Best Swimming Openwater Pool Podcasts (2025)

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E41 - Safeswim - a users guide for Open Water Swimmers. 1:03:37

3d ago1:03:37

1:03:37

Send us a text Today we’re diving into a fantastic tool designed to help everyday Kiwis enjoy our beautiful beaches more safely - Safeswim. Safeswim has had some bad press within the Open Water Swimming Community, but when you remember that it was built for the general public — families, casual swimmers, and anyone heading to the beach — giving cle…

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E40 - Neil Agius - Longest unassisted, current neutral ocean swim EVER. 1:00:06

18d ago1:00:06

1:00:06

Send us a text Today we dive deep into the mind of an extraordinary human pushing the limits of what’s possible. Our guest is not just swimming in uncharted waters — he’s owning them. From the sun-soaked shores of Malta to the icy depths of world records, Neil Agius has redefined what it means to go the distance. A former Olympian turned ultra-endu…

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E39 - Jan Steenkamp - Bigger, Better Jan! 1:01:04

1M ago1:01:04

1:01:04

Send us a text Welcome to the Clever Dicks Swim Podcast, where we dive into the stories of passionate open water swimmers who push the limits of endurance and determination. Today, we’re talking to Jan Steenkamp, an inspiring swimmer based in Auckland. Jan’s journey in the water began in high school, but it was eight years ago when he decided to ge…

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E38 - Jono Ridler - 99km and a washing machine! 1:16:05

2M ago1:16:05

1:16:05

Send us a text In this episode, we dive into the swim journey of ultra-marathon swimmer Jono Ridler, whose relentless determination took him from a debilitating shoulder injury to one of the most awe-inspiring endurance feats in New Zealand’s waters—his 99km, 33-hour swim from Great Barrier Island to Takapuna. Jono shares the mental and physical ba…

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E37 - Nick Edwards - Cook Strait charity swim for Ovarian Cancer! Please donate. 1:01

2M ago1:01

1:01

Send us a text Today, we’re a little late in flying the flag in support of Nick Edwards, who made a gallant effort for 13 hours swimming across this massive stretch of water called the Cook Strait, battling fierce currents, icy temps, and unpredictable conditions. Unfortunately the ocean was not working with Nick today and the cold and huge current…

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E36 - Milton Brest - Neoprene, Eskimo's, testosterone and a swim from Panama to Colombia! 57:31

2M ago57:31

57:31

Send us a text Milton Brest is not just a businessman from Johannesburg—he’s a force of nature. A former karate athlete, he has taken on some of the world’s most extreme open-water challenges, from braving the icy waters of the Bering Strait to swimming the treacherous currents around Alcatraz and Robben Island, meeting Eskimo's and swimming at the…

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E35 - Corrina Connor - The Swimming Librarian. 58:40

3M ago58:40

58:40

Send us a text Episode 35 sees the Clever Dicks chat with a true force in the world of open water swimming, Wellington’s very own Corrina Connor. She’s conquered the relentless currents of Foveaux Strait, battled the unpredictable Cook Strait, and taken on the vast, stunning Lake Taupō - completing New Zealand’s prestigious Triple Crown of Swimming…

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E34 - Mary Fisher - Swimming into the Dark! 53:25

3M ago53:25

53:25

Send us a text Welcome to Clever Dicks, where we dive into the stories of extraordinary athletes who have redefined their sports and inspired the world. Today, we spotlight Mary Fisher, one of New Zealand’s most decorated Paralympic swimmers. Born with a visual impairment, Mary didn’t just overcome obstacles—she shattered records. A Paralympic gold…

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E33 - Alex Dunkley - Open Water Guru in need of a haircut. 56:18

4M ago56:18

56:18

Send us a text Today, we're thrilled to introduce a guest who’s taking the open water swimming scene by storm: Alex Dunkley. Alex is a young swimmer from Auckland starting out on his open water journey and learning some of the tricks of the trade. Recently back from a swim camp in Australia, although dominant in New Zealand, Alex now knows he have …

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E32 - Amy Appelhans Gubser - all the way from San Francisco. 39:56

4M ago39:56

39:56

Send us a text Amy is the first person to swim the 29.7 miles or 48km's from San Francisco to the Farallon Island, dodging the sharks and the cold. She chats about balancing shift work as a pediatric nurse and her training, being a granny, and some of her other swims including swimming around Manhattan Island, Gibraltar Strait, North Channel and th…

