Three Tamworth swimming enthusiasts will swap the calm waters of the City Pool for the turbulence of the open water on Saturday.
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Katrina Krogh, Jacki Richards and Adrian Dernee will tackle the annual Nobbys 2 Newcastle Ocean Swim.
It will be Krogh and Richard's first time competing in the 2km open water swim; Dernee has done it before.
"Jacki instigated it with me, she sent me a message one day and said I feel like I need a challenge lets do this swim," Krogh said.
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The two have previously completed the Manly to Shelley Beach swim in Sydney. Krogh has also done the Coffs jetty swim a few times.
But Saturday will be her first 'open water' ocean swim.
"I know I can cover the distance but I have to breath to the other side, the swell will come in my preferred side," she said when asked how she is feeling about the race.
She is though looking forward to it.
The three are part of the 'morning swim squad', as they are known.
"it's just a group of people who regularly meet at 5.30am and swim together," Krogh said.
It is very informal, she continued. There are no set training schedules and no coaches, someone is just selected that morning to run the session.
"It's a lovely mix of people, people of every occupation and background," she said.
A "long time swimmer" she had got back into swimming when her children were young - for the "quiet" - and joined the Tamworth group when she moved over from Wee Waa around three years ago now.
"The best part about swimming in that group is that you never leave the pool in a bad mood," Krogh added.
"It's the best way to start the day."
On Wednesday they celebrated Australia Day in typically Aussie fashion - with a swim and a barbecue.
"It was a fabulous morning spent together," Richards said.
She said at one point there were 33 swimmers in the pool, many more coming and going over the morning.
They even organised a microphone for a rendition of the national anthem.
