Fighting the Fog

Woke up to clear skies this morning but it was a different story a mile South West. The Dana Point coast was shrouded in heavy fog. Things cleared up fairly quickly up through Doheny but the Dana Strand and Salt Creek webcams were only a blank grey canvas until about 9:15ish. Perfect timing because I was free to take off at about 10. By this point the webcams made things look somewhat hazy but generally clear. However looking outside I could still see what looked like a thick blanket of fog resting over Dana Point proper. Here at home in Capo Beach (East of the 5) things were beautiful and warm.

I get to the beach and things look clear. There was still some fog to be seen hovering over Monarch Beach but if I were a betting man (which I am definitely not) I would have put money on the fact that we had seen the last of the fog for the day. Wrong!

There is a pretty good breeze blowing now. I have not swam in a few days but according to the surf report that I browse with religious zeal, we have seen some decent onshore flow. There is a fair amount of chop on the water and I can tell it’s gonna be a bumpy ride. The water also feels colder on my feet than it has in a couple weeks but absolutely nothing to drive me away.

I get in the water and there is a pretty good sized set of waves coming in that I wait out and then dive under the last of them and charge forward. Yep, it’s colder today but still comfortable. It’s a bit more patchy today with some cold spots here and there but the cold is like low to mid 60s, not 50s cold. Like a sort of “faux cold.”

Shortly after I begin to head South, here comes the fog. Where did it come from? It’s really odd because overall the sky is relatively sunny but this dense cloud of fog is just resting between me and the shore. At times I can’t see the beach but I can see a faint semblance of waves breaking to the West enough to keep my bearings. Under the water you would never know the fog is here. The sun is shinning on the kelp branches and the water is clear and a beautiful airy light blue. This lasts about 15 minutes and then its gone as quickly as it came.

There is definitely some solid bump on the water. Today things feel smoother heading South than North but both directions are fairly rough and tumble. Swallowing a fair amount of water which is normal for these conditions. My mind largely matches the ocean surface. Memories, fantasies and random feels (pleasant and unpleasant) are swirling all around my head. I let them all be and I move forward stroke by stroke.

When I get to the Northern turnaround point near the end of the swim, the Jr. Lifeguards are out in full force. I pause to look up and see where I am and there is a literal hoard of bodies (maybe 30? Is that a hoard?) swimming and paddling just North of me. I swim out further to avoid running into them. Not much later I turn around and call it a swim about 10 minutes later. As I am walking to the rocks to retrieve my shirt and camera, there is another small army of younger Jr. Guards - probably 10ish or younger walking up the beach. I’m guessing I can’t pay my mortgage off the salary of a Jr. Lifeguard because as far as I know there is no salary but surely I could find a way to make myself productive - it sure looks like fun.