Filmed with the Sony FX6 & FX3. I had the FX3 in the water housing and the FX6 took care of the out of water shots.
Such a fun project to be a part of. Can’t wait for Bronte to do her incredible 33km ocean swim for charity!! I can’t even swim 50m in a pool without almost drowning.
Swimmer: @brontee_m@yellowfreesiafoundation
I’ve been busy swimming… 🌊
Now I can finally share why ☀️
I’m taking on what I’ve called 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙎𝙬𝙞𝙢. A swim from the Tweed River mouth at D-Bar Seaway to The Spit Seaway in Main Beach in honour of Elle, to raise awareness and funds for the Yellow Freesia Foundation.
Elle was sunshine in human form. To have known her was to have known irrefutable love, unwavering kindness, incredible strength and a warmth that rivaled the Gold Coast sun on a summer’s day.
I am going to swim for her.
To carry on her legacy.
To carry on her light.
And hopefully continue to spread that kindness and warmth she so freely gave.
This isn’t just a swim.
It’s love in motion.
It’s grief turned into purpose.
It’s choosing hope, even on the hard days.
Thank you for being here and for being part of this journey with me 💛
To find out more and/or donate please visit the link in my bio.
But more importantly, please share this around. Raise awareness and if you would like to be involved in some way, please send me a DM!
Let’s aim for the sunshine together.
#TheSunshineSwim #ForElle #SunshineStrong #StrengthThroughSupport
𝙈𝙮 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙀𝙡𝙡𝙚☀️
It just doesn’t seem real.
To steal the quote you used at our wedding and something I thought about often over the past 2 weeks is, 𝘓𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘰𝘯.
You will always be the sunshine in my life, the shining light that so many of us look to when feeling down. Just being in your aura made you feel warm and inspired. It is my greatest privilege to be one of your best friends.
And just like the moon, I know now you will always be the quiet, steady light guiding me through the darkest of moments. I know that you will always be there for us that were in your orbit, just like the moon never really leaves the sky, even though we might not always be able to see it.
You were the epitome of strength, resilience and unwavering courage and that larger than life, beautiful bright smile never wavered. Your legacy will live on through Harper and Pax who will know everyday just how truly extraordinary you were 💛
Our shining bright angel forever, words will never be enough and time will never heal this hole in my heart.
I promise to forever Be Brave like Elle and when in doubt, I will consider, ‘What would Elle do?’ #wwed
I miss you 💛
ONE WEEK AGO ALREADY!!!! ☀️🌊
What the heck?! What an absolute ride this whole journey has been!! And it’s definitely just the beginning!
I genuinely cannot believe The Sunshine Swim was a week ago already. I’m still riding that high and honestly still trying to process everything that the weekend became. There was so much love, support and community wrapped into one day, and I don’t think I’ll ever fully have the words for it 🥰
But you better believe I wasn’t going to miss the chance to share more incredible photos from the weekend — these ones captured by the talented @russell.mansfield 📸
Donations are still rolling in! Last night we cracked over $44,000 raised for the @yellowfreesiafoundation 💛
That number absolutely blows me away. Knowing this swim will help make a real difference in the lives of so many women means more to me than I could ever explain.
Thank you will never feel big enough, but from the bottom of my heart… thank you so so much!!
You better believe plans are starting for the next big one…and I promise, it’s MUCH bigger than the first 😉
Any guesses or ideas? Comment below!
If there was one piece of advice I could give anyone after this weekend, it would be this: find something you truly love, surround yourself with genuinely remarkable people and use it to do something bigger than yourself. Something meaningful ☀️
Something that helps others ☀️
I promise it will make a difference in other people’s lives, but most importantly, it will completely change yours 💛
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to properly explain what this weekend truly meant to me 💛
It was just an idea in my head…a crazy, emotional, “I wonder if I could do this” thought born from grief and love.
And then, on the weekend, it was all so real.
There were just so many pinch me moments 🥰 I have never felt support like I felt this past weekend. Ever.
There’s something really overwhelming about looking around and realising how many people chose to care about something that started from such a personal place of heartbreak. And together, we turned it into something beautiful ☀️
To every single person who played a role in The Sunshine Swim, thank you for becoming part of this story.
And Elle… I hope we made you proud. ☀️💛
How do I even begin to put into words what this weekend was to me!
The Sunshine Swim started as a crazy, far-fetched idea. But it became something so much bigger than just a swim. Bigger than me!
Together, we raised over $43,000 for the @yellowfreesiafoundation . Not only did the Sunshine Swim change my life, that money will go on to support and change the lives of so many women and is something I will carry with me forever.
From the very first stroke to the moment I reached the shore, it all felt surreal. There were moments out there where I truly felt Elle with me. I know this swim was always meant to be for her and I think we can all agree, the sunrise was all Elle 💛
People often see swimming as an individual sport, but there was absolutely nothing solo about the Sunshine Swim.
To my support crew, thank you will never, ever feel like enough. You were more than support. You were the glue, the calm in the chaos, the problem-solvers, the energy and soul behind the entire operation. I trusted you with everything, and I could never have done this without you.
To every single person who swam beside me throughout the day — thank you. You have no idea what it meant to look up and see people there with me in the water. Every laugh, every smile, every shared kilometre gave me another boost when I needed it. It was one of the most surreal and beautiful parts of the whole experience.
To my family, both blood and chosen — you are my whole heart. Thank you for believing in me, backing me and loving me through every part of this journey. This achievement belongs to you too.
And to every person who donated, shared a post, sent a message, cheered from the shoreline, followed along online or simply believed in what we were trying to do… thank you. Truly. The support surrounding this swim was overwhelming in the most beautiful way.
What started as The Sunshine Swim feels like it has become something so much bigger. Maybe this is just the beginning of the Sunshine Movement.
So… what’s next? Maybe we swim back 😂☀️
On Saturday, @brontee_m did something truly remarkable — swimming 33km along the Gold Coast coastline in honour of her best friend Elle, raising over $40,000 for the @yellowfreesiafoundation .
We’re incredibly proud of her, and so grateful for the community that rallied behind her every step (and stroke) of the way.
Our Engine community is something we’re so proud of — one team, pushing each other to be better every single day.
We got you 🤍
The Sunshine Swim. 33km ocean swim from Duranbah to The Spit. Bronte completed the full unassisted swim over the weekend which helped raise over $40k for charity in memory of her best friend Elle Howard.
I was lucky enough to document the whole journey to be apart of history on this epic journey through one of the most iconic beach fronts in the world.
@brontee_m
To my amazing best friend ☀️
You swam the length of the Gold Coast from D-Bar to the Spit yesterday and it was beyond amazing.
What is also amazing is your dedication to this challenge, this sport and raising money in honour of our darling Elle ☀️💛
What is amazing is your determination and your grit.
Your strength and courage that you had not only yesterday but this whole time leading up to yesterday was something else!
What is amazing is the crew you got behind you, to support you literally every step, paddle and stroke of the way, each and every day till you crossed that finish line yesterday 🏊🏽♀️
In the morning as the sun rised, I know Elle and Julz where there lighting up the sun for you and shining done on you 🥹
To say I’m proud would be an understatement and to the amount of money you raised, which is beyond extraordinary, I thank you as I know it’s going to help so many young women diagnosed with cancer on the Gold Coast who will be well supported by the Yellow Freesia Foundation due to your donations.
I love you 💛💛💛 #thesunshineswim #yellowfreesiafoundation
