Is that an Australian Swimming Dolphins fastkin thing we see in the foreground? Welcome to Hayley Lewis, who returned to the NSW North Coast to swim Yamba, after bobbing up in the dark beige Tweed River at Murwillumbah on November 30.

Report by Mike Harvey, Yamba SLSC

There were 321 individual entries from NSW, Queensland, Victoria and the United States, choppy sea conditions, close finishes and an estimated crowd of 800 for the Yamba Ocean Swims at Main Beach on Sunday.

There were 190 starters in the 700m event, 146 in the 2km and 33 in the 200m dash-for-cash headed by triple Olympian Hayley Lewis from Norman Park in Brisbane.

Former Yamba champions and 2009 Nutri Grain Iron Man competitors Hugh Dougherty and Alyce Bennett were forced to withdraw due to illness.

And the mob lines up ...

Byron Bay teenager Shannon Hulbert-Green, 16, was the outstanding female swimmer with two wins and a second while former Yamba champions Joe Dougherty and Jacob Lollback were prominent in the male events.

Shannon won the 2000km swim in a time of 28 minutes 54 seconds to edge out three-time Olympian Hayley Lewis, Norman Park, Qld, by 40 seconds with Keiralee Robson, Elanora, Qld, in third place.

She also won the dash-for-cash but was beaten by Hayley in the 700m swim by 25 seconds with the consistent Keiralee picking-up another third.

The mens 700m swim went to Tugun 16 year-old Jackson Maynard in a time of 10m50s with Codie Grimsey, Cashmere, Qld, 8 seconds behind in second and Joe Dougherty, formerly of Yamba and now a member a Burleigh Heads another 5 seconds off in third place.

Joe took first place in the men’s dash-for-cash when he took the northern end of the course, brilliantly surfed a wave to the beach and was an easy winner in a field of 24 swimmers.

Another former Yamba and now Burleigh Heads member Jacob Lollback took the mens 2000km with a 27m55s swim to beat Codie Grimsey by 10 seconds with 43 year-old noted ocean swimmer David O’Brien, Berowra, third.

Jacob is the captain of the Australian under 23 Surf Life Saving team and David is the brother of Yamba member and event commentator Ray O’Brien who got very excited with the performance of his big brother.

They're coming to get you ...

Yamba SLSC president Ray Burridge was delighted with the entries, which were up on last year, the support of sponsors and the efforts of club members to ensure a successful event.

There were excellent sales of club merchandise including T shirts, swimmers, towels, and polo shirts while the BBQ and refreshments were well received.

The Yamba Ocean Swims are sponsored by Westlawn Finance, Yamba Bowling Club, Fandango, Securcorp, PRD Nationwide, Clarence Valley Review, Yamba Community Heated Pool, Clarence Valley Council, Engine, Surface to Air, Mackelly’s Stores, Sound Lounge Café, Scorpio Apartments and LJ Hooker.

Women 700m:
10-14 Riley Maynard, Tugun;
15-19 Kimberley Saunders, Yamba;
20-29 Bronwyn Knox, Wilston, Qld;
30-39 Natasha Hankin, Hornsby;
40-49 Molly Schafer (former US swim team member);
50-59: Belinda Burke, Prahran, Vic.;
60-69: Jan Klein, Angourie

Men 700m:
10-14 Dylan Brown, Wooloweyah;
15-19 Jackson Cosgrove, Currumbin Waters;
20-29 Thomas Knox;
30-39 Peter Lohs, Nana Glen;
40-49 Scott Unicomb, Robina;
50-59: Roger Muspratt, Broadbeach, Qld;
60-69 Geoff Sanders, Yamba;
70 + Ray Burridge, Yamba.

Women 2000m:
12-14 Shivaun Street, Yowie Bay;
15-19 Marlee Green, Bonville;
20-29 Sally Woolaston, Merewether;
30-39 Sam Doust, Taree;
40-49 Sue Duncan, Yamba;
50-59 Alexandra Evans, Brunswick Heads;
60-69 Stephanie Lymburner, Ballina.

Men 2000m:
12-14 Lachlan Cramsie, Maroochydore, Qld;
15-19 Brody Rheinberger, Yamba;
20-29 Joshua McHugh, Altsonville;
30-39 Greg Taylor, Norman Park, Qld;
40-49 Scott Unicomb, Robina,  Qld;
50-59 John Townend, Carindale, Qld;
60-69 John Bacheldor, Wooloweyah.

Faces in the crowd ... we thought it our cobber, water poloist Roger Muspratt, at right, now swimming in the early 50s, or Sub-Codger, age group ... and we said so at first, but we've now been corrected: it's Adrian Dernee, also a water poloist, from Tamworth, according to "anita".

... and there's the Zelig of ocean swimming, Dean Hancock, centre, posing to camera, without his orange budgy smugglers this season, it seems ...

And Yamba preso Ray Burridge didn't make the mistake that Killer made at Murwillumbah, when he didn't recognise Hayley Lewis. This is the first time we've seen a likeness of Ray, although we've swapped emails with him for many years. We thought Ray may have been the same Ray Burridge with whom oceanswims.com used to work, as a cub reporter, back in the early 70s. But, no, the two look very different. What ever did happen to that other Ray, who used to give us lifts to the Central Coast after midnight on a Saturdee night, after both of us had finished work as hacks, Ray heading home after a hard night subbing the dish-lickers, us heading for a weekend with Peppermint Pattie and Rotten ol' Herbe after reporting the dish lickers race results from Wenty or Harold Parks. We used to hitchhike from Sydney to Newcastle after midnight most Saturdee nights. Surprising we're still here, come to think of it ...