Every swimmer has a story to tell.
Writer and swimmer Shona Riddell chats to marathon swimmers, dippers, coaches, ocean experts, and more. Whether you’re a swimmer yourself, or just interested in stories about the sea and people expanding their comfort zones, you'll enjoy these swim chats. Please hit the 'Follow' button so you don’t miss an episode, leave a star rating, and share with friends.
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Will McMorran's 32km swim for coastal and ocean conservation
Will McMorran is a Kiwi triathlete who is planning a one-day, 32km swim around the Wellington coastline this summer. The swim is called the Full Roddy, named by Will in honour of his grandfather Roderick who was an open water swimmer. Will has been training in the pool and sea, taking his GoPro and filming his swim journey. As part of his big swim, Will is also fundraising for Sustainable Coastlines.
In this episode Will explains why he’s chosen a 32km swim for this personal challenge, outlines his training programme, and shares why he’s raising funds for Sustainable Coastlines and the importance of understanding our impacts on the ocean.
Follow Will’s training and swim tips on Instagram (@will_mcmorran (https://www.instagram.com/will_mcmorran/))
Visit Will’s Givealittle page and support his Sustainable Coastlines fundraiser (https://givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/the-full-roddy-fundraising)
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Thanks for listening! :-)
18 Oct 2026
Sarah Thomas on her 4-way English Channel swim and the call of open water
Sarah Thomas is the only person in the world to have swum four ways non-stop across the English Channel. Her quadruple crossing in 2019, at the age of 37, was over 200km and took 54 hours. Even more incredibly, Sarah had undergone extensive treatment for breast cancer just one year earlier.
Sarah has achieved many other epic swims as well, including the world’s first double crossing of the North Channel and the first current-neutral swim over 100 miles. In this episode we also talk about her first 10km event, the allure of scary swims, her wild and “essential” crossing of the Cook Strait, the power of peanut M&Ms, whether she might return to NZ, and much more.
Visit Sarah's website sarahthomasswims.com (http://sarahthomasswims.com)
Follow Sarah on Instagram (@sarahswims04 (https://www.instagram.com/sarahswims04/))
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Visit StokedNZ (https://stokednz.co.nz/SWIMCHATS) for your towelies and get 15% off with the discount code SWIMCHATS
Enjoy the podcast? Buy me a coffee via https://ko-fi.com/swimchats (https://ko-fi.com/swimchats)
Become a Swim Buddy via Patreon.com/SwimChats (https://patreon.com/SwimChats?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink)
Follow Swim Chats on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/swimchats)
Contact me at swimchatswithshona at gmail dot com
Hit 'Follow' so you don't miss an episode.
Thanks for listening! :-)
4 Oct 2026
From fear of the water to swim coaching, with Benoit Lavigne
Benoit (Ben) Lavigne is a Wellington swim coach. Through his company, Outpace Swimming (https://outpaceswimming.co.nz/), he offers private coaching, swim squads, video analysis, clinics, open water training, and swim camps. Ben is also the Head Coach at Tawa Swim Club and was selected as a coach for Swimming New Zealand's Under 19 Team at the 2026 Tri Series in Western Australia.
In this episode, Ben talks about his coaching method, offers technique advice, and shares his own swim journey – from a small child in France who was terrified of the water, to becoming a national-level swimmer and then a coach.
Ben has continued to learn, adapt, and innovate over his decades-long coaching career. His enjoyment and fascination with swimming remains strong, he is a caring and dedicated coach, and is a valued part of Wellington’s swim community.
Visit StokedNZ (https://stokednz.co.nz/SWIMCHATS) for your towelies and get 15% off with the discount code SWIMCHATS
Enjoy the podcast? Buy me a coffee via https://ko-fi.com/swimchats (https://ko-fi.com/swimchats)
Become a Swim Buddy via Patreon.com/SwimChats (https://patreon.com/SwimChats?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink)
Follow Swim Chats on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/swimchats)
Contact me at swimchatswithshona at gmail dot com
Hit 'Follow' so you don't miss an episode.
Thanks for listening! :-)
Who has been a guest on Swim Chats
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Laura Quilter
Scott Rice
James Fox-Golding
John Hancock
Dennis Gordon
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5.0 / 5
17 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 45 / 100
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Quality
90
Social presence
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YouTube
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Engagement
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