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Heron Island and COVID Updates
JUNE 24TH ISSUE
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| Hi Everyone,
Unfortunately, as I’m sure you are all aware, Sydney is now under increased COVID-19 restrictions for the next few days. As a result, we are back to wearing masks in the indoor areas of all facilities except when swimming, or teaching. As always, please remember to keep 1.5m distance from each other and to make sure you are pre-booked into classes AND complete the COVID Check-In for the pool facility you are attending. We will be teaching from the pool deck where possible, and keeping an arm and kick board’s length (1.5m) away in the water. Please remember, if you are required to self-isolate due to visiting an affected area, receiving a COVID test or for another reason, do not attend the facilty and contact us about rescheduling your classes.
On a a positive note, our Heron Island Swimming trip in Queensland occurred just in time before the new outbreak! We were so lucky during the week there to see such a vast array of marine life along some amazing coral landscapes. It was so amazingly beautiful, with a swimmer reporting after one swim; “it’s the best swim I have ever had”. The water, a comfortable 23C, was sublime with its amazing shades of aquamarine to deep blue. Thanks to oceanswimsafaris.com for organising!
Since we’re returned many swimmers have come to us and expressed their enthusiasm to join the next one. Given the success of the trip and the interest since, we have plans to make it an annual occurrence, so if you are keen to join us next year, send us a message and we’ll have a chat with you about the swimming prerequisites to attend. It’s a great motivator for your swimming goals to have a physical destination at the end!
We appreciate our classes are still quite full, with the popular times carrying waitlists. This winter season has been like no other, with clients unable to travel far and people working remotely. We are monitoring the timetable end adding classes where necessary, such as an additional Stroke Foundations class on Wednesday nights at 5.15pm at Prince Alfred Park Pool. Be sure to book into this class if you missed out on a spot last week. Remember it is worthwhile to put your name on the waitlist as swimmers do reschedule and others get into the classes.
We’d love to congratulate one of our instructors Michelle, who was awarded ‘Trainer of the Year’ by Surf Lifesaving Sydney for her work at Tamarama Surf Lifesaving club! You may know Michelle from our Intro to Ocean Swimming classes or our Auburn learn to swim classes. She dedicates a lot of time and passion into water safety that is reflected in her work at Tamarama SLSC and her swim teaching. A huge congratulations Michelle!
As always, yours in swimming,
Kari Baynes
Director
Photo: Elena Longo, Hereon Island, Qld. |
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| Keep your fellow swimmers, instructors and yourself safe! Please follow NSW Health guidelines, and wear a mask when not swimming, keep 1.5m, check in at the pool and practise good hand hygiene. We’re doing our part by teaching from the pool deck where possible, sanitising equipment, preventing equipment sharing and keeping 1.5m distance. If you’re feeling at all unwell or have visited any potential exposure sites, please help keep everyone safe and stay home. |
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| Swimming on Heron Island with manta rays and dolphins! |
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| We couldn’t resist showing off a bit – it really is a magical island! We enjoyed a relatively empty resort and saw turtle hatchlings, a manta ray, epaulette sharks, and of course many other sharks, rays, fish, coral and birds! Check out more photos on our instagram, @sydney_swimmers. Thank you to our wonderful guides, Paul and Suanne from oceanswimsafaris and to our amazing swimmers who made the experience.
We’d love to make this swim adventure an annual expedition, so if you’re interested for a summer or winter Heron Island adventure, send us an email below! For those who came this time, you get 5% off your next trip with Ocean Swim Safari if you book within 12 months. This swim is for advanced swimmers only, so if you are in Stroke Development, chat to us about how you can work towards that swim goal for next year! |
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Congratulations Michelle!
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Congratulations to our instructor Michelle Cowans on being awarded trainer of the year by Surf Life Saving Sydney! A well-deserved honour for a coach who gives so much to her swimmers and community.
Michelle wrote “Thanks Tamarama Surf Life Saving Club and Surf Life Saving Sydney . I’m honoured to have won the “trainer of the year” award at the Branch Awards of Excellence last night, and proud to have done so in the service of Tamarama SLSC. This is a club whose values align so closely to my own, and why I love it so much. In addition to our vital role of saving lives, this is a club that values community, belonging and inclusivity. We offer indigenous scholarships and migrant scholarships; our migrant beach safety days have also won an award, our Holly Days program lead by the incredible Jo Miller has transformed the lives of indigenous kids. I love training and seeing the skills develop in our new members, identifying the potential of future trainers, patrol captains, competitors, love seeing their friendships develop and cement, and love the strong sense of community that is Tamarama SLSC”.
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Treading Water Classes on Saturdays
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| There are just two spots left in our next Treading Water Class on Saturday the 26th of June! Book in now to secure your spot. The class is run by Instructor Jelena at Prince Alfred Park Pool, and you can use an existing class contract or pack to pay for the class. It’s a great chance to improve your water safety and help you progress to the next swimming level! |
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Join our Facebook Community!
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| Want to connect with fellow members of Different Strokes Swimming classes and get regular updates? Join our private Facebook group! Just search ‘Different Strokes Swimming Members’ on Facebook and request to join the group – an admin will approve you as soon as possible. You can also like our public Facebook page here for updates, swimming articles and more! |
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