The Blue Room

Tasmanian Rob Peart recently swam the English Channel. It is a remarkable feat. Rob started swimming as an adult and he admits, he struggled to swim 100 metres. But, this channel attempt almost failed right at the end, with Rob battling tides and time - though he was blissfully unaware, and curious about why everyone on his boat was screaming their lungs out for him to swim faster. In this episode...

Podcast creators Sabra Lane and Julia Mansour visit the Tasmanian north-west coastal town of Burnie and take a Sunday morning dip with the Burnie Sunrise ocean swim club. They're a creative, inspiring, courageous, brave and fun-loving ocean group who 'bobble' and swim. This tribe formed in early 2025, but already it's drawn a big, local following. Local GP, Dr Anastasiia Nikitina (Messieh), set th...

The Blue Room has traveled to Boat Harbour on the north-west coast of Tasmania for a weekend away. Podcast co-founders Sabra Lane and Julia Mansour head out for an early morning swim, to find themselves unexpectedly joined by a pod of curious dolphins. A local woman watched them from the shore and unexpectedly joined us in a swim de-brief, to explain what she saw and what makes this little village...

The Blue Room podcast founders Sabra Lane and Julia Mansour talk about how to prepare for swimming in cold water. They offer their tips, tricks and advice. For some, swimming in cold water is not just a winter pastime, it's something they do year-round. How to prepare, what to bring with you before and after you swim. Note: cold water swimming is not for everyone, as with other activities, there's...

Tasmanian Ivan Cunningham celebrates 1000 consecutive days of ocean swimming by holding a fundraiser for Pankind, Pancreatic Cancer Australia. Ivan's chosen that charity as his old coach and now dear friend, Chris Wedd, has pancreatic cancer. But it is a special occasion for Chris, he's also marking five years living with stage four pancreatic cancer, a rare feat. Features: Ivan Cunningham...

Ranya Alkadamani is a WOW and a member of the Bold and Beautiful Swim Squad at Manly, in Sydney. Ranya started swimming in 2019 and tells us how she got into the water and why she can't do without it or the WOWs - the Women of the Wall. These women were crucial in helping Ranya through some tough times after the birth of her first son. Ranya founded her own business, Impact Group International...

Rob Woodhouse is an Olympic champion winning bronze in the 400m Men's Individual Medley at the 1984 games. But he's also just conquered what he says was the 'hardest swim of his life'. Rob is Swimming Australia's CEO . He talks with the Blue Room about the Oceans Seven and discusses the very serious challenge of turning around the rate of drownings in Ausrtralia, what can be do...

This episode is about three Melbourne mates and one of the world’s toughest open-water swims. 36 kilometres of salt, sweat, and setbacks. Join us as we dive into the training, the incredible 'butterflies' and unexpected chaos—like the support boat that kept breaking down. This story is more than a marathon swim, it’s a tale of mateship, endurance, and the chase for a shared dream. Features: Profes...

Podcast co-founders Sabra Lane and Julia Mansour record this episode on a Turkish Gulet. Swim Guide Noah Canby takes the team on a special swim. We also hear from a fellow swimmer Cerian Mellor - who sometimes commutes by swimming on the Thames. In this episode: Sabra Lane and Julia Mansour. SwimTrek guide Noah Canby. Cerian Mellor The tow device Cerian uses while commuting on the Thames is the Ru...

The Blue Room is on tour in Southern Turkey with podcast co-founders Sabra Lane and Julia Mansour sharing their holiday and thoughts on what they see, the swims and the culture. They embark on a 5-day swimming holiday based around Kas, in the country's south (a trip booked and paid for well before they started making this podcast).

The Blue Room is taking a trip through Ireland and we visit the famous Blackrock Dive Tower at Salt Hill, Galway. Local Laura Browne coaxes Julia into jumping into the Atlantic from the famous tower, we also meet the "King of Blackrock" Paddy McNamara as he prepares for an evening of yowling, while dishing up strawberries and cream. The movie referenced in this chat is "The Young woman and the Sea...

The Devil of a Swim on the east coast of Tasmania. Features Olympic gold medallist Shane Gould, and swimmers in the 2025 event.

In this episode I talk with Olympic Gold Medallist, Dr Shane Gould. Why does she still love swimming, how did she gain her doctorate, 'floating' to survive and what would she do if she was Prime Minister for a day?

In this episode we join the annual TOSSA cup, in the Hobart beachside suburb of Taroona. Why do people swim, what do they think about are they part of a swimming pod or tribe? Includes; Stuart Tanner Julia Mansour Cate Andrews Joe Askey Doran