Novice and returning rowers took to the waters of Lake Burley Griffin for the week-long ADF Rowing Camp that finished on October 3.

It covered rowing basics to help them find their sea legs with strokes, balance and equipment husbandry.

They also practised sculling, where each rower in the boat has two oars, and sweep style, where each rower has one oar.

For Aircraftwoman Mia Pauli, it was a return to the sport she pursued throughout high school.

She started rowing in Year 8 and competed for the Commercial Rowing Club in Brisbane before joining the Air Force aviation operations Gap Year program.

Despite having only been out of the water for six months, she said it was good to get back into the swing of it.

“It was nice to get back in, go for a paddle every day, get some 'Ks' in, work on the tech, but also have some fun and meet new people,” Aircraftwoman Pauli said.

The camp culminated in the ADF Rowing Championships, with Army emerging on top after a 500m coxed-eight race and RowErg relay.

'I’m picking up all the skills I've tried to learn, gelling with the team and getting through to win the race. It’s awesome.'

First-time rower Craftsman Diego Olivares said it was good to get the win despite his inexperience.

“It's really rewarding to see I’m picking up all the skills I've tried to learn, gelling with the team and getting through to win the race. It’s awesome,” Craftsman Olivares said.

Growing up in the Pilbara region of Western Australia didn’t offer much opportunity to get involved with rowing, but Craftsman Olivares said he was keen to stick with the sport.

“I’ve already looked up some clubs so once I get back to Townsville I can get into it more and keep rowing,” Craftsman Olivares said.

Though Air Force came third, Aircraftwoman Pauli said the team did well for a crew that had never rowed together before.

“We really focused on our timing and then adding a little bit of pressure. It was a little bit challenging for a couple of strokes but we came back together and tried to keep it as consistent as possible,” she said.

Seaman Sophie Cox took the role of coxswain in the championship race, steering the boat and calling the stroke for the rowers.

“I was in the stern seat, navigating the boat and telling the crew when to row and who to row. I also had to steer the rudder to keep the boat straight, which was kind of tricky in the wind,” Seaman Cox said.

“It was a lot more to think about than you’d expect, but I enjoyed it. Even though you aren’t doing a lot physically it’s a very mental position.”