Sydney’s ocean swimmers undeterred by fatal Little Bay shark attack

Sydney’s ocean swimming enthusiasts say the sport is more popular than ever, as safety measures are beefed up for the Nippers surf lifesaving carnival.

Some people might label them mad, but ocean swimming enthusiasts say the sport is more popular than ever despite last week’s fatal shark attack as swimmers brave the deep blue for the thrill and sense of community.

Almost every morning at dawn as the sharks hunt for their prey and the city awakes from its slumber, ocean swimmer John Kelly dives into the ocean for a 1500 metre swim at Manly Beach, a ritual he has been enjoying for years.

The 68-year-old enjoys the serenity and feeling of freedom that comes with a morning dip, as well as the social aspect of ocean swimming.

Ocean swimmer John Kelly says registrations for his swimming group have continued despite the attack. Picture: Tim Hunter.

“You’re surrounded by another hundred people so there’s a good social atmosphere, then of course there’s the exercise,” he said.

He started the sport a decade ago after a debilitating foot injury stopped him from running. He now co-runs the Bold and Beautiful Swimming Group in Manly, where more than a hundred people venture out for daily swims.

Mr Kelly, a salesman by trade, says the fatal mauling of ocean swimmer Simon Nellist by a great white at Little Bay last week hasn’t deterred the group, with a hundred people turning up each day and registrations growing by the week.

“We swim across sharks all the time. Ocean swimmers don’t really worry about the sharks. It’s their home so we’re taking the risk going there. We don’t worry about them,” he said.

John leads a group of more than 100 ocean swimmers in Manly. Picture: Tim Hunter

Andre Slade, founder of Oceanfit and Oceanswims, has seen a boom in registrations over summer as more people stuck at home during the pandemic join for a sense of community.

“All the Sydney swims this year we’ve seen a huge uptake in registrations. There was definitely that kind of feeling of, you know, wanting to just break free and get back into the into the ocean,” he said.

He said registrations over the past week for events like the Bondi Blue Water swim had been tracking well despite the Little Bay tragedy.

Ocean swimmer and experienced scuba diver Simon Nellist was killed in a shark attack at Little Bay on Wednesday, February 17.

The 42-year-old, who has been ocean swimming for more than two decades, said most ocean swimmers had such a strong connection to the sport that sharks didn’t bother them.

“Swimmers love the sense of freedom of being in the open water and being one with the ocean so they can rationalise the risks of ocean swimming and find the whole challenge very liberating,” he said.

He said there were some unwritten rules among swimmers to keep them safe, including not swimming before sunrise or near large bait balls.

“That’s normally a good sign to head back to the beach,” he said.

Last week, the popular Malabar Magic Ocean Swim was cancelled, with organisers citing respect for Mr Nellist’s family and participant safety as key concerns.

NIPPERS CARNIVAL BEEFS UP SAFETY MEASURES

Samuel King

Drone usage is being beefed up for the state junior surf life saving championships on the northern beaches this weekend, following last week’s fatal shark attack at Little Bay.

The NSW Surf Life Saving Championships begin Thursday at Queenscliff Beach, which is fitted with shark nets.

Queenscliff’s junior surf lifesavers will hit the waves for this weekend’s competition. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

The event comes in the wake of the death of 35-year-old Simon Nellist, Sydney’s first fatal shark attack in almost 60 years.

“Our water safety arrangements have been bolstered. We’re going to have at least two drones there throughout the carnival, and they’ll ensure there are no hazards around,” said Surf Life Saving Australia spokeswoman Donna Wishart.

“Water safety is always a top priority at our events, but the drone monitoring is something that has been increased marginally to make sure there’s no gaps in the service.

10-year-old North Cronulla Nippers Lucy Watkins, Michaela Jenkins and Isla Renshaw 10. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

“We haven’t had feedback from any of the clubs that their competitors are overly concerned about the risk of sharks in the area.

“There’s very rarely any marine creature activity spotted at these sorts of events because there’s so much craft on the water. We’ve got noisy jet skis and inflatable rescue boats around the whole time so it’s rare that anything would want to come anywhere near that.”

Similarly, the CEO of Surf Life Saving NSW Steven Pearce says the organisation’s use of drones, as well as “numerous jet skis and boats provide water safety for all our competing participants”.

“We incorporate [the safety measures] as a matter of course at all our events and did this recently at our Country Championships at Cape Hawke near Forster after the other most recent shark attack occurred,” said Mr Pearce.