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E31 - Duncan Kukard, our very own Clever Dick support swimmer. 42:33

4M ago42:33

42:33

Send us a text In this episode, Jim interviews Duncan! As some of our listeners may know Duncan swims with an intellectually handicapped young Fijian swimmer, Shazeel. Duncan and Shazeel recently swam 20 km around Rangitoto island in the Hauraki coast, right next to Auckland. We talk about what it means to be a support swimmer and how Shazeel's mum…

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E30 - Cameron Stanley - pool swimming, marathon swimming and traffic management. 49:49

5M ago49:49

49:49

Send us a text In this episode, Duncan & Jim chat with Cameron Stanley, an ex-national swimmer and all-around great guy. Cameron's impressive swimming career saw him represent New Zealand and hold a national backstroke record, showcasing his talent in the pool. Never one to shy away from a challenge, he also set a world record for the ice 100m IM, …

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E29 - Laura Quilter - competitive swimmer and online coach 59:48

5M ago59:48

59:48

Send us a text In this episode Duncan & Jim talk to Laura Quilter Laura is a competitive swimmer who has represented New Zealand at the commonwealth games and at world championships. She also represented New Zealand at surf lifesaving and was surf lifesaving sportswoman of the year in 2013. We met Laura in Alexandra where she came down to try and s…

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E28 - Dan Abel - getting people swimming safely - and so much more 1:01:35

6M ago1:01:35

1:01:35

Send us a text In this episode Duncan & Jim talk to Dan Abel. Dan is a Christchurch based swimmer who runs a swim consultancy. And we cover what that means, teaching & coaching swimming, organising events/safaris and advocating for swimming where ever he can. The talk was wide ranging covering his swimming career, his views on what is happening wit…

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E27 - Colin S MacLeod - doing swim camping in Scotland 41:21

6M ago41:21

41:21

Send us a text In this episode Duncan & Jim talk to Colin McLeod. Colin lives in the outer Hebrides which is part of Scotland. He has done some amazing swims, even though the water there must be quite cold (he happily uses a wetsuit). Many of his swims are for charity, he has supported quite a few in his time. Currently he is attempting to swim the…

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E26 - Sheryl McLay, a previous competitive marathon swimmer, event organiser, but still a swim coach 52:46

7M ago52:46

52:46

Send us a text In this episode Duncan & Jim talk to Sheryl McLay. Sheryl used to be a competitive marathon swimmer and has swum many of the great marathon swim, Cook Strait, English channel & Taupo. After stopping to swim competitively Sheryl carried on coaching swimmers and organising swim events. We talk about how Covid made it too hard to contin…

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E25 - Ben Clavel - a wonderful swim story from the other side of the ditch (Aussie!) 55:22

7M ago55:22

55:22

Send us a text In this episode Duncan & Jim talk to Ben Clavel. We met Ben when he came over to New Zealand from Australia to swim at our Ice Swimming pool championships. Ben hasn't been swimming for long, but already has achived more than many others. He got started as a means to support his kids who were into swimming, and then got going in his o…

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E24 - Brent Bythell , a disabled swimmer who swims in the ice and also holds a world record for freediving 49:13

7M ago49:13

49:13

Send us a text In this episode Duncan & Jim talk to Brent Bythell. Brent is a disbled swimmer from the top of the south island of New Zealand. We first met Brent at the St Bathans openwater ice swimming event in 2023, and later at Alexandra ice pool champs in 2024. We talk to him about why he started cold water immersion and the road to ice swimmin…

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E23 - Peter Plavec all about Ice swimming in Europe 44:51

8M ago44:51

44:51

Send us a text In this episore Duncan & Jim talk to Peter Plavec. Peter has done numerous ice swims with a number of ice kilometers and an ice mile. He gives us lots of nuggets about how he approaches cold water swimming and we talk about what it is like in Europe. He is very active on Instragram so if you would like to see what he is up to, here's…

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E22 - Ruthy - passionate swimming, spanish style 1:00:19

8M ago1:00:19

1:00:19

Send us a text In this episode Duncan & Jim speak to Ruth. Ruth grew up in Spain, then spent some time in Chile before settling in New Zealand. Ruthy (as most peope refer to her as) loves the pool, but took up openwater swimming in NZ with the Kohi Kippers. Ruthy has swum Lake Taupo and the Apolima Strait, both big swims with their own challenges. …

