Kings of the Coast Media

Queensland Ocean Swim Series Launched: JUST BRING GOGGLES...

'Just bring goggles' is the tagline for this year's Queensland Ocean Swim Series and, in a cheeky bid to entice more swimmers from the training pool to the sea, organisers say you are welcome to take them literally!

With ocean swimming becoming increasingly popular in the sunshine state the annual series, now in its third year, is aimed squarely at the weekend warrior with a range of courses to suit all abilities.

The series features events at Tangalooma, Coolangatta and Caloundra and to highlight how easy it is to get involved, organisers Weekend Warrior Events, are offering a new "Goggles Only" category which is sure to be a talking point. Event Director, John Guise, is quick to assure that anyone up for the "Goggles Only" challenge won't be exposed to the rest of the field though with some well placed screening on event day.

"Just bring goggles, says it all "said Guise. You don't need an expensive bike or running shoes and this year you don't even need your swimmers!"

Keeping it Simple

Kings of the Coast - The finale of the Queensland Ocean Swim series

Ellie O'Gorman

Humans were not designed for water. Predominantly, they are land creatures.

On Sunday 29 May 2011, close to 300 humans lined up on the shores of Caloundra for Kings of the Coast - a 3.8km ironman distance swim and a 750m short course event. Pretty good feat for a bunch of people without gills, fins or flippers.

Ocean swimming is in a league of its own - there's no black line to follow, no wall to push off, and no chlorine to ensure the water is clear. Ocean swimming is such a pure sport - its beauty is in its simplicity and the majestic natural stadium that is the open water. Weekend Warrior Events have encapsulated this feeling of pure simplicity in the Queensland Ocean Swim Series. The finale of this series was Kings of the Coast, held at Kings Beach at Caloundra.

Caloundra is the perfect location for this event. It's a true blue Australian beach - only an hour north of Brisbane -- and boasts one of the most substantial and impressive headlands on the Sunshine Coast. The top of the cliffs provide dramatic views and provide the perfect lookout for surfers, swimmers, and fisherman to assess the conditions and determine where to enter the water, launch their board off the rocks, or drop a line. Naturally, John Guise and his team wanted to map an ocean swim course around this part of the coastline.

2010 Event Report - Monday May 30

The event presented a unique challenge for competitive swimmers and weekend warriors alike - a full 3.8km ironman distance swim from Moffat Beach to Kings Beach.

The late withdrawal of current Australian 5km & 10km open water champion, Trent Grimsey had ignited some fresh enthusiasm amongst the elite men and it was Brisbane swimmers Michael Sheil and Jackson Van Der Zant who took their opportunity racing to the lead early from Moffat Beach.