Thirty years of swimming: Ballot open soon for Jetty Swim

When Max Higgins suggested organising a swim around Busselton’s beloved jetty to his wife Jenny, she was sceptical that anyone would want to swim that far.

Fast forward to today and Busselton Jetty Swim’s organising committee is ready to open registrations for the 30th event which will see 3,500 people take on the 3.6km Solo Swim.

The Swim has become WA’s most loved open water swimming event, attracting swimmers from around the globe.

While the inaugural event had just 82 participants, it is now held over two days with more than 5,000 swimmers participating.

President of Busselton Jetty Swim’s volunteer organising committee, Kat Rafferty, said what differentiated the event from other open water swims was its focus on community.

“Busselton Jetty Swim is swim for everybody, it is everybody’s swim,” she said. “The event is all about participation, so whether you’re a seasoned swimmer or just looking to challenge yourself, there is a distance to you.

“Plus, you won’t find a more supportive, inclusive or friendly event – it’s what keeps people coming back year after year.”

To cater for the growing popularity, the event continues to evolve, and Kat announced several changes for 2025.

“Every year we are overwhelmed by demand, so over the years we have expanded the number of categories, spread the event to two days and introduced a ballot system for our Sunday events.

“This year to meet demand… we’ve decided to dedicate Sunday to the solo swimmers and move our team events to Saturday. This means we’ll run the 3.6km solo swim and the one mile swim to shore on Sunday February 9, and the rest of our events on Saturday February 8.

“We are also introducing a virtual swim for anyone who can’t make it to Busselton who wants to set themselves a challenge.”

The One Mile Swim to Shore involves jumping off the end of the Jetty and swimming 1.6km to the finish line and will be on Sunday with registration via the ballot. Saturday’s programme will also include Simon’s 500m Shortcut Swim and the Kids Swim.

Kat said the committee was excited to be celebrating the 30th anniversary and planned to make more announcements in coming months.

“We’ve secured an incredible ambassador, and a fantastic headliner for our free sunset concert – it going to a great weekend, and we can’t wait!”

The Busselton Jetty Swim will be held on February 8 and 9.

The online ballot will be open from October 1 to 9, 2024.

For more info or to enter the ballot go to busseltonjettyswim.org.au.