At a glance…
- What began as a spontaneous sunrise swim at Perth’s Mullaloo Beach in 2022 has grown into Sea Gals, a women’s swimming community spanning seven locations across Australia.
- Founded by Tara Jeisman, the free, volunteer-run initiative brings women of all ages together to build friendships, improve wellbeing and embrace body confidence.
- From overcoming loneliness to learning to love their bodies, Sea Gals members share how taking the plunge has transformed their lives.
- In 2026, Tara Jeisman was nominated for the Western Australian Young Australian of the Year for her efforts with Sea Gals.
It’s barely dawn when dozens of women of all ages shuffle across the sand towards the water. Some in bikinis, some wearing boardshorts and shirts. The air is cool and quiet, apart from the low hum of small talk and the crash of waves rolling in. A few brave ones dive straight under, while others linger at the edge, arms crossed against the cold, working up the courage. Within minutes, Perth’s Mullaloo Beach is alive with women splashing, chatting, and shaking off the week.
This is Sea Gals – a community that began with one spontaneous swim and has since grown into a movement.
“It was never a planned thing,” founder Tara Jeisman says. “I never sat down one day and thought, I’m going to make a women’s community group.”
Back in February 2022, Tara posted a social media video of herself going for a sunrise swim for the first time. “It got a few hundred thousand views, and all of these women were in the comments saying, I really want to do that, but I don’t have friends to go with, or I’m scared to go to the beach by myself and wear a bikini.”
So Tara threw out an invitation: “I’m going to be at this beach at this time next Friday. Everyone, pop your social media handle down below. I’ll create a group chat, and then meet you there.”
A hundred people said they were coming. Five showed up. “It was crazy that people who found me – a stranger on the internet – were like, I trust her, I’m going to go and meet her at six in the morning on a random beach.”
She filmed that swim, shared it again, and it snowballed from there. “The next one was 18 girls, then 45, then 88, then it went to 100 and 120 within three or four weeks. I just kept posting on social media, and it took off.”
Today, nearly four years on, Tara’s life revolves around those early-morning dips. What began as one Perth beach now spans seven locations across Australia, run entirely by volunteers. “We had one summer where 315 people came to a dip,” 27-year-old Tara recalls. “That was a moment where you’re like, oh my gosh, I’m speaking into a microphone, and the people at the back can’t even hear me. It’s crazy. You have to pinch yourself.”
Better together
Tara’s initiative comes at a time when Australians are reporting higher levels of loneliness than ever before. Data from the latest Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey found that socialising rates have dropped over the past 20 years, and that those in midlife, who are juggling work and caring responsibilities, have the lowest rates of socialising.
What keeps people coming back, Tara believes, is simple: a sense of belonging.
“A lot of mums come to our dips, and they just need some time away from family, away from their partners, away from kids,” she says. “They just need some time to connect with others that they may not know.”
It’s for this reason that each event begins with a short ‘connection piece’ before anyone gets in the water. “It started out with questions like, ‘What are three things you’re grateful for?’” Tara explains. “We change it up every time. We just did one where the theme was celebration, and one woman came by herself with flowers for a friend who’d passed away four years ago. The girls she met that morning helped her spread the flowers in the water. It was one of those moments where you go, wow – these strangers have come together, and they’re doing something meaningful.”
The ocean, Tara says, is both a sanctuary and a shock to the system, which is part of what makes it so enlivening. “We’re part of nature, but most of the time we forget that. When we get back out into nature, we realise our problems at work aren’t that big. I always tell everyone, let the week wash off you when you dive in – let it be a cleanse.”
It’s that ritual of release that has kept Claire Stewart returning. After living away for eight years, the 48-year-old was looking for ways to find a community that didn’t involve playing a sport.
“It was a freezing August dip, but it was really invigorating,” she says. “I hadn’t been swimming in the ocean in winter before. Now I’ve taken a liking to cold water swimming – I try to go whenever I can.”
Kerry French, 47, joined after her daughter told her about it and encouraged her to come along. “It was the fact that it was women-only that appealed to me,” she says. “I was trying to step out of my comfort zone a bit. When I got there, there were women of all ages. It was really lovely, and I’ve been going ever since.”
She says the experience has quietly shifted how she sees herself, with a knock-on effect on her confidence. “Growing up in the ’90s, when Kate Moss and the other supermodels were big, I never felt comfortable,” she says. “I didn’t feel good about my body. But at Sea Gals, I don’t think about it. Everyone’s just having a good time and enjoying the ocean.”
Claire has felt a similar shift. “I’ve generally been a body-confident person, but I used to wear surf leggings and rash vests,” she says. “Since joining Sea Gals, I’ve started donning bikinis. I felt like I could. I think that’s one thing that’s really changed.”
Tara, who has a degree in psychology, says those transformations are at the heart of what Sea Gals is about: improving women’s mental health, wellbeing and body image. “Even though it’s a focus, we don’t talk about body image too much,” she explains. “I don’t want to make people think about their bodies if they’re not. I want them to come down as they are – whether it’s in a T-shirt and boardies or a bikini that shows most of their bum, it really doesn’t matter.”
Gals and pals
First promoted to increase connectivity, the irony of our increasing reliance on social media is that it has made us more isolated than ever. Coupled with the cost-of-living crisis, it has only compounded our feelings of loneliness.
“Our dips are free and accessible,” says Tara. “People always ask why we don’t charge, but that’s not the point. We’re here for women to have an experience they can get to even if they’re not working or can’t afford it.”
And while it’s a women-led space, it’s not exclusive. “We do open our dips now and then to all genders and call them ‘gals and pals’,” Tara explains. “Usually, women bring their partners or dads – people they already know. We’re always open to others.”
She’s seen women of every generation join, and encourages everyone, regardless of their age, to grab their towel and come down. “We had a girl bring her grandma – she was in her seventies,” Tara says. “We tell parents to bring their kids, too. They should see what women supporting women looks like from a young age.”
For Claire, that sense of community is what sets Sea Gals apart from other groups. “You get to talk to women you might never otherwise meet. It’s not small talk – people open up. You learn about their lives and struggles, and realise we’re all just out there doing the best we can.”
It’s that feeling of inclusivity that Tara hopes women take home with them and carry into their days. “I hope they value themselves,” she says. “A lot of women put others first – their kids, their partners, their jobs. If they’ve woken up at 5 am to come to the beach by themselves, I want them to see that as an act of self-care. Even if it’s just an hour out of your day, you’re taking care of yourself, and you deserve that.”
Now operating as a not-for-profit, Sea Gals runs dips across Australia, and even wellness events such as yoga sessions and retreats. It also has a size-inclusive swimwear line, and hosts an annual topless swim to raise money for breast cancer research. “It’s amazing,” Tara says. “We do it at Perth’s only nude beach, and while men are walking their dogs nearby, we just band together.”
As for the future, she’s open to wherever the tide takes her. “We have girls all over Australia asking us to come to their beaches – the Sunshine Coast, Adelaide, Melbourne. We’d love to expand. I’m a counsellor by trade, so creating a space for women and supporting their mental health is really the core of what I do.”
Asked what she’d say to the woman who wants to hit the beach but feels too self-conscious, Tara’s message is clear: “Your body is an instrument, not an ornament,” she says. “You deserve to use the body you’ve been given and enjoy the things life has to offer without worrying about the way you look.
“No one is looking at you – they’re too worried about themselves. Just go. Don’t even look in the mirror. Just jump in the ocean and see how you feel.”
Find out more about Sea Gals here.
This feature was originally published in the February 2026 issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly. Subscribe so you never miss an issue.
