Umina Blue Swimmers is a men's winter swimming club located in the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1968, the club is proud to celebrate its 50th year of continuous operations in 2018. The club's season begins on the last Sunday of April with a Welcome to New Members swim and BBQ at Pearl Beach, where members gather under the shade of the pine trees. Competition officially starts on the first Sunday of May, with swimming events taking place in the 30mtr Pearl Beach rock pool.
The highly anticipated Club Championships are held on the first Sunday in September.
At Umina Blue Swimmers, members enjoy camaraderie and a sense of community. After each swim, the club provides a delightful breakfast at the Ocean Beach Surf Club. Traditional soup, toast, and BBQ are served to all members and guests, creating an opportunity for everyone to socialise and share their experiences. With approximately 50–60 members enrolled, the club sees an average of 45 swimmers participating each Sunday.
Umina Blue Swimmers actively encourages junior members under the age of 18, and in 2017, they had 17 young swimmers enrolled.
The club actively participates in the Northern Districts Championships, which involve nine clubs spanning from Umina to Port Macquarie. Umina Blue Swimmers has even had the honour of hosting this prestigious event twice in recent years (2015 & 2015). While the club's name suggests that it is a male-only swimming club, it welcomes all swimmers and does not ban females from joining. However, no female members have approached the club to date.
For any inquiries or further information, interested individuals can contact the club's President, Garry McNamara, via email at Gmcnamara61@bigpond. Com or phone at 0418 425 240. The Secretary, Steve Brown, can be reached at stevetbrown1011@gmail. Com or 0474919210, while the Delegate, Graham Tangye, can be contacted at gksrt@bigpond.
com or 0417 655 182. Additionally, the Club Captain, Stuart Graf, is available at expensive_interiors@hotmail. Com or 0416196083.
Umina Blue Swimmers proudly invites individuals to join and discover the joys of winter swimming. For more information, email secretary@wsaainc. Com or visit the club's website for upcoming events, records, contacts, and more. The club is a member of the NSW Winter Swimming Association, an organisation that was formed in 1959 to bring together winter swimming clubs from across Australia to socialise and compete formally.
Today, over 5,000 swimmers participate in the winter swimming competition during the five winter months of May to September. The WSAA Championships, which includes over 1,000 swimmers, is held annually on the third Sunday in September. The championships now include female competition and a variety of events, with the addition of the Over 85 years 50 metres for men in 2010.