Bobo is a no-go: Lessons from the 2023/2024 Season

It's been confirmed - the water and air temperatures are too cold and risky to swim this season. My swim is postponed to December 2024.

It's been a long season of waiting, holding out hope for one day of good weather. About a month ago I packed a bag with everything I needed to shoot off to Invercargill at a day's notice. Zach called it my "Bobo-Go-Bag" because for about half the season he thought that the strait was called "Bobo". 

The day came, but too late - the water temperature is now 14 degrees, the air temperature is cold, and Te Ara a Kiwa is not to be for this season. It's outside anyone's control, and I'm really grateful to Phil and Mike for making the difficult decision and for prioritising my health and safety above all. For these reasons and countless more, I trust Phil and wouldn't do this swim through anyone else.

Obviously, I'm disappointed. I've trained hard and am probably in the best swimming condition I've been in. At the same time, I can see many silver linings and different lenses to see this through. 

I thought I'd do some writing and reflection on what I'm taking from this. 

If it was easy, it wouldn't be worth it. 

Long-distance open-water swimming is challenging in so many ways. There are the physical challenges - the endurance, strength, speed, technique and resistance to the cold that one needs. You have to sacrifice a lot of time and prepare to be exhausted every day.

But equally, if not more so, there are mental and emotional challenges. Spending so much time alone in your head when you swim. Fighting the bargaining that comes with it ("just get out, you can do the rest later"). Making yourself get out of bed at dawn and get into the water - I'm still not a pro at this, as any of my swimming friends can attest. And the waiting. Waiting for a swim is simply a part of the process, and up until this season I've been lucky that I've never truly experienced it. In Raukawa Moana I swam early in the season, and with Taupō the weather is more stable and tide windows aren't relevant, so we had a date set and went. This season I've gotten to experience the battle of waiting and uncertainty... and damn is it hard.

Having the swim postponed adds an extra layer of challenge. It's a reminder that I'm not doing this swim because it's easy. It's difficult and beautiful and exciting, and this extra challenge adds to the richness of that. It's one more reason that the swim is worth doing. 

Accepting what is outside of my control and redefining my goals:

There are things I can't control (like the weather) but there are also so many things I can control. I can choose what is important to me. I can choose how I see things and react to them. I can reframe my goals so that they are things that are more in my control (e.g. "I want to spend the season connecting with the moana and my swimming community, I want to become a better and faster swimmer... " instead of "I want to swim across Te Ara a Kiwa this season"). 

The training is equally, if not more, worth celebrating than the swim. The training is where you grow, improve and learn things about yourself. And the training is usually the hardest part, if you do it right. It's ya classic "it's not the destination, it's the journey" situation. Cliche but true. Reflecting on this season, I've had so many cool experiences in the moana, I've met so many cool new people, deepened connections and felt more connected to my body. I'd call that a success! 

Third time lucky.

I first started training for this swim in 2021. For two years I postponed the swim. There's been a lot of processing, healing, growth and new experiences since that time. After a season of hard training, I felt ready in 2024. 

But the weather has decided that it's not time just yet. This December will be my third go at it. It feels right, with this being the third big swim that I'm doing. Three was my water polo cap number too.

More of a good thing <3 

I love training. I love the community. I love the purpose. I love the routine. I love the ocean. Doing this for a bit longer is really a huge privilege.  

More time to campaign for Mountains to Sea Wellington and Shark Conservation <3  

A whole extra nine months to fundraise for Mountains to Sea Wellington! Here is my fundraiser link: https://givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/swimming-te-ara-a-kiwa-for-sharks 

I'll be looking at running events throughout the year, keep an eye on Facebook and Instagram as a Swimathon Fundraiser is probably coming up soon :D 

This extra time gives me more of an opportunity to raise awareness for how incredible sharks are, the danger they are in, and how we can be part of the solution.   

December really isn't that far away...

December is allllll good. It's an opportunity to be faster, stronger, and fitter. I want to take a growth mindset into this and smash any glass ceilings and self-perceived limits of how much my swimming can improve.

Thank you <3

Thank you to everyone who has supported me this season. I've typed up, and then deleted, a paragraph of thank you's to all the people who make my life so rich. But it keeps becoming too long - I remember another person and I always feel like I'm still missing people out! Truthfully I am just so lucky to be surrounded by so many incredible people and I am so grateful. And because this journey isn't over yet, I'll save the thank you's for after my swim in December...

So I won't be unpacking my Bobo-Go-Bag. My surf mud, shark tops, drink bottles, and pure gels will sit in the corner of my room for a few months while I'm back instructing on Spirit of Adventure and in AUS. I'll continue working with Mountains to Sea to organise fundraising events and ways to raise awareness for our beautiful moana and mangō. 

I'll keep swimming. 

When December comes, I'll be ready.