Meet the Weedy Seadragons

Join two friends - the Blue Room's Sabra Lane and Julia Mansour - on the road as they put an EV through its long-distance paces, see Olivia Dean live and dive into some wonderful ocean swims – making new friends and memories along the way. The dynamic duo is also part of history - taking the last Geelong to Devonport journey for one of the old Spirit of Tasmania Ferries before it's retired from service.Features:The Blue Room's Sabra LaneThe Blue Room co-founder Julia Mansour.Extra info about places we ate at and loved: *Born and Bread Bakehouse - Geelonghttps://www.bornandbreadbakehouse.com.au/Jane Doe - Warnamboolhttps://www.janedough.com.au/index.php?route=common/homeFord Street Enoteca - Beechworth, Victoria.https://www.fordstreetenoteca.com.au/Café en la Loma - Beechworth, Victoria.https://www.instagram.com/cafeenlaloma?obrf=eG5ncWFqZ2JpOGdzThe Boat Shed - Gippslandhttps://www.boatshedfoodwine.com.au/Musical - Dangerous When Wethttps://dangerouswhenwet.com.au/* We paid for our own meals at these places. Themes:Open water swimming, friendship, fun, Olivia Dean, EV, electric vehicle charging, Sydney, Warnambool, Indented Head, Wollgongong, Austinmer, The Blue Pool, Merimbula, Picnic Point, Bittangabee Bay, East Gippsland, swimming adventures, seals, whales, yummy food, Born and Bread, Enoteca, Café en la Loma, The Boat Shed, Dangerous when Wet the musical,

A dinner-table discussion with the inspiring Early Morning Swimmers of Horseshoe Bay, at Pt Elliot in South Australia.The group started swimming more than 30 years ago.Features:Kim Griffin, Janis Haynes, Karl-Heinz Töpfer or KH, Liz"Biddy" Robinson, Corrie Klomp, Mary Izzo, Carol Clarke, Paul Sabel and the Blue Room's Sabra Lane.Themes:Open water swimming, swimming for fitness, swimming for mental health, ocean swimming, Horseshoe Bay, South Australia, Algal bloom, inspiration, courage, companionship, friendship, ageing well. 

The Horseshoe Bay Early Morning Swimmers have been swimming at Pt Elliot in South Australia, for more than 30 years. The group swims every day, all year around. In recent years, the tribe has grown with younger members from around the region. One member in particular has become known as a 'dolphin whisperer' and even during The Blue Room's visit to talk with the pod, the dolphins turned up to surprise with acrobatics. The Blue Room's Sabra Lane joins the tribe for a swim (or two) and some long conversations about swimming, friendship, courage, good health and dolphins.Features:The Blue Room's Sabra Lane, Reenie Lee, Amy Mitchell, Lee Kleinig, Heather Randall, Kristy Plug, Aparna Picot, Luca Odinsman, Chantelle and Honour - plus a family of dolphins.Themes:open water swimming, ocean swimming, cold water swimming, mental health, health benefits of swimming, swimming groups, inspiration, courage, nature, dolphins, Pt Elliot, Horseshoe Bay, confidence in the ocean, Extra information:"Dawn Swimmers" - by USTHEM1984https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4kI-hcAh2o

Meet the inspiring group of women who swim in the Yarra/Birrarung River. It’s a group held together through friendship, pursuing good health and a love of nature. This dipping pod started during Melbourne’s lockdowns. The Blue Room's Sabra Lane joins the Yabbies for swim and chat about their swimming group, how it started and what inspires them.Features:Meg Elkins/Yarra YabbieCarrie Thomas/Yarra YabbieHolly Jones-Amin/Yarra YabbieSabra Lane / The Blue RoomThemes:open water swimming, cold water swimming, Yarra/Birrarung River, Swimmable Cities, Melbourne, swimming adventures, swimming friendships, swimming experiences, adventure, fun, COVID lockdowns.

The Glenorchy Memorial Pool closed three years ago, when the council ruled it was too dangerous. But the community fought back, launching a campaign to save it.The pool reopens on October 3, 2026 - after a $6.5m refurbishment. The Blue Room joined some community members for a 'soft' opening and a chat about what this pool means, and the value of communities fighting for what they want.Features:Anne Henderson/First Tasmanian to swim the English Channel.Helen Conway/Honouree, Australian Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.Jan Bryan/Keep Glenorchy Pool campaigner.Emma Fletcher/Weedy Seadragon swimmer.Jodie Harrison and Jodie / locals and swim teachers.Sue Hickey/Glenorchy Mayor.The Blue Room's Sabra Lane and Julia Mansour.Additional Information:"Here comes the Sun" - Community Swimming event, Kingston Beach - 8.30am - Sunday October 4, 2026.Themes:community pools, Olympic Pools, Memorial Pools, Glenorchy Council, swimming for fun, swimming for companionship, swimming for fitness, community campaigns for pools, Chris Wedd swimming coach, marathon swimming, training, swimming teachers, Pankind swim, 'Here comes the Sun" community swim,

