Some fickle weather this morning. I had planned to get up early at 4:30 and do a run and swim before heading to church in Laguna Beach. However, as I was reviewing the surf forecast last night, there was a possibility of patchy fog. So at 4:30 when my alarm went off, I quickly checked out the Strands webcam - totally fogged in. Well I guess I get to sleep another hour and swim after church. When my alarm went off again at 5:30, out of curiosity I checked the webcam again and now I can clearly see beach and surf. I also see some blue sky out my window at home. Whatever…I’m just gonna run now and swim after church.

I go on a very enjoyable 10 mile run from my house to Doheny State Beach, through the harbor and out to the Ocean Institute. Then I climb up Cove Road and return along the bluff and come back down via Lantern Bay. When I come back into Doheny it is 8:00 and pretty darn foggy here. I can barely see the surfers. This is about the time I would have began my swim if I had gone before church, and I check the Strands webcam again and it is total “grey out” conditions. Well now I am feeling pretty good about my choices to run and hold off on the swim.

Later at about 9:45 as I pass the Strand on the way to Laguna Beach, it is sunny and looking like the little fog hanging out in the hills to the East is just about gone for good. The sun is shining in Laguna Beach as the church service starts on St. Anne’s and PCH. As the service progresses overcast skies begin to dominate and fog is hanging out in the Laguna canyons.

I get to the Strand parking lot at noon. Skies are overcast but it is very warm and comfortable out. As I walk down the stairs, the sun (behind the clouds) feels very nice. The lifeguard tower posts a water temperature of 63 degrees. I’m beginning to suspect that someone at lifeguard headquarters is using a random number generator for these water temperature reports. If you ask me, the water is warmer today than yesterday when 65 degrees was posted and does not feel much different from when it was allegedly 67-69 last week. Well I guess it really doesn’t mater much. Mid sixties are all comfortable to me.

I try to learn my lesson from yesterday and wait for the set of waves to pass before setting out to swim. I’d say the surf is a touch smaller than yesterday but still bigger than it has been in the past several weeks. Supposedly Tuesday is the day the big South swell is due to peak in California. Right now the swell that started on Friday is now easing and the aforementioned new swell is just arriving today. Anyways, I wait for the waves to pass and start swimming out. There are a couple waves I need to dive under but it is pretty uneventful. I act on a tip I got recently which is to dive under the wave a few seconds earlier than you think you need to. That way you are more likely to avoid the churn and make better headway.

The water feels good. Like I said it feels a bit warmer than yesterday which may be because I am swimming a couple hours later and the warmth of the day has had more of a chance to warm the water surface. It’s a pretty great swim. I get to the South end and see some blue sky poking out just above the cliffs at the edge of the beach. As I swim back up North, it definitely feels like the top inch or two of water at the surface is cooked and noticeably warmer than below. It feels really good.

A flock of pelicans swoop down and hover over the surface, but I just can’t get to my camera soon enough to get a shot. I can hear seals barking in the distance. Looking North to the Salt Creek point that is my destination, I see blue sky dominating past the Ritz Carlton. Looking West it is still completely overcast. It feels like the beach is of two minds today.

I get to the Green Monster and am ready to turn around when I see a boat approaching. This catches me off guard because it is a fairly sizeable boat coming from the shore side which seems like an odd spot for this boat to be. They yell out to me and mention that there is a pod of bottlenose dolphins between the rocks and the surfers. Well…at this location “between the rocks and the surfers” can describe quite a few places. I don’t end up seeing any dolphins and also my camera or me, most likely me, messed up and the multiple pictures I thought I took of that boat are nowhere to be found.

The swim back through the surf is pretty smooth sailing and I grab a couple shots that are by no means spectacular but actually have something that looks like a wave in them.

All in all a very enjoyable swim. As I reach the top of the stairs there is a 2 - 3 year old walking up the stairs who is struggling to make it to the top but feeling pretty proud of her progress. Her mom tells her how strong she is and she replies “yeah.” I tell her she is doing an amazing job and she tries to catch up with me. Super cute.

A Beach of Two Minds

I see it in this water

Pumping Doheny