Endurance Swimmer Australia

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Endurance Swimmer Australia

Endurance Swimmer Australia

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This video is a review and demonstration of Grand Prix Circuit which was a DOS game made by Accolade that was released in most countries in 1988. It was loosely based on the 1988 Formula One series. In it you could choose to drive one of 3 different cars to race on 8 of the 16 tracks that featured in that years championship.

Like many people who owned a PC in the late 80's and early 90's I had this game. In fact I got rather good at it, perhaps in part because I was a mad keen Formula One follower at the time (which will probably become evident as I do make a few references to the venues and cars of the time. Perhaps I also became good at it because when I should have been studying for my exams I was instead trying to beat my best lap times!!!

I recently became re-acquainted with this game and it took me little time to remember the little tricks that went with doing a good lap time. In this video I discuss the game, do a 5 lap demonstration race from the back of the grid including a pit stop, and lastly demonstrate a one lap dash during a practice session in which I set a new club lap record for Monaco for DOS Game Club.

If you like the old DOS games then check out DOS Game Club and consider checking it out and joining. It works rather like a book club in that a game from the DOS era is picked, members play the game and discuss it in the forums for a month and then there is a broader discussion at the end of the month as part of a podcast. All the podcasts are still on the website including the one on Grand Prix Circuit in which one of the brothers who are believed to be the unofficial world record holders for the lap records in the game joined in on the discussion.
https://www.dosgameclub.com

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

Lake Bonney is a large lake located next to the town of Barmera in South Australia. It measures 6.5 km down the length at it's longest stretch and is the venue for our latest marathon swim challenge. On this occasion I swam 2 laps of the lake along that course making the swim 13 km.

I'd been wanting to do this swim for years. As a much younger person I competed here in open water swimming competitions that were much shorter in length that took part near Barmara running parallel to the shore. It was at this time that I became aware that Lake Bonney had been the site of an attempt on the world water speed record by Donald Campbell in his jet powered hydroplane, Bluebird K7 back in 1964 when he was trying to become the first person to capture both land and water speed records in the same calender year. I had quite a fascination with Campbell at the time, having watched a film about his last record attempt in 1967 that ultimately ended tragically. I worked out where the run had taken place, along the longest stretch of the lake and decided that someday I would swim two laps of the lake along this course. I wasn't aware of anyone else who had done it so it seemed like an interesting challenge worth doing.

We decided that we would camp at the northern end of the lake for Christmas of 2018 and that we would do the course back to front with the turnaround point being the Bluebird Cafe (which is an extension of the shed that Campbells boat was housed in during the 1964 attempt),

On Christmas eve we had a good weather window so shortly before 6.00 am we headed off and benefitted from flat water for most of the swim. It's worth noting that Campbell wasn't so lucky as it was the wind and water state that ultimately caused the attempt on Lake Bonney, which had yielded speeds of up to 216 mph, to eventually be called off and be moved to Lake Dumbleyung in Western Australia. It was there that on the last day of the year he recorded an average speed over two runs of 276.33 mph to set a new world record and become the first (and so far only) person to officially set both world land and water speed records in the same calender year.

Many thanks to K7 Project Bluebird for providing some stock footage to assist me in making this video.

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

Basin Lake is a small perched freshwater lake on Fraser Island in Queensland, Australia. It can be reached via a few different hiking tracks but the one that is used the most goes from Central Station via Wanggoolba Creek and is about a 5.5 km return trip. With the close proximity of the thick vegitation the lake is reasonably protected from the wind making it an attractive secluded location that is not visited as much as many of the other lakes in the area.

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

Lake McKenzie is a stunning freshwater lake on Fraser Island in Queensland and the location of the second of my 'marathon swim challenges'. It covers an area of 150 hectares and with it's clear waters and white silica sands it's probably the most well known and visited location on the island. The waters are slightly acidic in nature and this actually is one of the reasons it stays so clear because there is very little aquatic life in it. There are however short necked turtles that live in the lake.

I first swam in the lake in 1994 and was quite captivated at just how stunning it was and despite it's popularity, if you're able to get to the other side the crowds can't get there and you have this amazing experience of solitude at such a beautiful location. It's quite intoxicating. Ever since then I wanted to return. Having never heard of anyone swimming a marathon distance there (a distance 10 km or more) I decided that (assuming that is in fact the case) that I would put a plan in motion to be the first.

So during a recent visit I swam 10 laps of the lake at it's widest point (which is 1.2 km per lap) and as a result did a 12 km swim.

