Poort, who at 21 is a second-time Olympic hopeful for the Rio games in the 10 kilometre swim, admits he probably isn't destined for the glory of shorter distance events.

Unlike the Michael Phelpses, Dawn Frasers and Ian Thorpes of the pool, open water swimming doesn't tend produce household names, or at least not the ones that end up endorsing clothing lines or breakfast cereal on TV.

And yet, it's a sport Poort has dedicated everything to. His daily training regimen, covering some 80 kilometres each week at the Wollongong facility where he swims, begins each morning before most would even bother to get up.

In 2012, at just 17, he competed in the 1500 metre heat at the London Olympics, placing seventh, and missing out on an shot in the final.

"I've had Rio in my sights for four years," he says.

But switching to longer distances outside of the pool has been an adjustment to say the least. Open water swimming, far from the starting blocks and lane ropes of its indoor counterpart, is a test of human mettle against the raw elements.

Rivers, lakes and oceans replace the 50-metre swimming pool, with salt or silt instead of the usual chlorine. The race becomes as much a battle of minds as it is bodies.

"Open water is so tactical, it's not as simple as getting in the pool and racing for a time," says Poort. "In open water, time is irrelevant."

The tactics he's talking about are similar to those of cyclists in the Tour de France. All the tacks, the breakaways and the peloton – itself an animated, breathing organism – translate easily.

"Drafting is a very big part of the sport," says Poort, referring to a technique involving tailing another swimmer in their slipstream to minimise spent energy. "It's a very big saving, sitting behind someone and letting them do the work."

"One of the biggest things that any open water swimmer learns is that the bloke behind you is doing it even easier."

Poort will be joining thousands this year in the Cole Classic at Manly Beach on February 7, though not as a swimmer but as an ambassador. He'll need to conserve energy for his Olympic trials only days later, but it won't stop him from encouraging others to participate.

"People don't realise that it's obviously going to be a challenge. If you can get in the pool to swim 10 to 20 laps, you can get in the ocean and swim the Cole Classic," he says.

"You're one on one with the ocean and really enjoying it, which is a big part of the sport."