Strong winds and some extra-friendly stingers didn’t stop the smiles our 30th Busselton Jetty Swim’s with swimmers declaring it the best Jetty Swim yet.
Saturday’s swimmers had to contend with stingers, while strong winds on Sunday created choppy conditions for those taking on the 3.6km solo swim around the jetty, and One Mile Swim to Shore.
The inaugural Busselton Jetty Swim in 1996 had just 82 participants, however an incredible 5,489 participants aged 8 to 89 swam a range distances over in the turquoise waters of Geographe Bay.
The record 3,351 swimmers who challenged themselves to the event’s signature 3.6km swim around the southern hemisphere’s longest timber pile jetty, faced a hard slog into the wind before rounding the jetty and enjoying some fun with waves to usher them back to shore. Also braving the conditions were 1,165 swimmers in the One Mile Swim to Shore event, who swam from the end of the jetty back to the beach.
The tough conditions meant the swim was officially the slowest on record, with the record broken for the slowest swim at 2 hours and 57 minutes. Typically, around 17% of swimmers complete the 3.6km distance in under an hour, however only 6.86% of participants managed this feat in 2025.
Race Results
Two new Jetty swim champions were crowned, with 19-year-old Madoc Lanfear-Appleby from Spearwood first across the line in 44 minutes and 3.6 second. Tristan Van Waas finished second (44:09.7), followed by Thomas Blandford in third (44:13.2).
In her first-ever Busselton Jetty Swim, 17-year-old Bianca Monaco from Perth was the fastest female to finish the 3.6km swim, and fourth overall, finishing in 45 minutes, 31.8 seconds. Last year’s female winner, Rosie Wilson, took second place (46:52.2), with Amie Holwill finishing third (48:06.9).
The first local male to cross the line was Yalyalup’s Pamoana Pirikahu (53:14.8), closely followed by the first local female, Ruby McLellan of Dunsborough (53:18.6).
Also braving the conditions were 1,165 swimmers in the One Mile Swim to Shore event, which involves walking to the end of the jetty before swimming back to the beach. Thomas Davi was the first male finisher (22:37.4), while Rachel Robbertze was both the first female and second overall.
A Celebration of Community and Resilience
President of the Volunteer Organising Committee, Kat Rafferty, said everyone who swam in this year’s event should be proud of themselves.
“Every year I’m inspired by our swimmers and this year was no exception,” said Kat. “It was rough, and choppy, but all the swimmers showed up with a smile, and had fun getting the job done.”
“We do everything we can to run a seamless event and ensure swimmer safety, but the one thing we can’t control is the ocean and that’s part of what makes open-water swimming so rewarding and exciting,” she said.
Kat said what sets Busselton Jetty Swim apart was the swimmers camaraderie.
“It almost feels like a team event because everyone supports one another and celebrates each other’s achievements—it’s such a privilege to be a part of.”
She also paid tribute to the 180 volunteers from Busselton Surf Life Saving Club and other visiting clubs.
“The surf lifesaving teams consistently do a fantastic job keeping our swimmers safe and they really went above and beyond this year assisting swimmers and helping them achieve their Jetty Swim goals in the tough conditions.”
Saturday’s Events
In addition to the Sunday swims, the newly revamped team swims were held on Saturday to accommodate growing demand, with record participation: 117 two-person teams and 73 four-person teams took on the 3.6km course where all swimmers start and finish on the beach. A further 333 swimmers completed the Simon’s 500m Shortcut event and 117 children ages 8 to 12 completed the dedicated Kids Swim around the foreshore’s swimming jetty.
In the evening, over 7,000 packed the Busselton Foreshore to watch WA rock legends Jebediah at the FREE Busselton Jetty Swim Sunset Concert. Dunsborough’s teen band, Bleak Nights also won the hotly contested Busselton Battle of the Bands competition.