Members of the Salty Bitches, a swimming group for people of all ages and abilities, are tackling their mental and physical health together.
Some of the Salty Bitches’ members wade into the water on a crisp winter morning. Photo: Ellie Claringbold
They meet every morning at dawn at various locations across Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula for a bracing ocean swim.
Founder Sarah Fenton said it was important people have a space where they can talk openly about their mental health.
“I know what a difference it makes when people are connected,” she said.
“Isolation and a lack of community support are the biggest challenges for everyone, especially as people age.”
The Salties are a diverse mix of women and men – who jokingly call themselves the Numb Nuts – with backgrounds as varied as their ages.
Several members, like Karen Banks, live alone.
“It’s very important for your own mental health that you remain intact and you remain in communication with people,” Banks said.
“I feel like that is a huge thing for me. I have to keep going.”
The group began swimming during the COVID-19 pandemic as a physical outlet for its six initial members.
As word spread, the Salty Bitches community grew rapidly.
Come summer, up to 100 swimmers are expected to join the core group in Indented Head each day.
“There are some women who have been through some really bad trauma and they’ve ended up with us,” Fenton said.
“If we’ve got community and strength and people feel supported … it changes how they think about themselves. It gives them better mental health.”
Lisa Gouin says joining the community 18 months ago was “the best decision”.
New to the area, she could hear women giggling in the water and went to investigate.
Now she swims with the group almost every morning.
“We share a lot of pretty intimate discussions that we’ve probably been waiting to (have) but we’ve needed to find the bond, the right people to talk to,” she said.
Like many of the group’s members, she’s grateful for the support network the Salty Bitches provide.
“Every morning they open their arms out to you,” she said.
“Everybody’s on the same level. It doesn’t matter what your background is, what your beliefs are, it’s just friendship.”
And those friendships have expanded well beyond the water.
The Salties meet for lunch dates and op shopping tours. There’s a knitting circle and a bike club. They celebrate birthdays and share both laughter and tears.
Fenton said anyone was welcome to join.
“There’s a community hug here. It doesn’t matter who you are,” she said.
“Just turn up. We’ll be here.”
