It was a beautiful day on the Suncoast for the inaugural Suncoast Ocean Swim 19 held on Saturday 23rd March 2019.
Around 40 participants took part in four different distances (500m, 1km, 3km and 5km) on a stunning course looking out to Malake Island and the Nakauvadra ranges on the mainland.
The various distances provided something for everyone with some of the more serious swimmers testing themselves with the longer distances while social swimmers and those that hadn’t been in the ocean for a while stuck to the shorter distances!
Officials from Fiji Swimming, as well as local swim clubs Babale, Dolphin, Marlin Bluez and Orca supported the organizers from Tourism Suncoast
It provided perfect training for the Pacific Games ocean swim that will be one of the events in Apia in July 2019.
The winners of the 5km ocean swim at the weekend, Matelita Buadromo and Jeremiah Faktaufon, will need their times confirmed officially but stewards at the event unofficially shared that they had met the qualification standards required.
Volivoli’s “Ra Bar” on the beach provided the perfect relaxed setting for the event, as well as a great barbeque lunch and some post-swim hydration.
Participants and their supporters relaxed in hammocks, sun loungers and the ocean while awaiting the official results and prizes.
Prizes, donated by Tourism Suncoast members, included accommodation at Volivoli Beach Resort, Wananavu Resort, No Worries Bay and Tanoa Rakiraki, treks with Talanoa Treks and transfer vouchers for Pehicle Tours along with some merchandise courtesy of the Volivoli Boutique.
Event organizer Jodie Cunningham from No Worries Bay said ‘The Suncoast Ocean Swim 19 was a great day out for all our members, with strong competition, a wonderful and very safe course and relaxed vibe to the event on a whole.
Event organizer Jodie Cunningham continued ‘Suncoast Ocean Swim 19 was our first swimming event as Tourism Suncoast, with all members contributing their time, prizes and special rates for accommodation for the weekend and we’ve all been delighted by the support shown by members, partners and participants to make it a great day for everyone.
“We hope to build from here and hold the event at least annually and have already had interest expressed from a California Ocean Swimming club that are interested to join us in 2020. “
She finished by thanking all supporters and participants “We’d like to say a big vinaka vakalevu to the Fiji Swimming Association and all of the local swimming clubs and officials that supported the event and very much hope that they had a wonderful weekend on the Suncoast.”
“The Suncoast is a beautiful part of the country, only two hours from Suva and two hours from Nadi without much traffic. We’re already looking forward to the next one there!” shared Rowena Taito from the Babale Swim Club.