Best Australian Swimming Holidays– for swimmers of all levels
Are you a sea swimmer? Do you love a salty dip? Have you heard about the swimming holidays that can be done throughout Australia? The good news is that you do not need to be a champion swimmer to enjoy an Aussie swimming holiday. You just need to be keen.
So, what is a swimming holiday? Doesn’t everyone swim on holiday?
Many people do swim on holiday, but an actual swimming holiday is a different aquatic beast altogether. On a swimming holiday, you are guided by experts who take their swimmers to the best local areas, often by boat. Your swimming holiday company will ensure your safety and usually manages accommodation and meals as well as the swimming part of the trip.
Most holidays will offer at least two guided swims each day, each between 1km – 2km in length, however guests are generally able to swim as far as they choose to, rejoining the boat if they tire earlier than the other swimmers.
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Heron Island with Ocean Swim Safaris
Founded in 2002 by Paul Ellercamp and Suanne Hunt, Ocean Swim Safaris is now run by the worldwide swimming company SwimTrek which is based in the UK. However, it retains its Aussie flavour and runs all the swims that were pioneered by the founders. Most OSS trips are overseas: Sulawesi, Philippines, Palau and Tonga feature.
In Australia, OSS runs swimming trips to Heron Island several times a year. Heron Island is a coral cay off the Queensland coast and accessed by boat or helicopter from Gladstone. Two guided swims a day take place along the coral reef which spreads out around the resort island. The exact locations depends upon wind and tide, decided by the skipper of the boat that takes the swimmers out.
Early morning swims from the beach are also a feature though these are generally not guided. When I went on a Heron Island swim holiday, I loved swimming out to see the shipwreck with its profusion of fish and rays. The reefs swims were wonderful too, who doesn’t love seeing large turtles drifting by, or the darting silhouette of a black-tipped reef shark?
Swimmers at Heron Island will see the full range of coral reef marine life, with plenty of turtles, rays and reef sharks seen on most swims. The distances are generally 1 – 2km per swim.
Check out the Ocean Swim Safaris website here.
Swimwild Escape – Great Keppel Island and W.A/N.T.
Long distance swimmer Simone Blaser runs Swimwild Escape from her base in Perth, WA. Simone’s swimming retreats vary from three to five nights, with locations including Rottnest Island, Denmark, The Kimberley, Darwin Margaret River, Augusta, Lake Argyle and Great Keppel Island in Queensland.
Although the swimming retreats are adventurous, Simone is keen to cater for all levels of swimmers, with the ability to choose your distance on every swim being a feature.
Find the Swimwild Escape website here.
Swim The Whitsundays with Oceanfit
Oceanfit has been running swim holidays since 2009 with the signature swimming holidays being Swim The Whitsundays, a five-day, four-night journey aboard the historic Solway Lass ship. The Whitsundays are known for blinding white beaches and clear waters, with coral reefs teeming with sea life. Each holiday is unique with the wind and weather helping set each day’s sailing and swimming locations. Hiking and snorkelling are available as well as the guided sea swims.
Find the Oceanfit website here.
Sydney Swim Tours
Oceanfit runs guided four-day swimming tours in Sydney with ocean and rock pools swims being included, as well as walking and other sightseeing options. A long course swimming tour is planned for Jervis Bay for serious swimmers who enjoy longer distances.
Find the Oceanfit website here.
Swimming weekends at Bondi and surrounds are also offered by Swim Tours Australia.
Swim Tours Australia website is here.
Queensland Island Swims with Swim Tours Australia
Ally Zillman runs Swim Tours Australia, offering several swimming holidays throughout the year to some spectacular islands off the Queensland coast:
K’gari Fraser Island
Lady Elliott Island
Moreton Island
Swimming weekends at Bondi and surrounds are also offered by Swim Tours Australia.
Swim Tours Australia website is here.
Swimming Women Swim Holidays W.A.
Swimming Women was founded by Charlotte O’Beirne in 2013 to run swimming training in Busselton and Margaret River. Branching out into swim holidays in 2017, the company now offers guided swimming holidays to Rottnest Island and to Sydney as well as swimming day trips at Margaret River.
Swimming Women website is here.
Lord Howe Island Ocean Swim Weeks
Run in February at Pinetrees Lodge, Ocean Swim Weeks book out fast. No wonder though as the pristine and wildlife-filled waters around Lord Howe Island are clear and stunning beautiful. And the rest of the island is not bad either.
Gold Coast Swimming Holiday
The UK-based company Swim Quest offers 7 day/6 nights swimming holidays at the Gold Coast. Both the ocean beaches and the waterfalls and pools of the Gold Coast Hinterland. Try surf lifesaving too, plus yoga to relax.
#iswimhappy Keppel Islands and Tasmania Swims
Twice Olympian for his native Latvia, Val Kalmikovs, runs the annual Swim Around Keppel challenge as well as warm water camps from Great Keppel Island and cold water camps and long distance swims in Tasmania. Check out the options on the website.
Swim Smooth 10-Day Training Camp, Perth
Improve your swimming at a 10-day swim training camp based at beautiful Cottesloe beach in Perth. There’s coaching, ocean swimming and video analysis on offer.
Swim Smooth is a coaching company with its own philiosophy of swim training, with a fcus on technique, trainings and open water skills.
Long Distance Swim Training
Three Australian companies offer swimming training for serious long distance swimmers
Long distance swimmers who are training for an event can find swim training camps offered by SwimWell.
Effortless Swimming offers long distance swim camps in the Whitsundays.
Vlad Swim offers cold water camps for marathon swimmers.
Hope that you have emjoyed this tour of all the best Australian swimming holidays currently on offer. Where would you like to go next?
P.S. My top tip: if you feel a bit nervous about going on a swimming holiday, just take your flippers and swim with those.