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

Lake Wabby is a well known lake on Fraser Island. It's relatively small and is getting gradually consumed by the Hammerstone Sand Blow. At 12 meters it is the deepest lake on the island and unlike most of the others is full of aquatic life, particularly large catfish. There are 2 hiking tracks, one from the beach about 4.3 km north of Eurong which is 2.4 km long and the other is a shorter one from a carpark off Cornwell's Break Road which is 2.4 km long. This is the later. It includes a lookout with spectacular views.

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

For some time now I've been planning to feature videos speaking to Marathon Swimming after all the name of this channel does have 'Endurance Swimmer' in it. I've decided the best way to do this is to take part in a series of challenges where I attempt to complete an official marathon swimming distance in as many different bodies of water as possible.

Since 2008 when the Olympic Games first featured a 10 km open water swim, a swimming marathon has been considered a swim of a duration of 10 km or more (as opposed to 25 km which was the official distance prior to this). This is somewhat appropriate as the average time it takes a decent distance swimmer to do a 10 km swim is not too dissimilar to that which a decent marathon runner runs a 42 km marathon on the road. There is some parity here.

Unlike in most competitive open water events I will be using a full length wetsuit for all of them. Now I know some hard core open water swimmers out there may thumb their nose a bit at the idea of this and I must admit I came from that mould too. If you'd have asked me 10 years ago I would have been dead set against endorsing wetsuits for any type of event or recognised swim on the principal of parity, but it occurs to me that just because something can be done without and it is arguably more challenging doesn't necessarily mean it is best practice. After all, one can climb high on many mountains in shorts and a T-Shirt if you get the right weather but the folly there is pretty clear. I'm wearing it mainly for protection from the sun but acknowledge it provides some protection from other environmental issues such as the cold and stinging jellyfish. I'm planning to test a variety of suits and this will be part of the conversation moving forward. I also note on this subject that FINA has approved certain wetsuits for some events that take place in extremely cold conditions. This arguably opens up the sport to more countries and more competitors. Anyway it's a subject I'll revisit as I produce more videos on the topic.

For my first Marathon Swimming Challenge I've chosen to swim 6 laps of Encounter Lakes which is located in Encounter Bay, South Australia. That's a total distance of 10.14 km. For this challenge I'm using the very reasonably priced Orca S6 wetsuit. Stay tuned for many more marathon swimming challenges.

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

The St Kilda Mangrove Trail is a well known boardwalk built on the coast of this seaside suburb in South Australia (not to be confused with the suburb in Victoria with the same name). St Kilda itself was built on what is a reclaimed part of the Barker Inlet. It was once home to just fishermen but is now well known for an adventure playground and a tramway museum. There is a large area of mangrove swamp in the tidal zone and in the mid 1980's a boardwalk trail was built through the mangroves to be used by the public to get closer to the environment without impacting upon it.

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

Barossa Helicopters is a business located at the "Kies Family" property and conducts scenic tours from the air around the Barossa Valley in South Australia about 60 kilometres northeast of Adelaide. The valley itself was formed by the North Para River and is a notable wine producing area in the region.

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

We've recently acquired an off road vehicle which we hope to use for some of our trips around Australia so that we can access hard to reach places. I've had some limited four wheel drive experience but decided to extend that somewhat by testing the vehicle at Loveday 4x4 Adventure Park which is located in Barmera, South Australia and covers a wide area with plenty to occupy drivers of all levels for a weekend.

There's a wide range of vehicles that people take up there and some are looking to test their extensively modified vehicles to the limit. Ours is going to be used for long trips and needs to be efficient so we won't be modifying it anywhere near what can be done and our driving was intentionally conservative. Not withstanding that I thought it handled the moderate obstacles quite comfortably and I felt the vehicle (which we affectionaltely call 'The Beast') could have done a lot more if we'd have stretched it but we're more than happy with it's performance for the moment.

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

Our latest diving adventure was a week spent in Tulumben, Bali. We stayed at the Matahari Resort, which is very well equipped for divers and excellent value for money.

Visibility was a not quite crystal clear as it can be in the area. But it did give it an interesting atmosphere. This was particularly oticeable around the resort itself and the garden of statues known as 'Suci Place'. It reminded me of an early morning mist, hence the name of the video.

We did a number of dives over the trip but for this video I've chosen to focus on 'Suci Place' and the Boga Wreck which is a short drive away at Kubu along with the stunning Tirta Gangga Royal Water Gardens.

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

The River Murray is the third longest navgable river in the world with a total length of 2,520 kilometres it is a truly iconic piece of the Australian geographical landscape. It's source is high in the Australian Alps and from there it gradually meanders through three separate states and the diverse scenery that each have before finally reaching the ocean.

This spectacular gallery of images was obtained during a journey on a houseboat and gives you some idea of the scenery you could encounter during a visit to the region. They were taken at various locations on the lower part of the river in South Australia.

