Ethan, 7, youngest Classic swimmer

All Waipu's Ethan Carroll wanted to do was be like the rest of his family and swim in today's State Bay of Islands Classic, leading to the 7-year-old becoming the youngest entrant at the event.

Ethan will take part in the 200m OceanKids event this morning, after training weekly at his local pool to prepare for his first ever ocean swim event - which doubles as the opening leg of the nationwide State New Zealand Ocean Swim Series for 2014/15.

He became eager to begin his ocean swimming career after watching his father, 42, sister, 10, and her friends taking part in the last year's event. This year, Ethan will also be joined by his mother, 39-year-old Sharon Carroll, who said she was proud to see her son involved.

"It's actually a first for a couple of us in the family this year. I am also doing an event for the first time, the 300m, and I am not a swimmer," she said.

"The family are laughing and saying I will be picked up by the IRB. I am sure Ethan will go on to do future events too. He is a really gutsy kid."

Organisers noted that youngsters who win their age group in the State OceanKids 200m event, for those aged 6-10 years, will be eligible for the Jetstar Super Swim Squad. This involves attendance at an end-of-season training camp in Auckland in April, with top name elite swimmers and coaches.

"Feedback from camps over the past two years have been overwhelmingly positive, with parents and kids agreeing it was an experience worth swimming the extra mile for," said event director Scott Rice. He added it was wonderful to see the increase in family groups and the support from Northland swimmers.

Other distances in the State Bay of Island Classic event include the 300m "Give it a Go" distance and the 3.3km "I'm Going Long" distance.

The other five events in this year's series include the State Harbour Crossing (Auckland), Capital Classic (Wellington), La Grande (Akaroa), Sand to Surf (Mount Maunganui) and King of the Bays (North Shore, Auckland).

The charity partner for the State NZ Ocean Swim Series is Surf Life Saving New Zealand.