Busselton Jetty Swim competitors still waiting on finish times to be finalised due to unplugged cable

An unplugged cable in the timing machine of the Busselton Jetty Swim has plunged the times of competitors into question.

The organisers of the South West’s premier open water swimming event have issued an apology, saying they were working hard to rectify the unprecedented situation.

Times for some swimmers were visible on the event’s website earlier in the week, but they have now been replaced with an explanation that an “issue” — later clarified to be the unplugged cable — had led to some swimmers not receiving a time.

Posting on Facebook, the swim’s organisers said the cable powering the timing machine was buried in the sand, which is standard practice.

“A swimmer or spectator has tripped on the cable which caused one of the ends to be pulled out of the timing machine,” the post said.

“This has not occurred before and is obviously something we did not plan.

“If we’ve incorrectly awarded any prizes, we’re deeply sorry for any upset. We will of course recognise the correct recipients in due course.

“We’re sorry this has happened and can assure you we will be reviewing processes to safeguard future events.”

The fee for an individual to enter the 3.6km event is listed as $85 on the swim’s website, while entering a four-person team is priced at $340.

Australind’s Kyle Lee was listed as the fastest finisher in the 3.6km solo swim for the fifth year in a row with a time of 38min6.0sec, while Rosie Wilson was recorded as the women’s winner with a time of 43:46.8.

The organisers say they expected to finalise results “in about a week”.