Off to a late swim today due to a 11:00 meeting. Sometimes timing a swim is tricky. First things first I have to schedule swims around work. One puts bread on the table and the other doesn’t. I usually try to get out no later than 10 to avoid the afternoon onshore winds. While we don’t get those winds every day and some days they can start mid-morning or even earlier, it’s a very common pattern here to have nice glassy mornings and more textured and roughed up afternoons. I prefer glassy conditions. Then there are all other kinds of factors like tide, surf size, temperature, fog and possibly rainfall. I try to get swims in at least 4 or 5 days a week so its usually days where either my calendar is full or weather is at its poorest that I will not swim. That said, I’ll swim in just about any condition with the exception of thick fog, simultaneously high surf/wind and rain on cold water days when I need to leave my stuff on the beach.

I honestly cannot complain about conditions today. Yeah is was a little breezy making the water chopped up but it was sunny and warm and the water temperature was quite nice - I’d say 60-62. Surfline has been saying 58-60 for over a week now. Clearly it just can’t be trusted. Surf was definitely up a couple notches today but conditions were kind of miserable: mushy and wonky waves. It did look like Salt Creek was pumping. As the surf report often says, “there are some corners to chase down but keep expectations low.” Good advice overall I think! Not that I believe in lowering expectations for the life I live but there is definitely something to be said for looking for what joy there is on the table when circumstances you cannot control are shitty.

Overall, good day to be in the water.