Swim Chats

Kaye Mueller is an ocean swimmer and a yoga instructor. She’s the owner of YogiFish, a company that takes people on yoga and swim retreats in beautiful locations such as Niue, Aitutaki, and Indonesia. She swims at Goat Island Marine Reserve in Leigh, Auckland, and is a vibrant, warm and inspiring person – and, as she would probably say, a salty soul. YogiFish website: yogifish.nz Goat Island Marin...

Breanna Ward is a marathon swimmer and ocean advocate from Wellington, Aotearoa NZ. She is a Triple Crown swimmer which means she has achieved three extremely challenging water crossings: Raukawa Moana / Cook Strait, Lake Taupō, and Te Ara a Kiwa / Foveaux Strait. Bre swims to raise awareness for ocean conservation, fundraises for marine education, and has a soft spot for sharks. She also runs loc...

Toy Saia'ana, a Kiwi of Samoan descent, first learned how to swim as an adult. For the past few years she has challenged herself to swim in many different environments (including in choppy seas, in the dark, through winter and without a wetsuit). She is constantly learning, exploring, and helping others. We also talk about swimming through grief and giving ourselves permission to pull back in orde...

In this episode Shona chats to Fifi Colston, a Wellington artist, World of Wearable Arts award winner, writer, children's book illustrator and costume maker who swims all year round at several of our local Wellington beaches. We talk about getting started, swimming in winter, a close encounter with orcas, and the mental health benefits of swimming. Visit Fifi's website Check out Fifi's Facebook pa...

Every swimmer has a story to tell. Writer and swimmer Shona Riddell chats to adventure swimmers, winter dippers, marathon swim coaches, marine conservationists and more to find out how they got started and the lessons they've learned along the way. Whether you’re a swimmer yourself, or just interested in stories about the sea and people expanding their comfort zones, you'll enjoy these swi...