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Among them is Nikole Ramsay \u2013 a Barwon Heads photographer and ocean lover who completed the swim in summer and now wants to test her mettle in much chillier 12-degree waters.<\/p>\n
Nikole\u2019s team of five includes Bellarine and Surf Coast locals Kirsty Tweddle, Lloyd Gwilym and Jack Stewart, as well as their kayaker Murray Joseph.<\/p>\n
The July 3 non-wetsuit swim marks the anniversary of Doug Mew\u2019s death and pays homage to him as a trailblazer in open water swimming.<\/p>\n
Nikole admitted to feeling nervous but mostly excited about tackling The Rip in the depths of winter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know this stretch of water can be dangerous so I don\u2019t take for granted that it\u2019s doable,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPhysically I have prepared for it by swimming daily in the cold water to acclimatise my body to the winter temperatures \u2026 I have trained myself to swim longer distances to ensure I would be able to swim up to 5km or 6km if I needed to swim further.<\/p>\n
\u201cMentally, I focus on being positive and prepared and don\u2019t give energy to fearful thoughts, like the depth of the channel or what creatures might be in the water.\u201d<\/p>\n The Rip organiser Grant Siedle has escorted 586 swimmers \u2013 aged from 13 to 75 \u2013 across The Rip and is one of the eight people to have swum it in winter.<\/p>\n \u201cWinter swimming has become pretty big over the last few years \u2026 I thought there\u2019s more people swimming in winter, let\u2019s do a trial swim,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n \u201cA couple of years ago we took eight people across (six completed the crossing) and last year 25 people were due to swim but COVID put an end to that.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it\u2019s been 18 months in the making for most of these swimmers.\u201d<\/p>\n Grant said all the swimmers had trained hard in the lead-up to this weekend\u2019s crossing.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a really exciting occasion,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the swimmers get to the other side it is a sense of relief, it is a sense of accomplishment and for a lot of people it is more special given they are in a team with their friends.\u201d<\/p>\n Nikole agreed and said swimming in a team provided a sense of camaraderie and, importantly, safety in the water.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause the stretch of water is also a busy shipping channel, smaller groups can cross and navigate through the ships more easily than 25 separate swimmers who may all go in different directions or become separated,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n Nikole said her mindset was to enjoy the experience while respecting the unpredictability of The Rip.<\/p>\n \u201cI have conquered a lot of fears over the last 12 months through daily swimming and exposure to all kinds of tides and weather conditions,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve conquered my fear of seaweed and shadows, my fear of swimming past the break and mostly my fear of deep and dark water, so I think I am ready!\u201d<\/p>\n The Rip swim kicks off at 2pm tomorrow (July 3).<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/07\/grant_38199-300x200.jpeg\")
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