This podcast is a passion project and celebrates the joy of outdoor swimming, the tribes we swim with and the incredible sense of community it creates.
Join me as we explore the beauty and thrill of swimming and dipping, in oceans, rivers, and natural, wild waters — often with friends and fellow enthusiasts.
Each episode features inspiring interviews with diverse personalities and groups who share their passion for aquatic adventures, their connection with nature, and the positive impact swimming has on their health and well-being.
Whether you’re new to outdoor swimming or a seasoned water lover, discover stories of friendship, fun, courage, resilience and shared experiences.
Dr Vanessa Pirotta spends a lot of her time in The Blue Room, or what she calls our Blue Backyard. As a kid all she wanted to do was to
August 14, 2026
38 mins
The Blue Room’s Sabra Lane interviews marathon swimmer Joanne Norman on becoming the first Australian woman to complete the Oceans Seven Challenge. What makes Joanne’s story truly remarkable is that
July 31, 2026
33 mins
The Blue Room host Sabra Lane interviews them both to talk about how the song came about, what swimming means to them and about their careers, life, Tongan heritage and
July 18, 2026
25 mins
Dr Heather Massey is a marathon swimmer. She’s also a researcher at the University of Portsmouth’s Extreme Environments research group in the UK. She’s just recruited people for a study
July 10, 2026
32 mins
Australian author Tim Winton joins the Blue Room podcast host Sabra Lane for a long chat about his obsession with the ocean. Tim is admired the world-over for his salt
July 3, 2026
48 mins
Join The Blue Room for an inspiring chat with Tasmanian swimmer Brett Stephenson as he recounts his journey to complete South Africa’s renowned Freedom Swim. Brett shares what motivated him
June 19, 2026
32 mins
Mark Sowerby is The Blue Room’s guest in this episode. Over a decade he swims the Ocean Seven, seven channels of water on five continents. The first channel (The English
June 5, 2026
37 mins
The Blue Room visits the 2026 Devil of a Swim, relocated this year from Bicheno to Coles Bay. Also visiting the tourist hotspot, the Coledale Oysters from NSW. The Oysters
May 22, 2026
26 mins
The Blue Room’s guest is Alison Orme and what has become ‘a highlight of her life’. What started as a simple invite to friends to swim in some of Sydney’s
May 8, 2026
25 mins
It’s a question pod host Sabra Lane is often asked; how to you become confident to swim in the open water? The Blue Room joins the Kingston Beach Surf Life
April 24, 2026
26 mins
Five years ago, a group of women waded into the cold waters of Tasmania and found something much bigger than a swim. Meet the Kingston Beach Sea Hags: a bold,
April 10, 2026
29 mins
At just 20 years old, Miu Tanaka is balancing university life in Sydney with record-breaking achievements in marathon swimming. The elite open water swimmer has already secured a series of
March 27, 2026
25 mins
Brendan Cullen works on an outback sheep farm near Broken Hill in NSW. In 2015 he sought help at the local hospital, not knowing what was wrong with himself. He
March 19, 2026
41 mins
Save Phillip Pool is a Canberra community group that’s just had a big win. The ACT government has backed down on plans to replace a 50m outdoor pool with a
February 28, 2026
28 mins
The Blue Room is on tour visiting Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula during Christmas 2025. And what better way to experience the coast here than swim with the famous Salty Bitches? This
February 13, 2026
31 mins
The Blue Room is back for another season, to talk with swimmers and dippers about the joys of getting into the ocean. They’re all inspiring stories, about overcoming challenges, setting
January 30, 2026
28 mins
Rob Brander is Dr Rip – he’s a coastal scientist at the University of NSW in Sydney. He’s been educating beachgoers and kids about the surf for more than 25
December 25, 2025
21 mins
A special episode of the Blue Room, recorded days after the terror attack at Bondi Beach. Three days after that, Bondi swim clubs held a swim circle – to remember
December 21, 2025
19 mins
On Tasmania’s east coast, the Bluebottles of Spring Beach bring together courage, sass, fun, fitness, and a carefree spirit. Podcaster co-founders Sabra Lane and Julia Mansour join the gang for
December 19, 2025
33 mins
Plans are underway to return Hobart to being a Swimmable City. For thousands of years the Derwent’s been used by people for swimming, bathing and fishing. In the 1800s there
December 12, 2025
33 mins