For years the Cape has beckoned. Wouldn’t it be a great challenge to swim around the Cape? What an awesome open water swim. So after many years of thinking, the Cape was swum in late 2009.

After much discussion it was decided to swim the Cape in a clockwise direction, from the Granite Jetty to the stairs at Magic’s. Early on the morning of December 28^th, under a clouded sky and with water temperature around 17 to 18^o, eight members of the Woolamai Beach SLSC met at the foot of “Spew Hill” and were ferried by boat to the starting point at the old jetty. The group consisted of two swimmers, six board paddlers, one surf ski and a safety cover boat stocked with water, bananas, and lollies for a rapid sugar hit.

The swimmers were treated to excellent visibility on their passage around the Cape and reported seeing many fish. They kept up a steady pace, while the board paddlers took the opportunity for a more casual trip, with a visit to some of the caves and a stop at Gull Island to jump off the top into the clear blue water.

Some swell was encountered on the south east point which sucked up over a bommie just as the swimmers passed by. The swim along the face of the Cape, while free from swell, had a nasty confused short chop for the swimmers to contend with. This eased considerably on the final leg into the Magic’s bay area. Surfers waiting for a wave out the back at Magic’s got quite a surprise when two swimmers suddenly appeared in their midst. A decent set gave the swimmers a chance to pick up a nice wave to shore.

The team took 1 hr 45 mins to cover a distance of approximately 7.4 km. Apart from a slight chill when the wind hit them on the beach, tired shoulders and a bit of chafing, they  were surprised that the swim was somewhat easier than they had expected.

Plans are afoot to make the swim an annual one, with several whispers around the club of “I’ll do it next year”. The challenge is out there!