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PODCAST

Swim Chats

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 hit the "Follow" button so you don’t miss an episode. Contact me via swimchatswithshona at

sports swimming

All Episodes

00:27:14

32. Scott Rice on the Z Manu World Champs, bringing...

Swim Chats ·

2025/12/17

The Z Manu World Champs is now in its third year and is making a splash as a fun water sports event that brings people together. A 'manu' is a v-shaped dive bomb. It has Māori / Pasifika origins and can be performed off a bridge, wharf, diving board, jetty – even off a horse – into any body of deep water, as long as it's done safely.There are qualifying events being held around Aotearoa NZ (and on the Gold Coast) over the summer and the Grand Finals will be held in Auckland in March

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00:13:50

31. The Felixstowe Christmas Day Dip with James...

Swim Chats ·

2025/12/05

It's a Swim Chats festive episode! The seaside town of Felixstowe in the UK hosts an annual Christmas Day Dip to raise funds for St Elizabeth Hospice. 2025 is the event's 21st year and last Christmas there were 650 intrepid souls who made a winter's dash into the chilly North Sea, dressed in all sorts of festive outfits. The hospice's Events and Challenges manager, James Fox-Golding, came on Swim Chats to talk about the joy of the event, how it's grown over the past 20 years, and its significance as

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00:49:30

30. Captain Webb, the first English Channel swimmer...

Swim Chats ·

2025/11/16

It's our final swim history episode of 2025! Featuring special guest, ultramarathon swimmer John Hancock who is back for his third episode to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Captain Matthew Webb's English Channel crossing. We talk about:Captain Webb's astonishing Channel swim in 1875, a feat that hadn't been achieved before and was not repeated by anyone else for more than 30 years.The life story of the Captain – his heroism, his daring escapades, and his tragic final swim.The

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00:38:20

29. Swimming with jellyfish (and other invertebrates)...

Swim Chats ·

2025/11/09

If you're an ocean swimmer, you've probably encountered jellyfish at some stage. Depending on the species these watery, tentacled, heartless/ brainless/spineless (literally) invertebrates can dish out a painful sting!Earth Sciences NZ (formerly NIWA) marine scientist Dennis Gordon came on the podcast to answer my questions. In this episode, we talk about:What is the definition of a jellyfish?What are their life stages? How do they move around?How do they still sting people even after

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00:37:16

28. Ultramarathon swimmer Liana Smith on swimming...

Swim Chats ·

2025/11/02

Liana Smith was thriving as a competitive swimmer when chronic back pain led to a diagnosis of a spinal fracture. She underwent a spinal fusion at the age of 17. At the time, it felt to Liana as if her swimming career was over – she was on full bedrest and had a long recovery, both physically and mentally. She spent the next seven years out of the water. Liana was working as a high-country shepherd in Queenstown when she went for a swim with the Southern Lakes Swim Club (SLSC). Realising she could

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00:47:54

27. Shark scientist Clinton Duffy on shark behaviour,...

Swim Chats ·

2025/10/26

I watched JAWS as a kid and was subsequently scared to go in the water, just as the movie's tagline promised. Now I swim in the sea regularly and I know a bit more about sharks, but I wanted to talk to an expert. Clinton Duffy grew up with a fascination of sharks after encountering a bronze whaler, and he has spent much of his life and career in the pursuit of knowledge about these sharp-toothed ocean predators (as well as other marine creatures, such as rays). He worked in marine science at DOC and

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01:13:06

Coach Barb Watson on growing up as a competitive...

Swim Chats ·

2025/10/13

I had the pleasure of interviewing my swim coach Barbara (Barb) Watson, who has dedicated over 60 years to coaching in Wellington. It was recorded while we sat in her car at Freyberg Beach early on a Wednesday morning, watching the sunrise and drinking coffee. In this episode you'll hear some of Barb's life story and much of it is an oral history of swimming in Wellington, from the early 1950s to today. Barb was always drawn to the water and it ran in the family because her dad, Frank, was an open

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00:36:00

Dan Feisst on running the NZ Ocean Swim Series and...

Swim Chats ·

2025/10/08

Dan Feisst is a big part of NZ's swim community – he runs the Ocean Swim Series, the Summer Swim Series, the Beach Series, and Swim Vanuatu. He's also a swim coach in Auckland and owns The Swim Shop, which sells gear for pool and open water swimmers.In this episode we talk about:the upcoming 2025–26 NZ Ocean Swim Series: which events are running around the country and when? There are the classics (such as Rangitoto, Beach to Bay in Russell, Legend of the Lake in Rotorua) and some exciting new

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00:59:25

Lynne Cox on the 50th anniversary of her Cook Strait...

