Perth Voice Interactive

ART curator Leigh Robb is hoping her couture swimsuit will repel sharks when she does the Rottnest Channel Swim later this month.

She is part of a four-woman team, nicknamed the PICAnauts, who will take on the 19.7km open water event from Cottesloe Beach to the island.

“I heard sharks don’t like bright neon colours, so hopefully our swimsuits will fend them off,” she laughs. “We’ve had them specially made by local artist Tarryn Gill and designer Ingrid Zurzolothis.

“I remember when we did the swim last year, we could hear on the radio that a hammerhead had been spotted nearby—it was a bit disconcerting.”

Last year the team’s debut swim raised $5000 for artists-in-residence at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts.

Ms Robb says that this year they are hoping to raise double that amount.

“We’ve been training everyday at Beatty Park and have entered a few ocean races to warm up,” she says.

“We’re confident we can beat our time of seven hours from last year.

“People think artists aren’t very sporty—we want to shatter that myth!”

by STEPHEN POLLOCK