Dave Budge: Water Safety, Risk Management and the Evolution of Mass Participation Events
5/11/202646 min
In this episode, Grant speaks with Dave Budge, one of Western Australia’s most influential figures in triathlon and mass participation sport, about how water safety, risk management and event delivery have evolved over the past three decades.
As a Life Member of Triathlon WA and Race Director for more than 200 triathlons, along with major open water swims including the Busselton Jetty Swim and the Rottnest Channel Swim, Dave brings a unique, experience‑based perspective on what it takes to safely deliver events at scale.
The conversation explores how water safety has changed over time, the increasing role of technology and data in risk assessment. we talk about how decisions around starts, formats and cancellations are made when balancing athlete safety with participant experience. Dave also reflects on lessons learned from near‑misses, evolving expectations and the pressure of decision‑making under real‑world constraints.
Beyond logistics and safety, the episode touches on inclusion, women’s participation and the broader impact of mass participation events -not just on athletes, but on communities and the sport itself.
This is a reflective, behind‑the‑scenes look at the complexity of delivering safe, fair, and memorable open water and triathlon events — and what three decades of experience can teach us about the evolution of mass participation sport.
You can find out more about the events Dave runs at https://www.theeventteam.com.au/
This interview was recorded on Whadjuk Noongar Boodjar. I acknowledge the Noongar people as the Traditional Custodians of these lands and waters and pay my respects to Elders past and present.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsGrant Landers· Host0:00
[waves crashing] Welcome back to The Science and Art of, uh, um, Open Water Swimming. Today's guest is someone whose influence on triathlon, a mass participation sport in Western Australia, is hard to overstate. Dave Budge is a life member of Triathlon WA, and has spent more than three decades shaping what triathlon, open water swimming, and endurance events look like in this state. Over more than 20 years, Dave has been at the forefront of innovation in ev- event delivery, providing quality, inclusive events for everyone, from first-timers through to elite athletes. Dave has been race director for more than 200 triathlons in WA, including over 50 state, national, and world championship events. His involvement dates right back to the early 1990s, when he managed one of the first, uh, West Australian multisport events, the Coca-Cola Aquathon series at Scarborough Beach, which was pitched as a battle of the codes between surf lifesavers and triathletes. In 2001, Dave was part of the Triathlon WA group that took the bold idea to the Geographe Bay Tourism Association, bringing a, a major triathlon event to Busselton. That conversation marked the beginning of what would become one of Australia's most iconic triathlon destinations. Dave went on to play a significant role in managing the Busselton Festival of Triathlon for two decades, race directing the event from 2008 to '21. At its peak, the Busso Half