Posted on Friday 9th October, 2026

Whitehaven Open Water Swim 2026 Report

The 3rd Annual Masters Swimming Queensland Whitehaven Open Water Swim (WOWS26), hosted by the North Mackay Sinkers Masters Swimming Club, is now a well-established event over the King’s Birthday weekend. What better way to celebrate a long weekend than three days in Airlie Beach and a fantastic day out at the world-famous Whitehaven Beach?

The traditional Sunday swim offers swimmers a choice of a first-time 500m event, or the longer 1km and 2km events for experienced swimmers. The event attracted 104 swimmers and over 40 guests from as far as Sydney and Hobart (and even Don T from Toowoomba!). The all-important army of 17 volunteers made short work of set-up, announcing, organising, water and beach safety and a host of other jobs to make the event happen.

The day begins early, of course, with the first boat away by 0615 to establish our beach event zone. Our swimmers and guests enjoy a more leisurely 6–7 am registration process before boarding and departing on the fast ferry “Louis” at 0730.

By the time swimmers arrived at Whitehaven, the race gazebos, first aid and lunch shade were set up, the course was marked by those fabulous large pink buoys, and we could ferry our guests ashore. The whole seamless operation had us ahead of schedule, and we moved the events forward to 1030 with the start of the mixed 500m event.

By all accounts, this is a great distance and my favourite, as we watched swimmers who were new to swimming and first-time open water swimmers brave what seemed like an impossible and daunting task. We had extra safety swimmers in the water, four kayaks, a power boat and a supportive coach (thanks, Mille!) accompanying these swimmers before we started the main events. Even the Race Director jumped in to assist with navigation and support after temporarily handing over his role. It was also an opportunity to see our one and only “Robbo” undertake the 500m WOWS event for what he claims is his last swim here. Well done, Robbo!

The mixed 1km event was next, with a good field of 40 swimmers taking to the calm and, this year, tide-free course. There was a great contest in the women’s event, with a photo finish and beach exit separating first and second. A smaller field of men also made their way around the 500m loop course to finish in fine style.

The main event, our 2km race, saw separate men’s (19) and women’s (27) starts, as we had the numbers to support the separation. The men’s race saw a great finish by Sinker Cameron Turnbull, who kept his nearest rival, Jason Selman, at bay by a mere six seconds, with the benefit of youth and a great race strategy paying off. (Maybe a little extra training for 2027?) Perennial Sinkers club favourite Pierre Craven grabbed a podium place to eclipse his previous fourth placings in this event in 2024 and 2025.

The Open Women’s results saw local favourite Kat Baker finish first in 30:44, followed by Jane Eggins (Sinker and PWSC) in second with 31:45, with 3rd place taken by Lisa Hanenberg in a great time of 32:20.

The floodgates opened after these swimmers, as multiple event finishes occurred quickly as we headed to the more leisurely end of the pack. The WOWS tradition of an archway finish is now well established, as we welcomed our last few swimmers to a rousing ovation and a complimentary bespoke finisher’s medal.

500m Women	500m Men
1^st Lindy Lawrence (09:29)	1^st Reece Ede (09:28)
2^nd Lauren Smith (12:34)	2^nd Geoffrey Robinson (15:34)
3rd Gaby Dorman (13:48)	3^rd Kyaw Khine Linn (20:05)
1km Women	1km Men
1^st Suzannah Smith (18:07)	1^st Paul Arvidson (18:33)
2^nd Amy Henry (18:07 +)	2nd Stephen Duffie (19:48)
3^rd Sharanne Maclean (19:32)	3^rd Kyaw Khine Linn (20:05)
2km Women	2km Men
1^st Kat Baker (30:44)	1^st Cameron Turnbull (28:07)
2nd Jane Eggins (31:45)	2^nd Jason Selman (28:13)
3^rd Lisa Hanenberg (32:20)	3^rd Pierre Craven (29:37)

And that brings us to lunch, which is also included in the entry. We enjoyed great conditions and a fabulous light lunch of a roll, sweet and piece of fruit. The extra meals and leftover lunches were soon claimed by some hungry swimmers.

The trophies for the three open placings in each event (men and women) were proudly supplied by MSQ and presented by Susanne Milenkovich, MSQ President. We had great representation from MSQ Board members Susanne Milenkovich, Sam Brown, Anita Lendvay and Dan Stampa, who were keen to experience one of the best open water swims in Queensland, if not beyond. Dan attended as an MSQ Board representative, President of North Mackay Sinkers and the Event Director.

Our fabulous multi-prize raffle and lucky swimmer draw supports the Mackay Women’s Service and is strongly supported by local Mackay businesses, with a prize pool of over $2,000 in gifts and cards. The coming weeks will see a donation to this worthwhile organisation in the vicinity of $3,000. The draw was held beachside after presentations.

And just like that, the beach day was over as we reboarded our fast ferry for the one-hour, 10-minute trip home in near-perfect conditions. The smaller vessel followed after a beach check and final loading of equipment as we moved towards Shute Harbour and closer to another anticipated themed after-party at our event venue, Northerlies. And oh, what a dress-up, as the Kings and Queens theme was fully embraced, with some fabulous costumes on display.

The Northerlies staff acted as independent judges and selected one of the Queens of Hearts present, our very own MSQ President, Susanne Milenkovich! It looks like a return trip is required, as the prize was free entry into the 2027 event!

The 2027 WOWS event is scheduled for Sunday 3 October over the King’s Birthday weekend, and we have already begun to lock in providers. So why not turn a long weekend into a truly memorable visit to the Whitsundays? We will open early for registered Masters swimmers before the general swimming public, and numbers are limited. We already have an after-party dress theme! It’s an “S” theme, giving lots of scope! (Sweet, Sour, Saucy, Snake, Snoopy, Spider-Man/woman, Siren…)

Of course, this event is not possible without an active planning and implementation committee and supportive club members, so well-done to our Sinkers members who are too numerous to mention individually.

The Sinkers aim to deliver a safe, inclusive, well-supported and friendly event at a reasonable price point.

The North Mackay Sinkers Masters Swimming Club would like to thank the following businesses and organisations in helping promote, organise and deliver this event.

Masters Swimming Queensland – co-host, race timing and event support.
DMR Leisure – event and club sponsor.
Epoca Constructions – $1,000 sponsorship.
Queensland Country Bank – $750 sponsorship.
Reefstar Cruises – preferred vessel provider and discount charter rate.
Northerlies Bar & Grill – after-party venue and prize sponsor ($300).
Mantra Club Croc – accommodation and prize sponsor (15% discount and $100 voucher).
Alert First Aid – paramedic.
Prickly Pineapple – event lunch caterers.
Raffle prize sponsors including Dolphin Heads resort, Red dog brewery, Bunnings, Dan Murphies, Speedo, Beachfront Bar & Restaurant, Mt. Pleasant Tavern, Harvey Norman and many other small businesses.