview.abc.net.au/show/ningaloo-nyinggulu

Cape Range National Park

https://exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au/park/cape-range-national-park

Themes:

Author Tim Winton, Oceans, swimming, spearfishing, surfing, coastal life, open water swimming, pool swimming, writing, novels, Miles Franklin Award, Booker Prize, marine protection, environmental protection, marine parks, Whale Sharks, Great White sharks, conservation, environmental protection, Western Australia, mining, petro-state, beaches, beachcombing, diving, ocean obsession.

Join The Blue Room for an inspiring chat with Tasmanian swimmer Brett Stephenson as he recounts his journey to complete South Africa's renowned Freedom Swim. Brett shares what motivated him to take on the challenge, the emotions of swimming through waters steeped in history, and the special moments that made the experience so meaningful.

Brett talks with podcast host Sabra Lane and takes us beyond the swim, sharing stories from his travels including to Zanzibar, and the early childhood home of legendary Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.

Honest, down-to-earth and quietly inspiring, Brett's story is a reminder that extraordinary adventures are often undertaken by ordinary people willing to say yes to a challenge.

Features:

Brett Stephenson - swimmer with the Tomatoes and Weedy Seadragons.

The Blue Room podcast host Sabra Lane.

Themes:

ocean swimming, wild swimming, monofin swimming, Freedom Swim, Robben Island, Big Bay, Bloubergstrand, South Africa, Nelson Mandela, Zanzibar, Freddie Mercury, inspiration, open water swimming, travel.

Mark Sowerby is The Blue Room's guest in this episode. Over a decade he swims the Ocean Seven, seven channels of water on five continents. The first channel (The English Channel) is achieved while he's at the helm of a successful start-up company. The rest of the channels become a form of therapy, recovering from the shock of a company going under which morph into the documentary 'Don't be Prey'. Mark attends a screening of the film in Hobart, and takes time out to speak with podcast host Sabra Lane.

Features:

Mark Sowerby, Don't be Prey.

Sabra Lane, podcast host and co-founder.

Themes:

Oceans Seven, inspirational swimming, courage, mental health, open water swimming, marathon swimming, ocean swimming, cold water swimming, English Channel, Molokai Channel, Tsugaru Channel, Catalina Channel, Cook Strait, North Channel, Strait of Gibraltar, cookie cutter sharks, "Don't Be Prey" documentary, Jeff Tseng, Michael Kim, Shelley Taylor-Smith, Des Renford.

Links:

https://www.dontbeprey.film/

https://openwaterpedia.com/wiki/Oceans_Seven

The Blue Room visits the 2026 Devil of a Swim, relocated this year from Bicheno to Coles Bay. Also visiting the tourist hotspot, the Coledale Oysters from NSW. The Oysters heard about the swim on the Blue Room in 2025 and made a pact to join this year's competition. Afterwards they joined podcast host and swimmer Sabra Lane for a special 'live' recording of the episode at Coles Bay to talk about the 5km swim, how they started ocean swimming, what they get out of being in the water - and importantly swimming with their buddies.

Features:

Lawrence Stubbs, Coledale Oysters.

Mel Berry, Coledales Oysters.

Rob Balmer, Coledale Oysters.

Themes:

ocean water swimming, open water swimming, inspiration, competition, 2026 Devil of a Swim, Bicheno, Coles Bay, Kingston Beach Surf Life Saving Club, inspirational swimming, nature swimming experiences, resilience, community sports podcast, fun in the water, Loch Ness.

The Blue Room's guest is Alison Orme and what has become 'a highlight of her life'. What started as a simple invite to friends to swim in some of Sydney's spectacular ocean pools became something much bigger. From discovering Harbour pools, to Sydney's ocean pools, pools along the NSW coastline, lidos in the UK and soon pools in France. Alison tells the Blue Room how this passion started, and how she thinks ocean pools are part of her DNA. It's a story of curiosity, friendship, fun and adventure.

Features:

Alison Orme, SOPS founder.

Sabra Lane - the Blue Room.

Themes:

ocean swimming, wild swimming, ocean pools, lidos, Merimbula Blue Pool, adventure swimming, friendship, inspiration.

It's a question pod host Sabra Lane is often asked; how to you become confident to swim in the open water? The Blue Room joins the Kingston Beach Surf Life Saving club in Tasmania, as the 'Dragons Swim Pod' graduates. The club has run a 10-week program aimed at getting swimmers confident to swim in the ocean. We join the pod on their final graduation swim, and talk with the trainers and trainees about the course and how they've progressed after 10 weeks of training.