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

Morialta Conservation Park is a spectacular nature reserve in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia well known for it's seasonal waterfalls. It covers an area of 5.3 square kilometres and is popular with bushwalkers, rock climbers and photographers.

There are a number of hikes but most involve visiting 1 or more of the reserve's spectacular waterfalls. The Three Falls Hike is the longest of the 3 and visits all of the parks major attractions.

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

One of the most well known cave diving sites in Mount Gambier is Allendale Cave which is located in the middle of a road! Attempts were made in the early days to fill what was thought to be a large hole in order to build the road over it but later on when it was established that it was actually a water filled cave of significant size this futile process was stopped in favour of building one lane either side.

It's must have been an interesting site to behold in the early days by locals but now watching fully equipped divers waiting for a gap in the traffic before crossing in full diving gear and descending down the steep entrance slope is common place. What awaits is a stunningly clear dive site. The small entrance lake leads to a steep slope and eventually a large cavernous chamber down the bottom. There are also some tighter areas to explore for the more adventurous.

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

In addition to snorkelling and scuba diving the series of ponds and channels that make up Ewens Ponds in Mount Gambier, South Australia, one can also snorkel from the ponds all the way to the coast via Eight Mile Creek. When in the channels and creek you can just drift along effortlessly and enjoy the ride due to the constant downstream water flow.

It's a stunning trip that takes just over an hour and the water is crystal clear most of the time and abundant with aquatic life. Unlike
many of the other aquatic activities in Mount Gambier which one needs to be a qualified cave diver to partake in, this one can be enjoyed by anyone who can swim (although a thick wetsuit is needed in addition to a mask and snorkel, as the water doesn't get any warmer than about 16 degrees centagrade). A highly recommended fun activity for all.

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

Cave Diving in Fossil Cave, Mount Gambier South Australia is a fantastic experience. It's a dive site that is located via a sinkhole next to a main road and can be accessed by those with the CDAA (Cave Divers Association of Australia) Cave Certification or higher. The cave gets it's name from the large number of extinct animal bones that were discovered there in the 1970's during a proper survey. It's now known more for it's crystal clear water and interesting topography although you can still see the pickets around which the survey grid was attached.

Although there is also another small cave at the other end of the sinkhole, which has some interesting features, it's mainly the south eastern cave that is dived. Divers enter one end of a crescent shaped surface pool but as the passages below curves around following this crescent, a greenish tinged light can be seen refracting through the water from above in many parts of the dive site. It makes it one of the more unique and surreal caves to explore in the region.

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

This video contains clips from a number of the videos I did between November 2013, when I did my first 'Endurance Swimmer Australia' video, to February 2015. I look forward to continuing to share the journey.

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

One of the most important scuba diving skills to refine, particularly for those who want to transition into technical diving in wrecks and caves, is reel and guideline use.

This video explains and demonstrates some of the basic points about how to use a reel and guideline. In addition to use in overhead environments, reel skills can be also be useful to any diver as a tool in navigation, mapping and deploying various buoyant devices. A good place to start is learning how to do various wrap's and tie off's, many of which are demonstrated and broken down in this video. With a bit of practice they will quickly become second nature.

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

If you visit the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia a trip to Baird Bay to swim with the Dolphins and Sea Lions is a once in a lifetime
opportunity. Baird Bay Ocean Eco Experience was established in 1992 and offers a tour that will enable you to do both. The staff are both very informed and friendly and will help make your tour one you don't forget. It's a fantastic experience that I highly recommend.

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

The St Mary Peak Summit Hike at Wilpena Pound in South Australia is an absolutely stunning and somewhat demanding hike. The highest point in the Flinders Ranges it is an absolutely must do for any keen hiker. You can ascend it via a trail on either the outside (the steeper approach) or the inside (less steep but longer approach) of the pound and then follow a further rocky trail to the summit itself. To do the full loop (taking in both the outer and inner trails and the trail to the summit) is 21.5 kilometres and one should put aside a full day and take a minimum of 4 litres of water each and don't forget the camera! I would say that most people of good health are capable of doing it but doing a few practice hikes first leading up to it isn't a bad idea and good footware is recommended.

On a clear day the view from the summit itself is hard to put into words. Pictures don't do it justice, you have to go there and do it yourself and I fully recommend anyone who is physically capable does it at least once in their life.

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

There is a legend that underneath the abandoned Rapid Bay Jetty lurks a being from beyond this world. Those who have seen it have only done it from a distance for a fleeting moment. Is there any truth in this legend? Recently divers allegedly left cameras to find out...

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

Swim With The Tuna Port Lincoln

Swimming with tuna or in my case freediving with tuna, in large numbers is not something one gets to do every day, particularly in large numbers, so the opportunity to do this in an enclosed area whilst visiting the town of Port Lincoln on the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia was something I had to do.

