I left the house at 12:30. I can see the chop through the web cam. There is an onshore wind that is blowing and it’s climbing to about 11 knots. I knew this was in the forecast and I’ve already done my morning workout earlier with a 9 mile run. I had to be home too early to have enough day light for a full swim.

So I figure I don’t really need to do a full swim now. I’d be happy to just get in the water and swim for a little bit but I know for a fact that once I start swimming, I’ll want to do my usual distance.

So I head out the door and see the Palm tree fronds swaying in the breeze. Palm trees. I used to hate them when I was younger. I thought they were some kind of pretentious Dana Point thing - a bourgeois effort to make the town look like something tropical and fancy. But guess what? Palm trees are indigenous to this area…oh wait…I just googled this. They are not. Only the Washingtonia filifera palms are native but not to Dana Point or any other coastal town. Well what are you gonna do? The Franciscans started planting them here in the 19th century. I’m a big fan of St. Francis and I’m just going to have to give them a pass on this.

Where was I? Oh yeah. The breeze. It was breezy. As I drive into the Strand parking lot, it’s chop city out on the water. Be that as it may, it also looks super clear. I see all sorts of shades of blue out there as I walk down the stairs and feel like I can practically see the grooves in the sandy bottom beneath.

I get to the beach and it is just coming down from a recent 5.8 high tide. I note that there is no lifeguard on duty at the little station here which makes me just a little sad. Just another reminder of Summer’s end and today this is official. It is the first day of Fall. I do see a lifeguard cruising the shore in his ATV, but they are probably down to a skeleton crew now.

The water feels a bit chilly on my feet. This west wind is not helping the water temperature department. However it is a bright sunny and warm day. The air temps are in the 70’s so how bad could this possibly be? It’s no colder than mid 60’s and likely in the upper edges of that so it’s all gonna be good I’m sure.

I walk out into the water. It is clear, it is cooler than my Friday swim - down just another notch - and the surface is all over the place. The current pushes me as I head south. I’m noticeably cool but it is pleasant. It’s just no longer the luxurious warm water of early last week. At this point in the year it could still come back or totally not.

I make it to the south end of the beach and it is extremely clear over here. Other than the chop, there really is no surf today. I swim closer to the cliff and get closer than I probably have ever come from the water. I’m just 20 or 30 feet from the rocks where you would enter the big cave. I linger around here for a bit and then head north.

I veer sharply inshore so I can remain in relatively shallow water and enjoy the sight of the ocean floor. As the wind continues to build, it gets just a little cloudier but there is still plenty to see. Lots of fish, rock and kelp.

I can’t help but notice the difference in water temperature but every time I do I try to settle my awareness on the sensation that I feel all over my skin and can’t quite place it in the family of frigid.

The water is quite turbulent and I can see the wakes from the wind roll south east one after another after another. Some land right in my face. That’s ok. I got to breathe on my last stroke. I’m totally fine.

The north bound leg goes by pretty fast despite the later hour. Before I know it there are the bathrooms and I feel like I am practically swimming on top of them given how far in shore I am. I can see the lifeguard tower not very far away at all (which is staffed). I’m tempted to swim out in front of it and check out the marine life that I know is abundant in that area. Sounds cool, but I lack the ambition and energy. So I turn around and finish off the swim.

Lots and lots of fish on this last section that seems to rocket on by now that I am swimming with the current again. I swim all the way to the ramp and then walk up the stairs to the parking lot.

There is what looks like a brand new Hummer in my favorite spot and I’m parked just two spaces away. Its been here since I arrived. I’m trying to figure out just what the Hummer owner is doing. He does not like the stereotype of a Hummer owner that I hold in my mind. He looks like some sort of Western Vegan that just got back from visiting his guru in India. His long hair is tied up in a man bun. He has a psychedelic tapestry hanging from his engine hood door and looks very busy gathering stray pieces of bamboo and and tying some rope to his front bumper. I wonder what his whole take is on SoCal Palm trees.