Neanne Alnafta doesn’t like labels. But it is hard to introduce someone without them. 

So for this moment, I will share that she is a proud Muslim woman, a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney, an ocean swimmer and a volunteer surf lifesaver.

She is also someone who is (and I quote) “freakishly scared” of the ocean.

I came across Neanne’s story after reading an article about an organisation called ‘Swim Sisters’, an all-female swimming squad that empowers women, especially those from Islamic backgrounds, to feel more confident and comfortable in the ocean.

You may know Swim Sisters by its former name - Burkini Babes, a group launched in France in 2016 by a group of women who were banned from wearing burkinis on the beach.

In this conversation, Neanne and I discuss:

- her love of soccer growing up,

- why she felt like swimming and beach life weren’t for her after she started wearing the hijab, 

- the power and importance of representation,

- what prompted her to become involved in ocean swimming and then surf lifesaving (despite being “freakishly” scared of the ocean), 

- the healing impact of ocean swimming on mental health,

- why fear is not a bad thing.