There are plenty of in water attractions in Port Lincoln. One of them is appropriately called 'Swim With The Tuna' and enables you to do just that. It has been built in the same type of netted aquatic farm structures as are used throughout the Blue Fin Tuna industry in the region. It's a first rate experience, with some of the staff having significant prior experience in the Blue Fin Tuna Industry itself. It's also very reasonably priced for an adventure that lasts 3 hours. It starts with a 15 minute boat ride in a luxury catamaran out to a world class Tuna Pontoon, then put on wetsuit, mask and snorkel and in the water you go, surrounded by fish.

There are two enclosures you can swim in (one smaller one within the other) so you can experience not only the excitement of swimming amongst large blue fin tuna themselves (one of the 10 fastest species of fish in the ocean), but also a host of other aquatic life that you will find in the smaller enclosure which is equally interesting. There are also some shallow pools that you can observe and in some cases touch marine life and underwater viewing. Not content to just snorkel, I wanted a 3 dimensional experience that I could immerse myself in so as I am a qualified freediver I asked if I could freedive in the enclosures. This isn't always possible with large fins when the company has lots of customers but as there were only a handfull that day and there was plenty of room, the friendly staff obliged on this particular occasion. Whether you get to swim with the tuna on the surface or like me freedive with the tuna too, it's an exciting experience and I highly recommend it. You will also learn much about the tuna farming industry and may get to see some other aquatic life on your trip to and from the pontoon, in particular seals and whales. So for anyone passing through the area with half a day to spare, you don't need much in the way of experience, as long as you are comfortable in the water. Feel free to contact 'Swim With The Tuna' for further information.

For more information on the Swim with the Tuna Experience check out:

http://www.swimwiththetuna.com.au

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

Mount Remarkable is a well known peak in the Southern Flinders Ranges in South Australia. It is approximately 3 hours from Adelaide and at 995 metres above sea level is the highest peak in that particular part of the range which is collectively known as Mount Remarkable National Park. There are a number of popular hikes in the area but the summit hike is one of the favourites. It can be accessed from the eastern side starting from the small township of Melrose at the War Memorial Monument. From there it's a round trip of 12.2 kilometres to the summit and back. Great views of the Wilochra Plain can be seen during the hike.

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

We have also uploaded a version of this video to our other channel 'Oz in Pictures' as that channel features many picturesque Australian locations.

Gouldens Sinkhole (also known as Gouldens Waterhole) is a well known cavern rated site in Mount Gambier is frequently used for training for divers wishing to gain Cave Diving Association of Australia (CDAA) accreditation. It is an interesting site that divers can explore properly within a couple of dives but often choose to return to when fine tuning their skills. Full of numerous objects to secure guideline too and easy to silt out.

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

Whilst I was getting footage for my 'Freshwater Freediving' Video, I had the misfortune to accidentally hit my head on a rocky outcrop that protruded from the side of the dive site. As a result we had to cut short our videoing and visit the local hospital so I could get stitched up! I actually was recording at the time and from the angle of the camera pointing upwards, it showed what happened (although I didn't see it with the mask I was wearing at the time - I actually avoided one rocky outcrop but in the process hit my head on the one coming out from the other side). I left this footage out of the original video but months later decided that I would put a short video together featuring that particular dive.

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

In 2014 we went through a period where we weren't exactly inundated with good weather for diving in South Australia. Nevertheless it was good enough for me to do a series of shots in order to critique my technique and trim as I tested out my new Gollum Gear Armadillo Sidemount Harness. I did a series of tests using the harness under the old Rapid Bay Jetty and decided that despite the poor visibility I would edit the footage together and make a proper video out of it. It was my third using a sidemount system and the exploratory potential of using this configuration was already becoming apparent.

For Endurance Swimmer articles and other information go to http://www.enduranceswimmeraustralia.com

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Created 5 years, 7 months ago.

37 videos

Category Sports & Fitness

The name of the channel speaks to my background as a distance open water swimmer and recently we've started a project that will look at this demanding sport in more detail as I build up to some solo open water swimming challenges. Stay tuned for that.

Up until recently however, the videos have featured other aquatic activities that some of us regularly participate in. As you may have guessed cave diving is one of my favourites. It is without a doubt one of the most dangerous and yet exciting adventure sports in existence, with dramatic underwater topography, physical challenges and a vast degree of risk management involved. Also featured heavily is freediving which involves a challenge unique to most sports. We occasionally feature great hikes and spectacular places visited in our travels around the world but particularly Australia.

Life is a 'Journey in Progress' - where will this journey take those of us?.... I have no idea but I invite you to come along.