Bondi Penguins

A cheeky impromptu, off-season penguins special today 🐧

There may be more of these over the winter if the weather is looking good. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled in our whatsapp group (link in bio) to be in the know 😉

We’ll be back in October(ish), but in the meantime…


ocean.surf.swim_squad

Penguins, meet Grace Roland-Bell, a rare over-the-bridge Penguin who makes the trek from Chatswood for her ins-and-outs.

Where are you from?
Muswellbrook (a small mining town in the Hunter valley)

Single/Committed/Other?
Married with 3 children under 6yrs 🤯

Where do you live?
Don’t tell anyone but I moved from the Eastern suburbs to Chatswood last year

Describe yourself in one sentence:
Perpetually tired, unexpectedly optimistic, and always up for a cold-water swim at an unreasonable hour

Random/unexpected fact about yourself?
Once talked my way into a ski instructor job before I actually knew how to ski. It worked out

How did you get into ocean swimming?
My sister moved to Bondi and spent six months raving about sunrise ocean swims. Eventually the FOMO won. One terrified, barely-slept morning later and I was hooked

What keeps you coming?
Honestly? A bit of everything - the sunrise, the community, the coffee, and the quiet satisfaction of casually mentioning my 6am ocean swim at work

The coffee topic guaranteed to get you talking?
Travel stories - the wilder the better. I’ve got a few from South America that should probably stay there…

That’s a wrap! See you in October Penguins 🐧✌🏻

Penguins, meet Tam Al-Saad. Another Bondi local (via Iraq, Bulgaria and London), Tam has been a Penguin for two years. He loves it so much that he’s joined the committee and will be doing lots of social things next year (media, parties, connections)

Describe yourself in one sentence:

A fun and friendly face who’s always up for meeting new people and trying new things.

Random/unexpected fact about yourself?

I am Sydney’s taco eating record holder 🌮 (16 in 15 minutes)

How did you get into ocean swimming?

My friend Sarah pestered me to come for about a year when I moved to Bondi. Now I swim (or at least dip) every day.

What keeps you coming?

From a swim/exercise perspective: the conditions are always different so it’s a unique experience every week.

From a social perspective: catching up with friends and meeting new people is a great way to start the day.

The coffee topic guaranteed to get you talking?

Anything food related. Something you ate recently, something you wanna eat, something you ate a long time ago, something you made, something you saw. Expensive fine dining or cheap and dirty — plus everything in between. I like food.

Arrivederciiiiiiiiii Courtney! After many years of Penguins, Court is moving to Rome to do kick-ass things like an MBA and casual weekends away to the Amalfi Coast. Thank you Court for the many hours you have spent leading Penguins for us, you will be missed (and please don’t stay away too long!). Tomorrow is Courtney’s last Penguins before the big move, come and say ciao! ✈️🐧👋🏻