Swim Chats ·

2025/10/02

Lynne Cox is an American open water swimmer who has set records, and brought people together, around the world. In 1972 at the age of 15 she broke the men's and women's world records when she swam across the English Channel – and she did it again the following year.In 1975 she was the first woman, and fourth person, to swim across New Zealand's Cook Strait (in extremely rough conditions!).In 1987 she swam across the Bering Strait between Alaska and Siberia during the Cold War – a swim that Reagan

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00:58:21

'Outdoor Swimmer' magazine with founder Simon...

Swim Chats ·

2025/09/23

Outdoor Swimmer magazine is the world's only monthly, printed magazine about open water or wild swimming (as far as we know!). It was founded by Simon Griffiths in 2011 and October 2025 is the magazine's 100th issue, edited by Ella Foote who has been Outdoor Swimmer's editor since 2022.Simon and Ella are (unsurprisingly!) very passionate about swimming. They have both written books and accomplished many impressive swims in all sorts of locations. Ella is also a swim coach and provides

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01:06:30

Fit & Abel's Dan Abel on building trust, water...

Swim Chats ·

2025/09/09

Dan Abel is a former competitive swimmer, an ultra-marathon swimmer (including the English Channel and Cook Strait), and the founder of swim company Fit & Abel, which offers pool and open water swim coaching, swim safety and accessibility advice, and 'RealSwim Adventures' in NZ's South Island. With a lifelong history of swimming Dan brings a lot of passion and dedication to his role, with a strong belief in giving people not just technical swim skills but also "environmental

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00:54:44

Books (and songs and films) about swimming with...

Swim Chats ·

2025/08/13

Sinéad Kehoe is the founder of Wāhine Wai, a dippers' group in Wellington. In this episode we discuss eight swim books we've enjoyed, two swim songs, and two swim films:Lonely Planet's 'The Joy of Wild Swimming', 2023.Anna Deacon and Vicky Allan, 'Taking the Plunge: The Healing Power of Wild Swimming for Mind, Body and Soul', 2019, Black & White Publishing.Nina Mingya Powles. 'Small Bodies of Water.' 2021, Canongate Books.Ingrid Horrocks. 'Where We

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00:48:41

Kylie Frost on creating the Twisted Sisters Club,...

Swim Chats ·

2025/08/11

After being diagnosed in 2015 with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), a painful inflammatory arthritic condition, Kylie Frost was advised to move her body to keep mobile. She began exercising multiple times a week, then decided she needed a goal. She started entering triathlons and set her sights on IRONMAN NZ (a 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and 42km run), which she completed in 2021 after six years of building her strength and stamina. The time limit to complete the event was 17 hours and she managed it

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00:55:04

Susan Sherwen on ice swimming, Triple Crown...

Swim Chats ·

2025/08/03

Susan Sherwin is one of the founders of IISA (International Ice Swimming Association) Aotearoa New Zealand and runs the annual NZ Ice Swimming Championships . An ice swim needs to be in water that's 5°C (41°F) or less, swum only in togs, goggles, a standard cap, and with optional earplugs. Susan is an accomplished ice swimmer herself, having completed two 'extreme' ice miles (2km). She is also one of just a handful of people to have achieved NZ's Triple Crown: Lake Taupō in 2020,

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00:45:40

Swimming with Leander, Lord Byron, Beowulf and around...

Swim Chats ·

2025/07/30

It’s a swim literature episode! Featuring John Hancock, who told us the colourful life story of Sir Bernard Freyberg and his wartime swim.This time John and Shona talk about:The “mad, bad and dangerous to know” poet Lord Byron’s 1810 swim across the Dardanelles (formerly the Hellespont, between Europe and Asia). Lord Byron was inspired by the ancient Greek myth of Leander, who swam across the same body of water to his lover Hero’s lantern-lit tower each night. Byron recounted his swim triumph in his

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01:01:24

Dr Heather Massey on the joys, dangers, and...

Swim Chats ·

2025/07/22

Dr Heather Massey is an open water swimmer, a scientist, and a senior lecturer at the University of Portsmouth in the UK. As part of her job she researches the physiological effects of cold water, as well as the risks and potential benefits of cold water swimming. What happens to our body when we get into cold water? What’s the 'cold shock response' and what is 'afterdrop'? Who benefits from cold water, how, and why? How do people survive ‘ice swimming’, including in Antarctica? But

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00:56:19

Harbourmaster Grant Nalder on swim floats, boats,...

Swim Chats ·

2025/07/15

Wellington Harbourmaster Grant Nalder oversees navigation in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. That involves monitoring the movement of vessels (ships, boats, waka, etc.), managing marker buoys, and also, increasingly, looking out for ocean swimmers. On this episode we talk about:- the role of the Harbourmaster- the importance of swimmers being visible to boats (tow floats are mandatory for swimmers who are more than 200m offshore – see the bylaw details below), and also the need for boaties to be aware of

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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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