First Swim of 2023

It’s a late swim today. I leave the house at 2:30 in the afternoon.

I’ve been waiting for the swell size to come down just a bit. Yesterday it was crazy big and today was more tame but I’m still a bit spooked from Tuesday’s swim to shore when I got caught in that big set of waves.

It’s hard to tell exactly what the size is from the web cams since there are no surfers in the water which adds perspective to the waves relative to the size of the surfer.

The day started off nice and sunny but has grown overcast and is due to rain this evening.

Yesterday. It was rougher than this makes it look!

When I get to the beach, the surface looks pretty lumpy and textured, but it is a completely different scene from yesterday. I came down yesterday late afternoon with my wife and kids and it was nuts. There was an 8 foot swell breaking absolutely everywhere. I could not even tell where the surf line was because waves were breaking so very far out. It was beautiful and awesome but way too dangerous to be swimming in.

Yesterday. It really was rougher than this makes it look!

When I get down to the beach today, there is not a single other person in the water. Overall, things are on the dark and dreary side here. There is also a 4 foot drop in sand from the edge of the cliff that was not there just two days ago. I don’t remember seeing it yesterday either but I was not paying close attention.

Yesterday. I swear it was rougher than this makes it look!

I lay my backpack on the lowest rock possible just above this ledge. It seems like it would be too much of an ordeal to try to climb up this soft sandy ledge.

I get to the water and the temperature has definitely come down a couple degrees. However it doesn’t particularly bother me. There is plenty of surf to help me get wet. I wait out a set of waves and then start swimming out.

The surf is still a decent size but not too large. It just seems totally broken up and random today. This reminds me of a pool that had a hundred rambunctious kids splashing around that then they up and leave. Things are calmer and quieter but it is going to take the surface a while to recover.

As I swim south, it takes a bit to correct my aim and get onto a proper southern trajectory. It does not take long to adjust to this cold. I just relax into it and begin to feel the warmth that hides underneath the cold bite.

When I get closer to the southern end, the water at the surface gets more agitated. Water is just sloshing all around and the current seems to push this way and that.

I’m looking around for waves but nothing seems to be breaking. When I am just shy of the end, it feels like I am getting close to breaking waves. I consider turning around early but it seems like I can make it to my usual turn around spot. I get there and stop to take some pictures. I take three and then a wave comes that looks huge to me but is not going to break on me. I decide to cease and desist with the picture taking and high tail it back north.

I’m struck with this near panic that the current is going to push me south bound into the large waves crashing onto sharp low-tide exposed rocks way far out from shore. A calmer voice says to relax and just keep swimming. Thankfully that is the correct voice. Before long I am clearly out of the “woods.”

As I swim north it seems that more often than not as I gauge my position, I am heading out to sea rather than directly toward the point that separates Strands from Salt Creek. I keep correcting myself inland. I begin to think that I am going to cut this swim a bit short and just head back to my starting point and eliminate the northern 20 minutes of the swim. It is getting late and I am cold and frazzled.

When I get to the point where it is time to swim to shore, I notice I am way way out and it takes a bit of time to make my way in. I am making my way in right?…right? Eventually the waves become more like waves and then I see break water. Nothing is breaking crazy huge and I am also in shoulder high water.

I make it to shore and try to compose my shivering self enough to dry off and get my sweatshirt on. It can be super tough to get that shirt on and shiver at the same time.

As I am doing all of this, a guy walks up to me and says that he saw me when he was still up on the bluff and thought, “that poor man as so far out and is going to die!” I laugh and tell him (jokingly?) that I was thinking the same.