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PODCAST

Swim Chats

Every swimmer has a story to tell. Writer and swimmer Shona Riddell chats to marathon swimmers, dippers, coaches, ocean experts, and more. Whether you’re a swimmer yourself, or just interested in stories about the sea and people expanding their comfort zones, you"ll enjoy these swim chats. Please hit the "Follow" button so you don’t miss an episode, leave a star rating, and share with friends. Enjoying the podcast? Support it on patreon.com/swimchats, or buy me a coffee via

sports swimming

All Episodes

01:09:21

Phil Rush on his record-breaking swims and coaching...

Swim Chats ·

2025/06/24

What a privilege to spend an hour talking to Phil Rush, a coaching and swimming legend. Here are just some of his open water swim achievements:Record holder for the fastest double and triple English Channel crossings (his triple crossing was 28h 21m, 140km, in 1987)Record holder for the fastest double Cook Strait crossings (only one other person has achieved a double)The first person to complete a double crossing of Lake Taupō (in 1985)10 English Channel crossings and 8 Cook Strait crossingsIn this

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00:41:38

Kate Camp on her Matariki swim series, sea poetry,...

Swim Chats ·

2025/06/17

Kate Camp is a poet, author, and ocean swimmer. She's also the organiser of the annual '9 Bays of Matariki' winter swims and the '12 Bays of Christmas' summer swims. In this episode Kate talks about when and how she started sea swimming, the art of quickly changing out of wet togs into warm clothes, and the importance of the swim community. She also reads a poem called 'Freyberg Carpark' – featuring Graham from episode 10! – from her new book, 'Makeshift Seasons' (Te Herenga Waka University Press,

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00:29:29

James Groombridge on Coastguard NZ and The Big Swim

Swim Chats ·

2025/06/10

Coastguard NZ rescues thousands of Kiwis a year and relies on the dedication of its volunteers, who require training and equipment to save lives on the water.Wellington president of Coastguard NZ (and surf lifesaver) James Groombridge talks about The Big Swim, a month-long fundraiser involving swimmers of all ages and abilities. If you're not swimming, you can sponsor a swimmer!Shona's Big Swim page is bigswim.org.nz/s-riddell. Please sponsor me if you can – all funds go to Coastguard

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00:31:54

Ann Skelly on painting the sea, mermaid tails, and...

Swim Chats ·

2025/06/01

Ann Skelly is a Waiheke Island artist who creates beautiful seascapes and landscapes that feature the ocean in all its varying moods: dappled and rippled in the sun, fierce and churning, blue and inviting. Shona talked to Ann at the 2025 NZ Art Show, which runs annually in Wellington over King's Birthday weekend.NZ Art Show websiteAnn Skelly on InstagramAnn Skelly on Facebook *In June Shona is taking part in Coastguard NZ's The Big Swim – follow and support The Tridents!

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00:53:15

Nicole Miller on filming underwater forests, her new...

Swim Chats ·

2025/05/27

Dr Nicole Miller is a Wellington scuba diver who cares deeply about our underwater kelp forests and marine life. She's the Chair of the Friends of Taputeranga Marine Reserve Trust, the former President of Wellington Underwater Club, and the founder of Explore Your Coast, with the goal of filming 70km of Wellington Harbour, Te Whanganui-a-Tara, and documenting changes to our coastal ecosystems.In this marine conservation episode we talk about giant kelp, octopuses, creative ways of showing people

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00:44:23

Graham Joe on capturing sunrises, providing hot food...

Swim Chats ·

2025/05/13

Graham Joe is the owner of Gelissimo @ Freyberg, an outdoor cafe/kiosk right next to Freyberg Beach in Wellington. It’s a hub for morning swimmers who congregate there for coffee, scones, porridge and toasties. The post-swim conversations I have there every week, over excellent coffee, were the inspiration for this podcast. Graham started getting in the sea a few years ago after an accident left him in pain and unable to run. He found that getting in the cold water helped his recovery so he kept

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00:54:01

Brett Richardson on pre-dawn sea swimming, marathon...

Swim Chats ·

2025/05/10

Brett Richardson is a Wellington swimmer who swam across Cook Strait (Te Moana-o-Raukawa) in 2020 and Foveaux Strait (Te Ara a Kiwa) in 2024. He swims in the ocean year round, often early in the morning – which, in winter, means it’s pitch black in the water (aside from his head torch) from start to finish. In this episode Brett shares how his swimming grew from new-to-ocean-swimming to marathon level, the strategies he incorporates for successful long swims, and the joy of getting in the sea every

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00:38:41

Clarissa Dunn on the symphonies of the ocean

Swim Chats ·

2025/04/21

Clarissa Dunn is a Radio New Zealand Concert presenter, a marriage celebrant, an event MC, a soprano, and an ocean swimmer. She swims to connect with her family and with nature, and it also provides a mental break from her busy life. For her episode, Clarissa had the brilliant idea of making an 'ocean music' playlist on Spotify. I'm still embedded in the '90s hard rock era, so this has opened my mind and I can hear the breaking waves and darting fish in the various pieces of music – you can listen

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00:43:17

John Hancock on Sir Bernard Freyberg's heroic wartime...