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E21 - Ram Barkai - the founder of Ice Swimming International 59:27

9M ago59:27

59:27

Send us a text In this episode Duncan & Jim talk to Ram Barkai. Many people will know of Ram as the founder of the International Ice Swimming Association (IISA), but there's more to Ram than that. Before founding IISA he had done numeraous adventure swims, including a massive swim along the Orange river in South Africa over 4 years. He organised 'f…

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E20 - Ice swimming, is it as crazy as it sounds? 31:07

9M ago31:07

31:07

Send us a text The New Zealand Ice swimming pool championships occured from 9 - 13 July 2024. Duncan & Jim were there (and did some swimming) and got to speak to a number of swimmers there. We talked about our swoms, why we do cold swimming and asked others why they swim in cold water. An interesting group of people and interesting answers. If you …

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E19 - Bree - the bubbly ice & marathon swimmer 56:20

10M ago56:20

56:20

Send us a text In this episode we talk to Bree while we were at the NZ Ice Swimming Championships. Bree is a lovely, bubbly young womanwho was quite happy to challenge some older male clever dicks! We got to speak about her swimming story and some of her other life experiences, including living in the arctic for a year. Bree has done ice swimming a…

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E18 - Francois. The Big Swim and also swimming with a disability 59:49

10M ago59:49

59:49

Send us a text In this episode Duncan & Jim talk to Francois Lambrechts. We talk about Francois about his start to swimming in Queenstown in a borrowed wetsuit, but ended up swimming in skins in Dunedin. Impressive as the water can get below 10C in Dunedin. Francois has a rare disease call Charcot Marie Tooth syndrom which affects his electrical sy…

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E17 - Wirimu Campbell - how a good looking Maori got into swimming 49:43

11M ago49:43

49:43

Send us a text In this episode Duncan & Jim talk to Woodie Campbell, or as we found out to Wirimu Campbell. Wiri/Woodie only started a few years ago when people at his gym convinced him to join in the swim squad. Before that he was doing his version of a triathalon, 10 min each in the Sauna, the steam room & the spa pool! Not long after starting to…

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E16 - Jeannine Goddard - a swimmer like the rest of us, but who does amazing swims 48:35

11M ago48:35

48:35

Send us a text In this episode Duncan & Jim interview Jeannine Goddard. Jeannine learned to swim in Zimbabwe where she grew up and has carried on swimming since then. We talk about getting into ocean swims as well as her grit & determination in achieving more & more goals. Recently she completed an ICE MILE at her first attempt and gives a great ac…

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E15 - Andy Donaldson - fastest ever swimmer of the Cook Strait and oceans 7 in under a year 1:00:25

12M ago1:00:25

1:00:25

Send us a text In this episode Duncan & Jim talk to Andy Donaldson. Andy has achieved what no other swimmer has done before, he completed the Oceans 7 swims within a year. And set the world record for crossing the Cook Strait taking only 4hours 33 minutes, that is seriously fast. But we talked about much more than swimming, his support of mental he…

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E14 - Cameron Bellamy - world record holder with a swim of over 151 km 41:26

12M ago41:26

41:26

Send us a text In this episode Duncan & Jim talk to Cameron Bellamy. Cameron is an extreme athlete by any standard. He has swum 100km around Barbados and from Barbados to St Lucia, a swim of over 151 km in 56 hours. And this is just his swimming, his rowing exploits as just as fantastic. We talked about swimming in the hot waters of the carribean, …

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E13 - Phil Rush - a professional swimmer now helping others achieve their goals 55:31

1y ago55:31

55:31

Send us a text In this captivating podcast episode, Duncan and Jim sit down with Phillip Rush, a remarkable New Zealand swimmer. Phillip’s aquatic journey is nothing short of extraordinary. Let’s dive into the highlights of his life: Background and Achievements: His claim to fame lies in conquering the English Channel in both two and three-way swim…

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E12 - Shamima, a mum of a disabled swimmer and what swimming means to her family 47:19

1y ago47:19

47:19

Send us a text In this episode we (well mainly Duncan) talk to Shamima. Shamima is the mother of Shazeel, a swimmer with autism and reduced mental capacity. We hear what water means to Shazeel and how it has always calmed him down, and the challenges of teaching him how to swim. Shazeel & Duncan have swum together for 4 years now, training swims, s…

