Body Surfing to Salt Creek
I leave at 11:45 and it is a different kind of a day than yesterday. I mean it’s not like the polar opposite, but we have lost our warmth - it’s only 61 - and there is a solid breeze and hazy skies. All in all, it’s still a nice day. There is plenty of light and I anticipate that the water should still be comfortable.
On the way to the beach, I look out onto a grey horizon. Looking north to the hills in Laguna Niguel, they look shrouded in haze. Looking east, skies are still blue. Pulling into the parking lot I can see a good bit of texture on the water and figure it may be a fairly bumpy ride today.
Walking down the stairs, I can tell the surf is up a notch from yesterday which was also reflected in this morning’s surf report. I’m bringing my pack and keeping my shirt and overshirt on today as I walk to the shore. Why not indulge myself? It’s not long past high tide but it’s a low high tide in the upper 3’s. Still just cobble on the shore and I’m glad to have my pack with my sandals. I put those on and never thought of them as a luxury item until now. Boy that rocky ground feels a world more comfortable with these ratty sandals.
The sand seems to be inching its way south. I’d say that the cobble ends a few feet shorter than yesterday and my take off spot is right in the sand. Even the first few steps into the water are sand covered. It’s like new carpet. So nice.
Before long, I hit the first dip and now I am waist deep and I start swimming. Whew, the surf just keeps coming at me. Nothing is huge but it’s just a constant barrage. Fortunately it’s just big enough to be fun. I pause to rest but lose several feet as I am pushed back by oncoming white water so I try to just power through and not stop swimming until I am well past the breaking waves.
Once I’m confident that nothing is going to break in front of me, I rest for a minute to catch my breath before proceeding south. There is something about this beach, sky and water that makes it really feel like January. As I look south I can see lots of chop in the water and wake after wake after wake coming my way. As I begin the southern swim, it’s a fight all the way to the end. I love it.
The water is definitely not any warmer today. I think we are missing our upper layer of radiating heat from the warm sun that we have had on the last few swims. Still, it’s quite nice for the middle of winter.
Once I turn around to head north, I now feel like I am being aided by a jet stream. I am practically body surfing my way to Salt Creek. It’s pretty great. I can see the wakes in my periphery as if the ocean is following me and chasing me down. Every few minutes they catch up to me and roll right over me.
In the distant horizon I see a faint layer of solid cloud cover. Is that the atmospheric river due to show up tomorrow? At one point when I’m nearly at the northern end of the swim, the sky darkens abruptly. It is eerie and I stop to have a look above to make sure there is no UFO that might be hovering over me. Nope. No UFO here unless it has engaged its cloaking device.
Once it is time to turn around I notice a Seagull floating on the water several feet away. I say hi but no response from the Seagull. Immediately upon swimming south it feels like I am swimming into a wall. Am I going anywhere? I watch as the Seagull glides past me so I know I must be making some kind of headway but I swear those bathrooms on the beach look like they are moving in the wrong direction. I decide to just put my head down and keep moving my arms and legs with a good deal of vigor and try not to pay attention to my progress and just be assured that some amount of progress is being made and in time I will be right back to where I started.
Sure enough, before long I have passed several houses and it looks as though it is inevitable that I will not be in need of rescue or at least I won’t need to end the swim somewhere in Salt Creek or San Pedro. I’m getting closer and closer to the breaking waves and once I decide to head directly to shore, it looks as though I have over shot my destination and I aim northward again.
Soon I merge with the surf and I find myself exactly where I want to be, delighted with this thin sliver of sandy shore. I can actually emerge from the water in an upright position today. I retrieve my pack and sandals and walk in luxury all the way to the top of the bluff.
