Bending Light

Yet another different kind of Autumn day today. It’s a bit cooler today and the sky is filled with wispy clouds making for partially cloudy conditions. The wind is 6 knots according to Surfline, which is fairly mellow, but it seems really super calm.

When I get to the parking lot at about 11:11 (what could this mean?), Catalina looks as though it is surrounded in mist and the sky illuminates the water with a very reflective silver charge.

The heat that had been trapped in my car made me nice and toasty on the trip over but when I get out of the car, it’s not as cool as I anticipated. There is not as much blissful direct sunlight as the weekend but it’s not cold.

I get to the beach at a mediumish tide - probably close to 3 feet. The water looks almost other worldly with a sort of celestial golden tint catching the crest of the oncoming waves.

I get in the water and it’s very cool. I warm up a bit after a couple minutes but over the course of the swim, it definitely feels a bit cooler than yesterday.

The water is beautiful and highly reflective. Especially on the northbound leg of the swim as I look to the horizon, the water’s surface looks like a mirror that is continually bending and warping the light.

I see some schools of small shiny fish swimming near the surface and a few lone Bass hanging out in the kelp.

Everything appears still this morning. The beach feels hushed. There are only a few walkers out and a couple boats traveling up and down the coast. I wonder what is it these boats do exactly. Sometimes it is obvious - fishing or diving. I intersect with their wakes that rock me like a floating doll on the water.

I’m finding the cold water sort of exhausting. Will I be able to last the Winter? I remember this transition from warm to colder water takes a bit of adapting and I’m really ready for that to run its course.

I’m ready to be done when I am done and the cold seems to follow me all the way home.