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.

Pop divas and sisters Vika and Linda Bull have just been inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, released a new album "Where do you come from", are currently on a national tour and have written a song for swimmers called "That's how I pray". The Blue Room host Sabra Lane interviews them both to talk about how the song came about, what swimming means to them and about their careers, life, Tongan heritage and how strongly they feel about community harmony. Features:Linda and Vika BullPodcast host Sabra LaneAdditional information:Vika and Linda's website including Gig dates:https://vikaandlinda.com.au/Their book:"No Bull" - Affirm Press, 2022.https://www.simonandschuster.com.au/books/No-Bull/Linda-Bull/9781922848260Themes:Singing, song writing, harmonies, ARIA Hall of Fame, swimming, open water swimming, ocean swimming, health, mental health, alcohol, absintence, Tonga, Tongan heritage, inspiration, Joe Camilleri, art, whales, Philip Island, ocean pools, Fitzroy Pool, Collingwood Pool, Doncaster Pool, sport. "No Bull".

Dr Heather Massey is a marathon swimmer. She's also a researcher at the University of Portsmouth’s Extreme Environments research group in the UK. She's just recruited people for a study comparing cold water swimming with medication in treating depression. Heather joined the Blue Room's Sabra Lane for a chat about her marathon swims, the science of cold water immersion, after drop and floating. Plus what do we know, and what don't we know when it comes to proven results from cold water swimming?Features:Dr Heather Massey/Researcher at the Extreme Environments Laboratory at the University of Portsmouth.Sabra Lane, The Blue Room.Themes: Cold water swimming, wild swimming, cold water imersion, marathon swimming, English Channel, Ice kilometre, after drop, depression, science, University of Portsmouth, acclimatisation to cold water, cold water exposure, driving after cold water swimming, numbness, pain, hot waterMore information:Dr Massey's research:https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/en/persons/heather-massey/publications/Float to Survive:https://www.floattosurvive.au/

Australian author Tim Winton joins the Blue Room podcast host Sabra Lane for a long chat about his obsession with the ocean. Tim is admired the world-over for his salt water stories. Nearly all of his novels are love letters to the sea. As Tim says in his dedication in “Land's Edge" - For my family and for those who know that a bad day's fishing is always better than a good day's work. Tim says swimming is family culture and ‘pretty precious' for his tribe. We talk about swimming, what it means, what it does for the mind and explore some of his work including his TV documentary 'Ningaloo' where he swims with whale sharks and opens the window on that part of the West Australian coast. The author also talks about the struggle of writing Juice, while making Ningaloo, as well as fighting for its protection and sharks.Features:Tim Winton/Author and conservationistSabra Lane - The Blue Room Resources:Penguin Australia's Tim Winton page:https://www.penguin.com.au/authors/tim-wintonThree-part TV documentary series Ningaloo Nyinggulu:https://iview.abc.net.au/show/ningaloo-nyingguluCape Range National Parkhttps://exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au/park/cape-range-national-parkThemes:Author Tim Winton, Oceans, swimming, spearfishing, surfing, coastal life, open water swimming, pool swimming, writing, novels, Miles Franklin Award, Booker Prize, marine protection, environmental protection, marine parks, Whale Sharks, Great White sharks, conservation, environmental protection, Western Australia, mining, petro-state, beaches, beachcombing, diving, ocean obsession.

Join The Blue Room for an inspiring chat with Tasmanian swimmer Brett Stephenson as he recounts his journey to complete South Africa's renowned Freedom Swim. Brett shares what motivated him to take on the challenge, the emotions of swimming through waters steeped in history, and the special moments that made the experience so meaningful.Brett talks with podcast host Sabra Lane and takes us beyond the swim, sharing stories from his travels including to Zanzibar, and the early childhood home of legendary Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. Honest, down-to-earth and quietly inspiring, Brett's story is a reminder that extraordinary adventures are often undertaken by ordinary people willing to say yes to a challenge.Features:Brett Stephenson - swimmer with the Tomatoes and Weedy Seadragons.The Blue Room podcast host Sabra Lane.Themes:ocean swimming, wild swimming, monofin swimming, Freedom Swim, Robben Island, Big Bay, Bloubergstrand, South Africa, Nelson Mandela, Zanzibar, Freddie Mercury, inspiration, open water swimming, travel.

