Ocean Heroes’ 24-hour swim for autism awareness is coming back to Scarborough!

Grab ya goggles (or maybe just a few coffees and your cheering voice), because Ocean Heroes‘ 24-Hour Swim is heading back to Scarborough Beach Pool this April 21.

They’re once again inviting the whole community down to cheer on the swimmers raising vital funds to keep Ocean Heroes’ surfing events program for the autism community free.

Those events are hosted year-round across the state, helping thousands of children living with autism and their families enjoy a day of fun on the beach and in the surf.

And this 24-hour swim plays a huge part in their yearly fundraising events and overall donations, which you can contribute to here.

It kicks off from 4pm on Friday 21 April and goes straight through to 4pm the following Saturday, with 210 swimmers taking to the pool in 20 teams, swimming relay style continuously for 24 hours.

And while there is a novelty-sized Scarborough clocktower trophy on offer, it’s truly an event about helping keep access to Ocean Heroes’ live-changing experiences for free.

“Seeing the pure joy in my son’s eyes and hearing him express the feeling of happiness has been thanks to the amazing community that the team at Ocean Heroes is able to create and provide,” says Sarah Cattermole, who has a son with autism and is the Aboriginal Community Coordinator at Telethon Kids Institute’s Clinikids, an organisation that works with autistic children and families.

Cattermole will be joined by several other team members from the Telethon Kids Institute taking part in the 24-hour swim: “They are always embracing, acknowledging and celebrating the unique qualities of each individual child, adult and their families that engage with the program meeting people where they are at and building on their strengths whilst supporting skills around positive social interactions, communication and most importantly water safety,” she says.

“We are so lucky to be apart of the Ocean Heroes community.”

Along with a number of other members from the autism community taking part, there’ll also be a special guest appearance from Bondi Rescue and former Home & Away star, Ryan “Whippet” Clark, who’s looking to set up the Ocean Heroes program in NSW later this year.

Head to the Ocean Heroes Website for more info.