The Weedy Seadragons swim at Kingston Beach, south of Hobart every Saturday. In summer, some members swim from Kingston Beach to Blackmans Bay and back - about five kilometres. Harold Gatenby is one of the founders of the group, and he sat down with the Blue Room's Sabra Lane for a chat about the group, and about the addiction that is ocean swimming.Features:Harold Gatenby, founder of the Weedy Seadragons.Sabra Lane - the Blue Room host.Themes:ocean swimming, open water swimming, cold water swimming, swimming for fun and companionship, mental health, community, connection, friendship, Kingston Beach, Tasmania, adenture swims, Devil of a Swim, Bicheno, Shane Gould, confidence in swimming.

This is family. Meet the Weedy Seadragons of Kingston Beach, where swimmers become buddies, form life-long friendships and many feel this tribe is family.The Blue Room speaks with some of the Weedy Seadragons to find out how they got into swimming, how they discovered the Weedys - and what this group means. This Tasmanian tribe is special too for the Blue Room host Sabra Lane, as it's her regular Saturday morning swim group.Interviews:Weedy Seadragon members - Andy, Grainne, Anita, Rachel, Simon, Sandra, Kylie, Tamara, Rhona and a special guest appearance by Elle. More information:https://theblueroom.au/swim-groups/weedy-seadragons-ocean-swimming-group/

The Blue Room's Sabra Lane joins artist & swimmer Catherine Stringer in her studio for a chat about her art and swimming. An exhibition of Catherine's work is about to open - it's called Below and Beyond. Catherine is now 71 years old, she started swimming with tribes seven years ago - and started her working life as a doctor. Water is a big part of her art - we talk about that and being in the Blue Room.Features:Catherine Stringer - swimmer and artistSabra Lane - TheBlueRoom.auMore Information:Catherine Stringer's website:https://www.catherinestringer.com.au/The Social Gallery at Salamanca Arts Centre:https://www.sac.org.au/events/below-beyond/Podcast themes:swimming, tribes, swim groups, inspiration, mental wellbeing, art, seaweed paper, diving, underwater, kelp, giant kelp, seaweed, Tasmania, Indonesia, King Island, the Neva, courage, fitness, physical wellbeing, University, study.

Dr Vanessa Pirotta spends a lot of her time in The Blue Room, or what she calls our Blue Backyard. As a kid all she wanted to do was to become a dolphin trainer - she's now a whale scientist and become a regular contributor in the media, explaining science. Vanessa talks with the Blue Room's Sabra Lane about her fascination with the ocean, whales and science. We also discuss the approaching 70th meeting of the International Whaling Commission - and what YOU can do to help protect whales.Features:Dr Vanessa PirottaSabra Lane, The Blue Room.Extra Resources:Dr Pirotta's website: https://www.vanessapirotta.com/Instagram: @drvanessapirotta"Humpback Highway" - Dr Vanessa Pirotta:https://unsw.press/books/humpback-highway/Themes:The Blue Room, the Blue Backyard, oceans, whales, dolphins, killer whales, Orcas, research, science, STEM, swimming, snorkeling, diving, university degrees, courage, adversity, "Humpback Highway", Tonga, Humpback whales, dolphin trainer, Rosa Pirotta, women in science, whale snot, drones, krill, International Whaling Commission, krill supplements, keystone species.

The Blue Room's Sabra Lane interviews marathon swimmer Joanne Norman on becoming the first Australian woman to complete the Oceans Seven Challenge. What makes Joanne's story truly remarkable is that she was bitten by a Cookiecutter shark on her first attempt at the Molokaʻi channel. She recovered and successfully swam it a year after the attack. What makes her tick, why did she start marathon swimming - and Jo reveals she swims with her eyes closed - all of the time.Features:Joanne Norman, Marathon Swimmer.Sabra Lane, The Blue Room - theblueroom.auJoanne Norman on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/jo_norman_swims/Themes:Courage, open water swimming, marathon swimming, Oceans Seven Challenge, inspiration, inspiring swims, surviving a shark attack, cookiecutter shark, English Channel, Catalina Channel, Strait of Gibraltar, North Channel, Kaiwi Channel, Cook Strait, Tsugaru Strait, Dubai, Abu Dhabi. Film, "Don't be Prey", Mark Sowerby, Rob Woodhouse.