Features:

Polly Marriott, pod member.

Peter McKenna, swimming trainer at Kingston Beach Surf Life Saving Club.

Sam Cummins, pod member.

Maree Farquar, pod member.

Sandra Gadsby, swimming trainer at Kingston Beach Surf Life Saving Club.

Themes:

Kingston Beach, Boronia Beach, Kingston Beach Surf Life Saving Club, open water swimming, confidence in ocean swimming, fun in the water, inspirational swimming, outdoor swimming, cold water swimming, nature swimming experiences, swimming resilience, community sports podcast.

Five years ago, a group of women waded into the cold waters of Tasmania and found something much bigger than a swim. Meet the Kingston Beach Sea Hags: a bold, joyful community bound by saltwater, courage, and connection. This podcast dives beneath the surface of “just a bobble” to explore the magic of cold water, the rhythm of “chat-stroke,” and the quiet power of showing up for one another—again and again.

Through choppy mornings, laughter-filled dips, and the kind of friendships that buoy you long after you’ve dried off, the Sea Hags have built something extraordinary. This episode is about bravery in its many forms—stepping into icy water, stepping into community, and stepping up for each other.

If you’ve ever wondered what draws people into the sea at dawn—or what keeps them coming back—this is your invitation to find out.

Because sometimes, the coldest water creates the warmest bonds.

Features:

Annie Wolfe

Jacqui McElwee

Jayne

Helen Kwiecien - co-founder, Sea Hags

Janine Beck, Original Sea Hag

Joanna Butterley

Mentions:

The Sea Hags, Kingston Beach, courage, cold water swimming, ocean swimming, ocean bobbling, chat-stroke, inspirational swimmers, inspirational women, health.

At just 20 years old, Miu Tanaka is balancing university life in Sydney with record-breaking achievements in marathon swimming. The elite open water swimmer has already secured a series of remarkable firsts in Australia’s most challenging aquatic challenges.

Miu Tanaka is the first woman to complete the demanding swim from New Norfolk to Bruny Island in Tasmania. She also became the first woman to conquer Tasmania’s Great Lake on the Central Highlands Plateau—one of the region’s most challenging cold-water swims.

In an extraordinary milestone, Miu is also the first woman to complete the Australian Triple Crown of marathon swimming in a single season, cementing her place among the country’s top endurance swimmers.

In an interview with Sabra Lane on The Blue Room, Miu shares insights into her marathon swims, what drives her to push physical and mental limits, and how she stays focused during long-distance challenges. She also reveals why swimming at night is her favourite part of the sport.

Discover how Miu Tanaka is redefining marathon swimming in Australia through resilience, passion, and record-breaking performances. And what is her next marathon swim?

Brendan Cullen works on an outback sheep farm near Broken Hill in NSW. In 2015 he sought help at the local hospital, not knowing what was wrong with himself. He was diagnosed with severe depression. Also that same year, he watched his brother compete in an open-water swim and he thought; "I want some of that". But how do you train for marathon swims, like the English Channel, when you live 600km from the nearest coast? Brendan's just published a book about his life, and how he trained to swim one of the world's most famous stretches of ocean. Brendan talks with the Blue Room's Sabra Lane about the book and his inspirational life.

Content warning: there is some swearing in this episode and we discuss mental health. If you need to talk with someone about poor mental health, you can call Lifelife on 13 11 14.

Topics:

Swimming, English Channel, joy, inspiration, ocean swimming, open water competitions, training, severe depression, friendship, swimming tribes.

Save Phillip Pool is a Canberra community group that's just had a big win. The ACT government has backed down on plans to replace a 50m outdoor pool with a 25m one. Canberra woman Sarah Ransom got in touch with The Blue Room about the long-fight to save the pool. The story is one of grit, courage and determination by a group of everyday Australians who persuaded the territory government to do the right thing by its community.

Surf Life Saving Australia estimates 40 per cent of public pools will close by 2030. So the lessons learned by the Save Phillip Pool grassroots campaign might be inspirting and enlightening to others around the nation.

Featured:

Sarah Ransom - Save Phillip Pool campaign

This issue explores: Phillip Pool, swimming, pool swimming, mental health, community swimming, access to public swimming pools, ACT government, independent MP Fiona Carrick, urban development, ACT Aquatic strategy.

More information:

Save Phillip Pool - Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/savephillippool/

Royal Surf Living Saving Australia - 500 Pools may Close

https://www.royallifesaving.com.au/about/news-and-updates/news/2024/mar/500-public-pools-may-close-without-strategic-investment