Juliana Bahr-Thomson has provided the following update on day one of her attempt to paddle from Newcastle to Noosa for domestic violence and the environment:

Paddling out of Newcastle Harbor was surreal, surrounded by smiles and other ocean loving souls; I was in my element! A few loud horn blasts from the ship ‘David Alan’ with a good friend Luke on board, I could hear him and his crew mates calling out to me as I paddled! (Apparently the crew thought i’d be wearing something a little more mermaid looking! hahahah) The positive vibes couldn’t have been higher with a pod of dolphins playfully jumping around me as i paddled!

I was making great time and truly enjoying myself for the first few hours, the swell was massive as i looked to my right i could see mountains of water looming up, trying to find a paddle rhythm amongst the swell was difficult. As time moved on the wind picked up…a lot. Not only was i facing massive swell, but now i had a strong wind swell to negotiate, I was knocked off my board a few times. Having Paul and Bam Bam as company paddling their ski’s was pretty fun too, their energy and jokes are limitless!

After covering 15km of open ocean I was due for another quick break, so i climbed onto the sled of the jet ski to sit and stretch while munching down a very much needed peanut butter and honey sandwich. It was within 1 minute of stopping and starting my sandwich that things started to get serious. I was about 4 bites in when I started shivering un controllably. These shivers soon increased to full body convulsions, I was mentally alert but lost control of my body movements as it tried to fight the absolute freezing conditions.

If it wasn’t for Fish my jet ski driver it wouldn’t have been a successful day, he managed to get me warm after a solid hour, however my condition never returned to normal, i was not in a good way at all.

Things improved as we saw whales, I was paddling so far out at sea that the whales were actually between me and the sandy shore line! Seeing them gliding along was absolutely majestic, they were so happy just swimming north through the swell! It was fun to keep track of them using their water spouts as a guide, I guess i was about 50m away from them!

Throughout the day we were escorted by massive sea birds that enjoyed darting over our heads and around the jet ski.

The day finally came to an end at Birubi Surf Club where the Crest cafe staff went above and beyond to make sure we had a good nutritious meal to refuel post paddle. The Surf Club had us absolutely sorted with dinner, views, amazing hot showers, whales and funky lounge beds! Later in the afternoon I was lucky enough to get a visit from Sheree the surf club secretary and her pet horse.

BACKGROUND:

YOU’D probably ask ‘why?’ if somebody told you they were paddling from Newcastle to Noosa.

For Juliana Bahr-Thomson the answer is twofold – domestic violence and the environment.

She is known at the Mermaid with a Message and we will be following her journey with daily updates as she makes her way up the coast.  The teacher and professional lifeguard by trade will depart Newcastle on June 26.

The 1,000km, near-two-month trip is a Guinness World Record attempt to raise awareness for the environment (Surfrider Foundation) and domestic violence (White Ribbon Australia).

Protecting the environment has always been something close to her heart and she is speaking out about domestic violence because she was a victim of it during her childhood.

She knew it would be difficult to have to speak about her own situation in choosing to support White Ribbon, but felt being honest was how she could make a difference.

“I knew people would ask ‘what’s your connection and why White Ribbon’. For me it was a massive thing to do but I thought, ‘you know what, I’m going to help more people by being honest and open and discussing it rather than not’,” she said.

“I know with domestic violence there are so many stigmas, people think not that person, they’re a successful business person, or a successful sports person, but that’s what I want to break, those stigmas, so people are aware it could be anyone. 

“I don’t want people to go through what I’ve been through, so maybe just by putting it out there, even if it’s just one girl or guy the courage to walk out of their situation, that’s all I want.”

While Bahr-Thomson describes her situation as “different” because she was a child and didn’t have an out, the mental, emotional and physical abuse she was subjected to by members of her step family when she was growing up left her with few places where she could feel safe so she used sport as an outlet.

“I don’t want to blame anyone, because going through all that has made me potentially a lot tougher than I would have been but at the same time if I can use all of that to help other people so they don’t need to go through it then perfect, because I might be that slightly tougher person who is able to use it, because a lot of people I know can’t, so sport has always been my saviour,” she said.

“I was so driven and focused on my sport because as long as my mind was absolutely focused and kept busy with sport and everything else I was cramming into my days I wasn’t thinking or focusing on all the other stuff.

She has taken her sport to the extreme competing at four world championships in two different sports.

“When I was at high school I was at state and national level for about 10 different sports.”

“I know now it was a complete avoidance thing for me. Everyone copes with things differently.”

“I know that if you go through a lot of these sorts of things there are always three options: there’s drugs, there’s alcohol and there’s suicide. 

“A lot of people delve into these options because it is so hard to mentally process … they’re things to crowd your mind.  I made a fourth option and I made it sport and that’s what crowded my mind.”

Having competed at world champs in triathlon — one Olympic distance, one half ironman — and aerobics where she placed third and seventh, shifting her training goals to completing a 1000km paddle hasn’t been too difficult.

Though she’s been slowed by injury and ankle surgery the more crippling setbacks have been with support.

Support her efforts by going to: 

https://www.mycause.com.au/page/111541/mermaid-with-a-message​