HEAD ABOVE WATER - 24 HOUR SWIMATHON

Next month, the Head Above Water 24-Hour Swimathon returns to Collaroy Rockpool for the sixth year, after raising over $650,000 from 2019 to 2023 for mental fitness and suicide prevention programs across the Northern Beaches and throughout Australia.

Head Above Water was founded by Collaroy Plateau local Andrew ‘Wardy’ Ward and a bunch of his good mates in response to the high rate of suicide on the Northern Beaches and the mental health challenges faced by many in the community.

As Wardy says, “Having faced my own challenges, I wanted to create an event that combined physical activity with the power of community to make a positive difference to people’s lives. And so, the idea of the Head Above Water 24-Hour Swimathon was born.”

This year’s swim begins at 9am on Saturday, March 2nd and will finish at 9am on Sunday, March 3rd. There are four lanes to cater for all levels of swimming ability and people can choose to swim as many, or as few laps as they like. Every swimmer has the opportunity to raise money via their own sponsorship page or can form a team to raise even more money. Teams of 10 can also enter the relays on Sunday starting at 9:15am, to claim bragging rights on the beaches for the next 12 months.

Over the last five years, Head Above Water has helped fund mental fitness workshops, presentations and training from partners including Anchor Health (formerly Man Anchor), Tomorrow Man, Tomorrow Woman, Meditation HQ, and Spoke International.

From 2019 to 2023, over 450 programs have been facilitated, reaching more than 14,500 men, women, boys and girls across schools, sports clubs, businesses, and community groups. This work is ensuring we all strive for a healthier and more meaningful life, for ourselves and those around us, helping address the tragic reality that eight people in Australia lose their life to suicide every day.

For anyone interested in signing up for the swim, click here.

To volunteer for the event (swim marshal, water safety, registration desk, etc), click here.

To donate directly to Head Above Water, click here.

Every donation helps create meaningful connections and makes a positive difference throughout the community; every $40 raised funds a participant to attend a workshop, every $75 raised funds a 1-hour session with a qualified counsellor, every $700 raised funds a 6-week meditation course and every $4,000 raised funds 2 x 50-person workshops.

Head Above Water Australia Ltd was founded in response to the high rate of suicide on Sydney's Northern Beaches and the mental health challenges faced by many in the community. Our mission is to build mental fitness from the grassroots up to help prevent mental illness and reduce suicide across Australia.

If you, or someone you know needs help, contact the Mental Health Access Line on 1800 011 511 which is a 24-hour telephone service operating 7 days a week across NSW.  Alternatively, contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14.