Swim Chats ·

2025/04/11

Our first 'swim history' episode! Featuring special guest John Hancock, a marathon swimmer and the organiser of this year's ANZAC Day swim in Wellington. In this episode John tells the story of the brave, accomplished, and fascinating Sir Bernard Freyberg who painted himself in black and undertook a stealthy nighttime swim in Gallipoli during World War One. We also discuss a few other notable swimmers in history: John F Kennedy, Kahe Te-Rau-o-te-Rangi, and Mao Zedong. Finally, John Hancock reflects

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00:50:20

Melissa Donaldson on exploring the water, changing...

Swim Chats ·

2025/04/08

Melissa Donaldson is a marathon swimmer and SwimMastery coach from Brisbane, Australia. When Melissa was approaching 50 and working in the corporate world, she began to swim as a hobby. Within a few years she was swimming 20km-plus distances and trained as a swim coach to help others safely achieve their goals and find joy in swimming. She runs the SwimMastery Swim Studio in Brisbane and continues to explore her own relationship with the water, seeking new challenges and opportunities along the

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00:31:58

Adrienne Linney on the Better Beach Babes, being...

Swim Chats ·

2025/03/30

Adrienne Linney is an ocean swimmer, a jewellery maker, and the founder of the Better Beach Babes, a dipping group in Wellington that started three years ago and is now a thriving cold-water community. The BBBs appeared on the cover of the NZ Women's Weekly in August 2022. Adrienne's jewellery is inspired by the colours, textures, and movement of the ocean.'Beach Babes' daring dips': www.nowtolove.co.nz/news/real-life/beach-babes-daring-dips-45905Adrienne Linney Jewellery:

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00:38:08

Kaye Mueller on overcoming fear, joyful exploration,...

Swim Chats ·

2025/03/27

Kaye Mueller is an ocean swimmer and a yoga instructor. She’s the owner of YogiFish, a company that takes people on yoga and swim retreats in beautiful locations. She swims at Goat Island Marine Reserve and is a vibrant, warm and inspiring person – and, as she would probably say, a salty soul.YogiFish website: yogifish.nzGoat Island Marine Reserve: www.goatislandmarine.co.nzTe Kohuroa rewilding project: www.tekohuroarewilding.orgNick Cave's piece on wild swimming:

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00:39:09

Breanna Ward

Swim Chats ·

2025/03/15

Breanna Ward is a marathon swimmer and ocean advocate from Wellington, Aotearoa NZ. She is a Triple Crown swimmer which means she has achieved three extremely challenging water crossings: Raukawa Moana / Cook Strait, Lake Taupō, and Te Ara a Kiwa / Foveaux Strait. Bre swims to raise awareness for ocean conservation, fundraises for marine education, and has a soft spot for sharks. She also runs local Ocean Safety courses to enable us to be 'good' swimmers, in every sense of the

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00:46:44

Toy Saia'ana

Swim Chats ·

2025/03/09

Toy Saia'ana, a Kiwi of Samoan descent, first learned how to swim as an adult. For the past few years she has challenged herself to swim in many different environments (including in choppy seas, in the dark, through winter and without a wetsuit). She is constantly learning, exploring, and helping others. We also talk about swimming through grief and giving ourselves permission to pull back in order to move forwards.For more information about SwimMastery: www.swimmastery.online

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00:45:58

Fifi Colston

Swim Chats ·

2025/02/24

In this episode Shona chats to Fifi Colston, a Wellington artist, writer, children's book illustrator and costume maker who swims all year round at several of our local Wellington beaches. We talk about getting started, swimming in winter, a close encounter with orcas, and the mental health benefits of swimming. Fifi's website: https://fificreativecom.hosts.sh/Fifi's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/creativefifi

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00:01:25

Swim Chats trailer

Swim Chats ·

2025/02/11

Every swimmer has a story to tell. Writer and swimmer Shona Riddell chats to adventure swimmers, winter dippers, marathon swim coaches, marine conservationists and more to find out how they got started and the lessons they've learned along the way. Whether you’re a swimmer yourself, or just interested in stories about the sea and people expanding their comfort zones, you'll enjoy these swim chats. Please subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.

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