What is the Busselton Jetty Swim?

The Busselton Jetty Swim is a 3.6km swimming race around one of the longest jetties on Earth. It takes place in Busselton, Western Australia, every February.

The Busselton Jetty Swim is one of Australia’s more unusual races. This swimming race takes place every year – usually in February – at the Busselton Jetty in Busselton, south-west Western Australia.

The idea of the race is pretty simple. You start on one side of the jetty, then swim round to the other. In most other places, this wouldn’t take very long at all. But the Busselton Jetty is a bit bigger than your standard issue jetty.

Busselton Jetty is one of the longest jetties or piers in the world. Photo courtesy of Tourism Western Australia.

Length of Busselton Jetty

The Busselton Jetty is an astonishing 1.841km long. It juts out into Geographe Bay and even has its own train line running along it.

Of course, this means that the Busselton Jetty Swim is much more than an easy splash in the bay. The course is 3.6km long, which requires serious levels of swimming ability and fitness. Some take part as solo swimmers, while others form relay teams of two or four.

For those daunted by the full 3.6km swim, there’s the option of the One Mile Swim To Shore. This sees you jump in the water towards the end of the water, then swim back to shore. It’s fairly unusual for a swimming race to start a mile out to sea, but there you go.

When did the Busselton Jetty Swim start?

The Busselton Jetty Swim was first raced in 1996, and has gradually become an international event. These days, it is more of a festival spread over two days, with entertainment and activities taking place around the swim.

For more information on the Busselton Jetty Swim, and details of how to enter, visit the event website. If you’re visiting at other times of the year, then try the Busselton Jetty Helmet Walk, which lets you walk on the seabed wearing a giant, ungainly, oxygen-supplied helmet.