Current predictions, predicted waypoints (red markers) and the course Chari’s team swam (white squares).
When men get to a certain age, it is said they are taken over by a desire to relive their youth. They buy sports cars, get trendy tattoos, date younger women, and take up sky diving. None of these appealed to me. In my case I returned to my youth by taking up swimming again.
So on 19 March, I made the plunge for the annual Port to Pub open ocean swim in a team of six, and made a ‘dash’ from North Fremantle to Rottnest Island in 6 hours and 35 minutes. It was just over 41 years ago, as a fit and lean 17 year old, that I completed my previous ocean race – the annual two mile sea swim in Sri Lanka in around 40 minutes! I think I swam the same distance for the Rottnest swim.
As part of the Integrated Marine Observing System, the Coastal Oceanography group at the University of Western Australia predicted the currents for the race using the operational ocean current models that have been developed at UWA. The model predictions were used to chart the most efficient course to Rottnest Island using the swim tool developed by CSIRO.
The weather was quite good with easterly winds pushing us towards Rottnest Island. Between 11am and 12pm the sea became quite rough for a period of about 20-30 mins with a lot of white caps - winds were from the north-east. There were a few droplets of rain. Obviously part of a squall. The passage of the squall from north to south created a meteotsunami which was recorded at the Hillarys Boat Harbour tide gage.
The UWA ocean and atmospheric models predicted the occurrence of the meteotsunami.
I think I can now claim the unique distinction that I have first-hand experienced a seismic tsunami (2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in Sri Lanka) and a meteotsunami (2016 in Rottnest).