We sat down live with Brendan Cullen, a farmer from the Australian outback who took on one of the world’s toughest endurance challenges: swimming the English Channel.

In this unscripted After Swim conversation, Brendan shares the full journey behind his book The Desert Swimmer. From growing up in the bush, to battling mental health challenges, to finding purpose through open water swimming.

We explore what led him to take that first step, how he trained hundreds of kilometres from the ocean, and what it really takes, physically and mentally, to cross the Channel.

This is a raw and honest conversation about resilience, identity, community, and the power of saying yes to something that feels completely out of reach.

If you’ve ever wondered what’s possible when you commit to change, this one’s for you.

How to Choose the Right Experience! In this episode we explore the growing world of open water swim camps, swim treks, events and retreats, and how to decide which experience might be right for you.

0:00 - Intro

2:40 - 🌊 This Week In the Water

We highlighted the Irish Long Distance Swimming Association (ILDSA) Awards, celebrating some incredible achievements in the marathon swimming world.

• Open Water World Cup in Soma Bay

• Events across the Easter Long Weekend

• Yolanda - Double crossing of Robben Island

• The Australian Surf Life Saving Championships

• Jocelyn Webbs Derwent River Swim

• Jono Ridler Update - The Finish is near, petition passes 50k signatures.

18:26 - 🏊 The Main Set - What Swim Camp or Trip Should You Go On?

This week’s main conversation explored a question many swimmers eventually ask: “What type of swim trip or experience should I do?”

With so many options now available around the world, we broke the discussion down into four common categories.

• Swim Camps - are typically focused on learning and skill development.

• Swim Treks - focus more on exploration and experience. Instead of structured coaching, these trips are usually about swimming in incredible locations with support boats and experienced guides.

• Swim Events - combine challenge and community. These may include single-day races or multi-day events where swimmers complete a distance alongside others in a structured and safe environment.

• Swim Retreats - The final category we explored was wellness-focused swim retreats. These experiences are less about performance and more about connection with nature and personal wellbeing.

We also discussed the key things swimmers should look for when choosing a camp, trek or event.

40:30 -💙 Weekly Wisdom – How Did We Get Into Open Water Swimming? In this week’s Weekly Wisdom, we shared the personal stories behind how we both got into open water swimming and our experiences.

What became clear through both stories was that nobody starts as an expert.

Many swimmers begin with pool backgrounds and quickly realise open water requires completely different skills.

The ocean is unpredictable — and that’s exactly what makes it such a powerful teacher.

56:38 -🎙 Live Q&A During the live Q&A we tackled a question many swimmers think about but rarely ask openly: How do you choose the right time to take on a swim?

What factors go into this kind of decision;

• Weather stability (when in the year).

• Air Temp.

• Water Temp.

• Tides & currents - favourable vs. unfavourable

• Marine Life (breeding season).

• Night vs. Day.

• Business of waterway (ships, commuter boats) and more.

1:01:25 -❄️ The Cool Down

As always, we finished the show by reflecting on the conversation and inviting the community to continue shaping the direction of the show.

Words of the Week “Consistency wins. Because it's not what you do once in a while that matters — it's what you do every day.”

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✉️ Email: afterswim.team@gmail.com

After Swim is a global online community for open water swimmers, built around conversation, shared experience and connection.

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This week’s conversation centred around something every swimmer experiences, but few people truly prepare for: what happens after the event is over.

Because the reality is that finishing the swim is only part of the journey. What you do next matters just as much.

0:00 - Intro

2:30 - 🌊 This Week In the Water

We looked at several major stories and achievements from across the global open water swimming community. Including:

• Port to Pub 2026 results

• Australian Triple Crown completions

• Catching up with Open Water Legend Grainne Moss

• The Derwent River Big Swim anniversary

• Ryan Stramrood’s circumnavigation of St Helena

• The New Zealand Ocean Swim Series – Lake Karapiro Swim Fest

• Jono Ridler’s Live Ocean challenge, continuing his long-distance journey with 129 km still to go.

• A look at the upcoming release of the film, “Don’t Be Prey”.

21:30 - 🏊 The Main Set

Physical Recovery After a Major Swim

This week’s main topic focused on post-event physical recovery, something that many swimmers underestimate after months or even years of preparation.

• Dehydration

• Muscle damage and fatigue

• Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)

• General physical stress from prolonged effort We discussed the key stages of recovery, including: • Immediate Recovery (First Hours)

• Short-Term Recovery (Days After the Event) As swelling, stiffness and fatigue settle in, recovery should focus on supporting the body’s natural repair processes.

• Longer-Term Recovery (Weeks After) In the weeks that follow, swimmers should gradually transition back toward training while paying attention to any underlying issues.

40:18 - 💙 Weekly Wisdom Mental and Emotional Recovery

While the body might take days or weeks to recover, the mind often takes longer. We explored the emotional side of finishing a major goal, including the experience many athletes describe as post-event blues.

• A sudden loss of routine

• A drop in motivation

• Feelings of emptiness or lack of direction

• Difficulty transitioning back into normal life

We discussed strategies to help navigate this period, including:

• Accepting that these feelings are normal

• Reflecting on the journey and what you have learned

• Setting new goals, even small ones

• Maintaining connection with the swimming community

• Reconnecting with family, friends and other areas of life

Recovery isn’t just about muscles and fitness. It’s about rebuilding balance across your entire life.

58:06 - 🎙 Live Q&A

During the live Q&A we tackled a question many swimmers think about but rarely ask openly:

How do you overcome the fear of predator animals in open water?

1:02:16 - ❄️ The Cool Down

We reflected on the importance of what happens after the finish line and how recovery shapes the longevity of your swimming journey.

Words of the Week:

“A man is great not because he hasn’t failed. A man is great because failure hasn’t stopped him.” — Confucius

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🔗 Stay Connected

📩 Join The After Swim Newsletter: https://afterswim.kit.com

📸 Instagram: /afterswimcommunity

📘 Facebook: /afterswimcommunity

▶️ Subscribe on YouTube: /@afterswimcommunity

✉️ Email: afterswim.team@gmail.com

After Swim is a global online community for open water swimmers, built around conversation, shared experience and connection.

If you enjoyed this episode:

👍 Subscribe

💬 Share your thoughts in the comments

🔔 Join us live next week