Winter Challenge 2026 RESULTS
Final Results
Dolphins Open Water Winter Challenge 2026
The Dolphins Open Water Winter Challenge 2026 officially concluded on 30 September, bringing another winter of Masters swimming adventures to an end!
Once again, some of our brave Tasmanian swimmers took on the challenge of cold water, rough conditions, waves and wind to keep swimming throughout the winter months. Congratulations to everyone who participated and embraced the challenge!
Three challenges, plenty of adventure!
This year, swimmers could choose from three distance challenges, inspired by iconic places for open water swims:
- 25 km – Port to Pub, Rottnest Channel, Western Australia
- 35 km – Naples to Capri, Italy
- 58 km – New Norfolk to Dennes Point, Tasmania
Additional points were also awarded for swimming at different beaches and in different types of aquatic environments, rewarding swimmers who explored a variety of locations and conditions.
🥇 First Place – Melanie Webb
Hobart Aquatic – 40 points
| Melanie smashed the challenge with an incredible 207.8 km of swimming, earning 30 points for distance and an additional 10 points for swimming at five different beaches and one island.
That’s more than 3.5 times the longest challenge distance! An outstanding effort and a fantastic achievement. Congratulations, Melanie! |
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🥈 Second Place – Megan Stronach
Hobart Dolphins – 35 points
| Megan completed the Naples to Capri Challenge, swimming an impressive 46.4 km. She earned 20 points for distance and another 15 points for swimming in four different types of aquatic environments with 80% of Megan’s swimming took place in Tasmania. A wonderful effort and a great demonstration of the variety of open water swimming! |
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🥉 Third Place – Pia Peterson and Mark Van Ommen
Hobart Dolphins – 25 points each
| Pia and Mark both completed 25 km of swimming, matching the distance of the Port to Pub Rottnest Channel Challenge. Each earned 20 points for distance and an additional 5 points for swimming at different beaches.Congratulations to both swimmers on completing the challenge! |
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A big thank you to everyone who took part in the 2026 Winter Challenge. Your commitment, enthusiasm and willingness to brave Tasmania’s winter waters are truly inspiring.
Congratulations to all our participants
Prizes will be presented at the Dolphins’ Annual Lunch in November, so stay tuned!
Keep swimming, keep exploring, and we look forward to another great challenge next winter!
Auro Almeida
Winter Challenge Coordinator
