I left around noon today. It’s a bit later than I wanted to leave but I soon realize there is a silver lining. I see wide patches of blue sky emerging. It’s happening. It’s still not what I would call sunny out but things are converging in that direction.

My car feels warmer than usual which I know is an illusion from it trapping the heat but I gladly allow myself to be taken in by the lie and imagine this day to be a real summer scorcher. Oh that water will feel so good.

I get to the parking lot and am happy to see that the late morning/afternoon winds have not disturbed the water in any significant way. Then I exit the car and and the cooler air blows down my house of cards. However I adjust in just a second and realize it really is quite nice out. Not a scorcher by any means, but it is undeniably comfortable.

I look north up the coast and can see the boundary between cloud and blue sky line up just along the bluff. Oh man this is so great. I can totally deal with the clouds over the ocean and there is a good chance those will be pretty well broken up by the time I am done.

The lifeguard station is already open and the water temperature reads 62. I know that’s not right but who knows? Maybe there is a new spirit of rigor that has fallen over the lifeguard crew and they have sampled multiple sites along the beach with exacting precision and, well, 62 is what the science has yielded today. Hmmm. I don’t think so.

I walk out into the water. It feels about the same as it has on prior swims on my feet. A pretty good set of waves comes in just as I am making my way through the white water. There is a minor swell filling in over the day today. I let the set pass and then head on out.

Oh the water is nice. It feels a tad warmer than yesterday. This sun certainly helps even if it is completely psychological.

I swim south and relish the sight of blue sky every time I come up for breath. I feel it wash over all my exposed parts and sink underneath my skin and into my blood stream until it reaches my heart where it explodes and fills me with joy. The water is so inviting. Sure we are still well below 70 but there is nothing cold about this water. It is certainly not 62. That’s for sure.

I can actually see the ocean floor here in these in shore parts today, but it disappears into a void as I get further out. About half way down the beach in front of the middle stairs, I see a new buoy. It is far in shore from where I am and I don’t consider inspecting it.

I’m looking at my pictures over this initial south bound leg and the photos in my mind’s eye memory seem much brighter than these ones on google photos. Somehow those clouds seem to be totally gone from my recollection.

I reach the south end of the beach and turn around. Soon I can see the off shore buoy that I was too lazy to check out yesterday. It seems like I’m quite a bit closer today so I go ahead and swim out to it. Oh yeah I recognize this one. It just says OCJG - nothing particularly creative but it does have a nice drawing of a fish.

I continue on my way north. I’m thoroughly enjoying this swim. I’m staying fairly far out today thanks to swimming out to that buoy and hoping this route will make the far out buoy to the north all the more accessible.

The buoy comes into view but it is still a ways away. Still, I’m determined to swim around it today even if it means spending a little more time that I don’t have here in the water. The kelp is super thick right here and it is like flying through the tops of the trees in a dense forest. I’m just not going to think about sharks. Well I am, but its not going to ruin or dampen this great experience.

I look down the trunk of one of the kelp stalks and stare right at a Calico Bass that is just 2 feet, maybe a little more, below me and does not seem startled at all by my presence.

I get a good look at the buoy. It’s pretty big. Bigger than the others and it looks like it is new. This must be the successor to the '“Green Monster” of previous years. May it rest in peace. I remember seeing the star on one side of it last weekend but now I see on the other side it is named North Star. Funny - that’s exactly what I had nick named it.

There is someone on a jet ski going back and forth between the vicinity of this buoy and half way to shore. I think he is affiliated with the jr. guards. I keep expecting hoards of swimmers or paddlers to approach but they never materialize.

I spend a fair amount of time swimming and frolicking out here among the kelp. It’s a good place to be. I’m out here on a totally different planet from my usual work responsibilities at home.

Well I have rounded the buoy and sling shot my way back to the beach. I love this route with its strong eastward trajectory. Rather than viewing the Niguel Shore homes on the bluff in the final stage of the swim as I usually would, I gaze mostly northward towards Monarch Bay. The blue sky and sun are gaining dominance and everything about this swim is delightful. Am I sure I want to go back?

I make my way to the beach and it’s nearing high tide now. As I walk past the lifeguard station a part of me wants to yell out “It’s not 62!” I think the better of it. I wouldn’t want some stranger coming by and telling me how to do my job.