AS most people know, swimming in open water is a little different to swimming in a pool.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Changes in currents and changing wind direction are just two conditions which can prove challenging.
But Moree youngsters Elka, Rhys and Luke Devney as well as Josh and Gabby Elbourne and Gabby Clift know this better than most.
All six will participate in the Copeton Freshwater Swim at Copeton Dam this weekend, some alongside ironman Ky Hurst.
“It’s a little bit different swimming in open water because you’re not following a black line like you do in a pool. You’ve got to breathe to the side so you know where the buoy is,” Elka said.
“There’s a lot of excitement in completing a challenge such as this,” she said.
The swim is Rhys and Elka’s second open water swim after they successfully completed last year’s inaugural event.
“It keeps your fitness up and it’s a thrill for the kids.
“It’s going to be exciting to swim with Ky Hurst,” Rhys said.
Youngest brother Luke will participate in the 600-metre swim for the first time in the aided section where competitors wear wetsuits, flippers and life vests.
He’s set his standards high.
“I hope to win,” he said.
In the 600-metre event competitors will swim 250 metres out to a marker before turning right and swimming 100 metres to another marker before heading back to shore.
Another two and five-kilometre swim will also be contested.
After last year’s swim numbers have soared this year and organisers hope to make it a regular part of the swimming calendar.
At last count 41 competitors had registered for the 600m swim, 35 for the two-kilometre and 24 for the five-kilometre swim.
The latest forecast obtained from Weatherzone suggests the dam will be at its picturesque best with the water temperature expected to be around 22 degrees with the sun shining above.
Online registrations close at 5pm today.