AN ICEBERG IN SYDNEY
It was during the pleasant old days of the pre-bubble area. The time when growing tech companies bought business class tickets to send their young marketing professionals half-way across the world to give few presentations to would-be customers.
Getting “stuck” in Sydney during a late winter weekend with nothing else better to do, I decided to hop on a cab and land on Bondi Beach.
Over the years the wide sandy stretch of Bondi has become an Australian icon. Today, Bondi is synonymous with surfing, lifesaving, recreation and occasionally – sharks. After combing the beach for a while and starting to get a little hungry, I’ve set my course southbound to a recommended small dive in nearby Tamarama.
As I was climbing the rocks above the beach, I couldn’t help notice the strange looking large pool anchored between the rocks below and the endless reaches of the South Pacific. I watched as the waves broke on the rocky walls of the placid pool and realized it must be as salty as the ocean outside. I couldn’t understand the point in having a salty pool when an ocean is a step away. Clearly, the folks sitting and chatting on the white perch were as eccentric as the whole concept itself – or so I thought.
I didn’t know the half of it
I snapped the photo and moved on.
When I got back and developed the film*, an Australian friend of mine immediately cried;
– “Hey! That’s the Icebergs club!”
– “The Icebergs, What?!” I shot back.
I didn’t realize at the time that the strange looking pool was rather famous down-under. Founded almost 90 years ago, The Icebergs Club is Australia’s premier winter swimming club. It’s constitution (yes, it has one. I’m not making this up) Includes one famous “Rule 15B”. To maintain an Iceberg status, a member must compete at least on three Sundays out of four for five straight years.
No more long vacations, Sunshine!
Why Iceberg? You must wonder. That’s because members must continue competing in winters. That’s why!
Still, the name might be a tad presumptuous as winters in Sydney are not as bad as the ones Moscow.
For me, the photo will always remind me of Sydney, its striking beauty and the wonderful lifestyle of its inhabitants.
* a stone-age ritual in which one would deliver a small metal cylinder to a chemical printing lab and had to wait to receive actual prints.
Do you know a true Sydney Iceberg member?
Did you swim the salty waters of Bondi Iceberg Club?