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E11 - Ryan Stramrood - Push past impossible with this inspirational swimmer from South Africa 57:45

1y ago57:45

57:45

Send us a text In this episode Duncan & Jim talk to Ryan Stramrood from his home in South Africa. Ryan has done some amazing swimming in cold water. He has swum in the Arctic and the Antarctic as well as doing 140 Robben Island crossings. Robben Island was famously where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for many years. Ryan has written a book called…

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E10 - James - what it takes to look after swimmers 51:15

1y ago51:15

51:15

Send us a text In this episode Duncan & Jim talk to James Hanson-Chong. James is the Special Operations Manager for Event safety New Zealand and has been looking after swimmers in events large & small for years now. We cover a number of areas: Safety - equipment, skills, information sources, what to look for and even what happens when sharks are ar…

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E9 - Sue & Leigh Sherwin - the super swimming granny 54:23

1y ago54:23

54:23

Send us a text In this episode Duncan & Jim talk to Sue & Leigh Sherwin, just after Sue had swum 15km in Lake Taupo. We talk about her early swimming career, and then picking it up later in life, swimming the length of Taupo, the Cook strait and the Foveaux strait to complete the New Zealand triple crown. Sue has also got involved in Ice swimming. …

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E8 Swim characters - people you meet while swimming 25:04

1y ago25:04

25:04

Send us a text In this episone Duncan & Jim talk about the various swim characters that (probably) exist in all swim groups. Are you a organiser, a navigator, slow coach or a fast follower? How does people in your swim group get into cool/cold water, do you have 'soldiers', and maybe the occasional dinosaur?…

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E7 - Caitlin O'Reilly. A world leading ultramarathon swimmer at 19 years old 51:12

1+ y ago51:12

51:12

Send us a text In this episode Duncan & Jim were lucky to get this interview with Caitlin. Caitlin is a shy athlete but we got to hear about some of her amazing swims and her intentions for the future. Caitlin swam the Cook straight when she was 12 years old and went on to complete the New Zealand triple crown. Since then she has successfully compl…

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E6 - Tow floats. A good piece of swim equipment, or a waste of money? 32:43

1+ y ago32:43

32:43

Send us a text In this episode Duncan & Jim discuss tow floats, those little bright coloured floats that ocean swimmers sometimes use. We discuss what they are and why people use them. We talk about different uses, visibility, carrying things and the types of tow float. We also talk about the downsides & why some swimmers don't use them.…

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E5 - Jacques de Reuck 47:42

1+ y ago47:42

47:42

Send us a text In this episode Duncan & Jim talk to Jacques de Reuck. Jacques has been involved in water activities his whole adult life, sailing internationally, free diving & swimming. We talked about many aspects of his life including some of his amazing swim stories showing us that getting older does not need to slow you down. We finish with th…

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E4 - Brian Gray 47:19

1+ y ago47:19

47:19

Send us a text In this episode Jim & Duncan talk to Brian Gray. Brian has done some epic swims, including a 55km trip around Waiheke island in the Hauraki gulf close to Auckland, New Zealand. We cover a number of areas including: his moustache; his big swims; his approach to training as well as feeding/nutrition and swimming for charity. If you wan…

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E3 - Wetsuits v Skins 34:36

1+ y ago34:36

34:36

Send us a text In this episode Duncan & Jim discuss the pros & cons of swimming in wetsuits v swimming without, just in togs (swimming costume). They also talk about swimming aids, a wetsuit is an aid, so why can't swimmers use paddles or other aids in races where some swimmers are in wetsuits.By Jim & Duncan

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E2 - Roger Soulsby 42:08

1+ y ago42:08

42:08

Send us a text In this, the Clever Dicks first interview, we (Duncan & Jim) talk to Roger Soulsby. Roger is well known in the Auckland openwater swimming community and has a heap of experiences to share with the audience. We talk about his start to swimming and why he keeps on swimming at 77 years of age. We cover his involvement in Ice swimming, t…

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E1 - Is swimming an elite sport or activity 29:39

1+ y ago29:39

29:39

Send us a text In this episode Duncan & Jim discuss whether swimming is too expensive and only available to richer people. Swimming pool access is not great in some parts of the world, and where it is available is not a cheap thing.By Jim & Duncan