Mark Sowerby is The Blue Room's guest in this episode. Over a decade he swims the Ocean Seven, seven channels of water on five continents. The first channel (The English Channel) is achieved while he's at the helm of a successful start-up company. The rest of the channels become a form of therapy, recovering from the shock of a company going under which morph into the documentary 'Don't be Prey'. Mark attends a screening of the film in Hobart, and takes time out to speak with podcast host Sabra Lane.Features:Mark Sowerby, Don't be Prey.Sabra Lane, podcast host and co-founder.Themes:Oceans Seven, inspirational swimming, courage, mental health, open water swimming, marathon swimming, ocean swimming, cold water swimming, English Channel, Molokai Channel, Tsugaru Channel, Catalina Channel, Cook Strait, North Channel, Strait of Gibraltar, cookie cutter sharks, "Don't Be Prey" documentary, Jeff Tseng, Michael Kim, Shelley Taylor-Smith, Des Renford. Links:https://www.dontbeprey.film/https://openwaterpedia.com/wiki/Oceans_Seven

The Blue Room visits the 2026 Devil of a Swim, relocated this year from Bicheno to Coles Bay. Also visiting the tourist hotspot, the Coledale Oysters from NSW. The Oysters heard about the swim on the Blue Room in 2025 and made a pact to join this year's competition. Afterwards they joined podcast host and swimmer Sabra Lane for a special 'live' recording of the episode at Coles Bay to talk about the 5km swim, how they started ocean swimming, what they get out of being in the water - and importantly swimming with their buddies. Features:Lawrence Stubbs, Coledale Oysters.Mel Berry, Coledales Oysters.Rob Balmer, Coledale Oysters.Themes:ocean water swimming, open water swimming, inspiration, competition, 2026 Devil of a Swim, Bicheno, Coles Bay, Kingston Beach Surf Life Saving Club, inspirational swimming, nature swimming experiences, resilience, community sports podcast, fun in the water, Loch Ness.

The Blue Room's guest is Alison Orme and what has become 'a highlight of her life'. What started as a simple invite to friends to swim in some of Sydney's spectacular ocean pools became something much bigger. From discovering Harbour pools, to Sydney's ocean pools, pools along the NSW coastline, lidos in the UK and soon pools in France. Alison tells the Blue Room how this passion started, and how she thinks ocean pools are part of her DNA. It's a story of curiosity, friendship, fun and adventure. Features:Alison Orme, SOPS founder.Sabra Lane - the Blue Room.Themes:ocean swimming, wild swimming, ocean pools, lidos, Merimbula Blue Pool, adventure swimming, friendship, inspiration.

It's a question pod host Sabra Lane is often asked; how to you become confident to swim in the open water? The Blue Room joins the Kingston Beach Surf Life Saving club in Tasmania, as the 'Dragons Swim Pod' graduates. The club has run a 10-week program aimed at getting swimmers confident to swim in the ocean. We join the pod on their final graduation swim, and talk with the trainers and trainees about the course and how they've progressed after 10 weeks of training.Features:Polly Marriott, pod member.Peter McKenna, swimming trainer at Kingston Beach Surf Life Saving Club.Sam Cummins, pod member.Maree Farquar, pod member.Sandra Gadsby, swimming trainer at Kingston Beach Surf Life Saving Club.Themes:Kingston Beach, Boronia Beach, Kingston Beach Surf Life Saving Club, open water swimming, confidence in ocean swimming, fun in the water, inspirational swimming, outdoor swimming, cold water swimming, nature swimming experiences, swimming resilience, community sports podcast.

Five years ago, a group of women waded into the cold waters of Tasmania and found something much bigger than a swim. Meet the Kingston Beach Sea Hags: a bold, joyful community bound by saltwater, courage, and connection. This podcast dives beneath the surface of “just a bobble” to explore the magic of cold water, the rhythm of “chat-stroke,” and the quiet power of showing up for one another—again and again.Through choppy mornings, laughter-filled dips, and the kind of friendships that buoy you long after you’ve dried off, the Sea Hags have built something extraordinary. This episode is about bravery in its many forms—stepping into icy water, stepping into community, and stepping up for each other.If you’ve ever wondered what draws people into the sea at dawn—or what keeps them coming back—this is your invitation to find out.Because sometimes, the coldest water creates the warmest bonds.Features:Annie WolfeJacqui McElweeJayneHelen Kwiecien - co-founder, Sea HagsJanine Beck, Original Sea HagJoanna ButterleyMentions:The Sea Hags, Kingston Beach, courage, cold water swimming, ocean swimming, ocean bobbling, chat-stroke, inspirational swimmers, inspirational women, health.