THE RIP RACE IS BACK ON FEBRUARY 1, 2025
Rip Race, 2023. left to right: Mackenzie Hunter - (1st female), Bronte Campbell (3rd female),
THE RIP RACE RETURNS!
February 1, 2025 (Feb 2 back up)
Entries close on Friday the 13th of December at 5pm (no exceptions at all)
Swimming across “The Rip” is spectacular enough but racing it is even more exciting. With no fixed marks, a considerable swell and some unpredictable water movement, swimmers must draw on all their experience and cunning to win! It is a no-wetsuit race to ensure a level playing field for all swimmers.
Please note there is a back up date of 2nd Feb for which you must be available. There is also a weekend a fortnight later (15/16 Feb) in case we are very unlucky! Please read the cancelation/refund policies carefully here.
Listen to an overview of the race below!
Why is Sam Sheppard (inaugural race winner in 2015) returning to race The Rip?
“Rip reflections”
By Sam Sheppard, Australian Dolphin team member and 7-time Pier to Pub winner
In 2015, I heard about this cool new open water swim that was going to be occurring across “The Rip” at Port Phillip Heads. I had already swum most bay and ocean swims in Victoria, but this was a bold new event, across an infamous stretch of water, so it was very appealing to me!
I contacted Grant, the founder of the Rip Race, to learn a little more and before I knew it, I had signed up for the swim in 2015 – the inaugural event!
I was a little nervous leading into the swim, but also very excited. It’s amazing to think how much water moves through the narrow passage of “The Rip” between low and high tides. Luckily for us The Rip Swim team know how to pick the right time to cross! I was using the swim as training and preparation for the 2015 World Swimming Championships, where I would be competing for Australia in both the 5 km and 25km open water events.
A few days before the Rip Race in 2015, I looked at the conditions and they seemed good. I seem to recall we got the go ahead the night before. We started early in the morning, and you could feel the mixture of nervousness and excitement in the room during the safety briefing. After the safety briefing, we all got onto the support boat to take us to the start line at Point Nepean. While on the boat, it was a great chance to chat with fellow swimmers and it also helped to settle the nerves.
We arrived at Point Nepean, and it was time to jump in the water and swim to the start line. With the adrenaline building, I could hardly feel the coolness of the water as I jumped off the boat. When the start gun went, the race was on, although it felt more like an adventure swimming across from Point Nepean to Point Lonsdale, knowing that at some points of the swim, the water depth would be 100m!!
The swim was by no means easy. There were no bouys to swim around! I suppose it was comparable to a challenging hike, although I’m not that good at hiking, so maybe that’s not a great comparison! However, even with it being a challenge, I felt safe with the water safety team surrounding us. Each time I turned my head to breathe, I could see other swimmers looking out for each other and working towards the common goal of crossing “The Rip”.
As I took my last stroke and stood up on the beach at Point Lonsdale, I looked back across my shoulder to see how far I had come. It was an immensely satisfying feeling knowing that I had crossed this famous stretch of water with other swimmers and the crowd cheering me in made it feel even better! For me and for the vast majority of the field, it was the first time we had swum “The Rip.”
As is the tradition with other iconic open water swims, like the Pier to Pub, and Rottnest Channel crossing, there is an after party! The whole field went to The Flying Brick Cider venue to celebrate the event and share exciting stories and challenging moments.
Since 2015, I have had a change of pace, substituting 10 sessions a week and 4:30am alarms to being woken by my 18-month-old daughter throughout the night. But, after thinking about how much a relished this swim and realising that it is 10 years on, have decided to hop back in the pool and train for the 2025 Rip Race!! Next year my daughter can see me swim “The Rip” and meet me on the beach at Point Lonsdale at the finish! Won’t that be special!
If you are unsure about taking on The Rip Swim or Race, I would highly recommend you look into it and perhaps set it as a summer swimming goal! You won’t regret it!
THE COURSE - 3.5km
The race will commence in deep water, from a boat, near Point Nepean, and finish at the main beach at Point Lonsdale.
