Andrew Page is preparing to take on the Rottnest Channel Swim this Saturday.
Camera IconAndrew Page is preparing to take on the Rottnest Channel Swim this Saturday. Credit: Supplied/David Baylis d497993

Rottnest Channel Swim for young and not-so-old

Tyler BrownJoondalup Times

SOME might think he is a sucker for punishment but for Andrew Page, swimming from Perth to Rottnest Island more than 30 times in 19 years is how he tries “not to get old too quickly”.

With 33 crossings under his belt, the 48-year-old Kingsley accountant holds the official record for swims completed between the mainland and Rottnest, which he is looking to increase to 34 when he takes on the Rottnest Channel Swim this Saturday.

While Mr Page was a swimmer at school, it was in 2001 that he first tackled the 19.7km gruelling event.

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“I was having drinks with a guy I worked with – probably had a few too many – and I asked him to be my skipper because he had a boat,” Mr Page said.

“When I woke up I thought ‘what did I sign up for’ but I started training and eight to nine weeks later I completed my first swim.

“I definitely finished with few aches and pains because I hadn’t swum for more than 10 years.”

But since then he continues to embrace the challenge.

This will be Andrew Page’s 34th swim between the mainland and Rottnest. David Baylis d497993
Camera IconThis will be Andrew Page’s 34th swim between the mainland and Rottnest. David Baylis d497993 Credit: Supplied/Supplied

“I’m nearly 50 and when you get to this age every day can be the same so it’s nice to have a few days each year that are a bit different,” he said.

“It’s an opportunity to do something outside the box.

“It also helps to keep fit and maintain confidence and keep the self-esteem up.

“It’s like a Peter Pan attitude that you can still do things you used to do when you were younger.”

Though he feels he “put on a bit of weight over winter”, Mr Page said preparations for this year’s swim had been “really good”.

“I did an eight-week challenge at Green Zone in Joondalup and lost 13kg so that got me fit and then I started to train for swimming,” he said.

“I got in the pool feeling like I’d been training for weeks so that felt good.

Andrew Page is grateful for his encouraging support crew.
Camera IconAndrew Page is grateful for his encouraging support crew. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

“Then I did my 32nd solo swim in December and completed my 33rd swim last week, which I did in under six hours for the time in 12 years.”

Mr Page said that was the seventh time he had achieved that goal, which he will again set for himself on Saturday.

But he admits that can sometimes be “overly ambitious”.

“I think I must also hold the record for the difference in my quickest and slowest time,” he joked.

“One year I didn’t train as much as I would like and it took me almost 10 hours to finish.”

His quickest time clocks in at 5 hours and 21 minutes.

Mr Page said it was all about simplifying the challenge.

“I look at it like a walk,” he said.

“If a walk isn’t too hard, then it’s just a swim.

“Others can be daunted by it but I tell them to try and simplify it. You’re just swimming for seven to eight hours. You need to get rid of the other worries.”

Mr Page also puts down his success to his support crew, of which his skipper from that first swim is still by his side and his main paddler is a friend from primary school.

Andrew Page in action in a previous Rottnest Channel Swim.
Camera IconAndrew Page in action in a previous Rottnest Channel Swim. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

“It’s good spending time with people who want to do this with me,” he said.

“They are always really encouraging and I would never have got to as many crossings as I have without their help.”

Mr Page said his ultimate goal was to continue the swim for as long as possible.

“I would hate to miss a year,” he said.

“I’d like to still be doing it when I’m 70 or 80.

“My body might disagree eventually but I enjoy it.”

This year is the 30th anniversary of the Rottnest Channel Swim, which sees hundreds of participants from all over the world swim the 19.7km between Cottesloe and Rottnest Island in either a team of four, as a duo or as a solo swimmer.

Mullaloo teen joins family swim history

THE Rottnest Channel Swim has been part of the Waddell family for 25 years.

This Saturday Katie Waddell (15) will join the fun and tackle the 19.7km challenge between Cottesloe and Rottnest Island in a team of four with fellow Mullaloo Surf Life Saving Club members Leah Martin (16), Jake Battle (16) and Ethan Battle (15).

“My mum did her first paddle for a quad team in 1998 and from 1999 my dad, grandad, aunties, uncles and cousins have all swum and paddled in a range of quads, duos and solos and are still going,” Waddell said.

“I’m really excited to be joining them for the first time as it’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was a small child watching my family be involved, and to be doing it with my friends and teammates makes it even better.”

The Mullaloo Quokkalooz team, made up of Ethan Battle (15), Katie Waddell (15), Leah Martin (16) and Jake Battle (16), will also take part in the Rottnest Channel Swim.
Camera IconThe Mullaloo Quokkalooz team, made up of Ethan Battle (15), Katie Waddell (15), Leah Martin (16) and Jake Battle (16), will also take part in the Rottnest Channel Swim. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Waddell said preparations for the Mullaloo Quokkalooz had included keeping up their squad swimming training, taking part in the Open Water Swimming series and training at the surf club. “We will also have a practice session with the boat to perfect our changeovers before the day,” she said.

“These will start from 15-minute intervals, working down to two minutes.”

Waddell said the biggest challenge for her would be swimming the distance.

“I’m mainly used to 500m sprint swims in the ocean at the surf club,” she said.

“But some of my team members have completed 10km swims before.”

And with years of experience, Waddell’s family have offered some advice: “focus, try my best, preparation and overall, have fun”.

Also read: Locals team up for Rottnest Channel Swim while raising money for good cause