There will be no fixed marks but we will give you tips to help you navigate the stretch.
You must be faster than 54 minutes for 3km to take on the race. We will ask you to verify this.
RACE GROUPS
Open male - 14+ (age as of February 1, 2024)
no wetsuit *
Fina approved bathers
Silicone cap supplied by us
Open female - 14+ (age as of February 1, 2024)
no wetsuit *
Fina approved bathers
Silicone cap supplied by us
*To ensure a ‘level playing field’ we have chosen a non-wetsuit race. If you usually swim with a wetsuit or in warmer water, we highly recommend that you do some acclimatisation work.
The water is likely to be approximately 18 degrees Celsius on the day of the swim but could vary approximately 1 degree either way.
COST
Early bird - $655
Standard - $725
NEW KING AND QUEEN OF “THE RIP”:
Robbe Dillisen & Mackenzie Hunter (2023 event)
Congratulations to Robbe Dilissen and Mackenzie Hunter for taking out the male and female divisions of the 3rd Rip Race. This was a tough event given a strong wind and choppy seas, but they both navigated well and swum fast! The full results are below.
There were 18 swimmers who took on the race and with absolutely no fixed marks, crossed the stretch successfully! Each and every one of them have earned their place on our honour board. We had a range of ages from 16 - 61 and all swimmers competed without wetsuits to ensure a level playing field.
Previous winners of the event include Sam Sheppard & Naantali Marshall (2015) and Lisasndra de Carvahlo & Brenton Ford (2018).
Sam Sheppard ready to hop in and start the inaugural race in 2015, which he won!
Robbe Dilissen
Male winner: 40.59
Mackenzie Hunter
First female: 43.29
RIP RACE RUN AND WON - Saturday February the 11th, 2023
NEW KING AND QUEEN OF “THE RIP”:
Robbe Dillisen & Mackenzie Hunter
Congratulations to Robbe Dilissen and Mackenzie Hunter for taking out the male and female divisions of the 3rd Rip Race. This was a tough event given a strong wind and choppy seas, but they both navigated well and swum fast! The full results are below.
There were 18 swimmers whop took on the race and with absolutely no fixed marks cross the stretch, each and every one of them have earned their place on our honour board. We had a range of ages from 16 - 61 and all swimmers competed without wetsuits to ensure a level playing field.
Robbe Dilissen 40.59
Mackie Hunter 43.29
Brenton Ford 44.12
Cam Tregaskis 45.15
Bronte Campbell 45.16
Brianna Bond 49.42
Lisandra de Carvalho 52.39
Rod Watkins 53.39
Ben Dubberley 54.12
Anton Stanitzki 54.32
Ben Morrison 54.45
Justin Rodda 55.26
Vanessa Palmer 59.10
Jordan Berry 59.38
Ian Douglas 1.01.30
James Hicks 1.02.30
Ryan Leet 1.18.40
Abby Bolwell 1.18.41
2018 RACE DAY
If you are curious and want to get a feel fro the event, take a look at the race day video from 2018. We will have our new event video here soon!!
LOGISTICS
On the day of your crossing, you will be taken from the Queenscliff Harbour to the start (deep water near Point Nepean) by boat. From there you will swim to Point Lonsdale main beach.
SAFETY
Our organisation has escorted over 700 swimmers across this stretch safely. We have an unblemished safety record. We will have plenty of boats on the water to keep you safe. These will include RHIB’s and larger boats. Our ‘mothership’ will have a paramedic on board in case you have any issues.
We will also have plenty of kayakers on the water both to keep an eye on you and to guide you a little should you feel ‘lost’. Our crew will be on contact via VHF radio and to ensure world-class communication throughout the race.
A substantial land-based team will be there to greet you and this will include a paramedic.
TIDES EXPLAINED
The tide changes every 6 hours. Given the narrow entrance to Port Phillip, the movement of water both in and out can be very strong. Swimming The Rip is not possible if you do not understand how to work with the tide. This our job and we pick the best time to deliver the event.