Just like the past couple days, the surf is on the larger size but it just doesn’t seem too big to call off a swim. I’ve been doing this for over three years now and the surf has never bothered me much until that freaking huge swell this January which I did not (nor anyone else at this beach) go out in. Then I had a couple freaky incidents getting caught inside in waves much larger than were reported on Surfline which made me lose confidence in the numbers I see in the daily surf reports and exercise more caution. Definitely nothing wrong with caution when dealing with the water. Last I checked, it is hard to breath when you are submerged in the stuff.

This morning Surfline is reporting 3-5 just like yesterday which if it really is 3-5, then not a problem at all. However based on what I saw yesterday and what I see in the forecasts and the nuance in the surf report narrative, I have some doubts.

Bottom line is I really want to swim. Also, the water is now in the 70’s (Surfline says 67 but I am telling you it is 70) and I’d like to milk that for as long as I can. Besides, if you are going to be held under water by large waves, the water might as well be warm.

So I leave the house at 7:15 and skies are overcast but despite the cloud cover, it’s a whole different beach out there today than yesterday. No rain today and the clouds lack the impenetrable fortress of doom quality they had yesterday and have more of a luminescent “pull apart” quality to them. They look wispy and bright and it looks like you could just pull them apart and blow and have the whole layer disperse into oblivion.

This seems to be exactly what is happening by the time I get to the beach. The sun is breaching in spots where the clouds seem thin and gives them a glow that gives this whole place a sunny sort of a feel. It is feeling sunny even though it is not sunny.

There are two swimmers walking a ways ahead of me on the trip down the stairs which encourages me to know there are others that thought this was a good idea too.

When I reach the asphalt road and get a view of the beach and surf, a nice set rolls in that was definitely larger than 5 feet (unless the surfer was four feet tall) but something about the timbre and texture of the light today makes these waves look more benign. I see one surfer catch, as the kids say, an “epic” ride. It was one of the larger ones in the set and it just went and went without closing out.

I head out into the water at the same time as the other two swimmers and we exchange hellos. As we pause to let the current set pass, it looks as though we are standing in an extraterrestrial landscape. The white foamy surface is thick and seems to go on forever.

We start swimming. Oops. I forgot to put my goggles over my eyes. I don’t think anyone noticed. They swim north and I head south.

The water feels the same as yesterday which is so great and the surface is smooth - much smoother than yesterday. I don’t really stress out at all today over my impending swim back to shore even though the surf seems bigger than yesterday. Something about this light, and I think I am gaining some confidence. Oddly there has really been almost no notable surf this summer and I have probably grown a bit soft.

There is a hole in the clouds to my southeast and I can see the sun poking through for a little peek. It reflects over the smooth surface of the water. Looking beyond this the clouds are smooth and they look like the underbelly of a terrain filled with rolling hills. Looking at the soft glow that passes through, I imagine just how bright those hills must be up there on the other side.

As the swim progresses, these clouds do indeed pull themselves apart from one another and create more and more blue sky. The morning and water are so pleasant and the entire swim is delightful. This horizon feels like it may possess addictive qualities. Perhaps someone should post a warning sign near the entrance. What happens if I can’t break my gaze and I just collide with Monarch Point. I guess I’ll just have to figure something out.

When I get to the point near Salt Creek, I do manage to pull my eyes away and take in the 360 degree view around me. The clouds and smooth water have a magical quality to them. I mean that is not uncommon here but they are especially endowed today.

The final swim to shore ends up being a total non-event. Just like most other days, I point myself at the beach and the water grows more shallow and finally I stand up and it’s done.

There is a group of four swimmers just ahead of me now on the stairs completely separate from the two I saw before the swim. We converse when we get to the showers up top. One of the swimmers perfectly describes his experience of swimming here. He says every swim is like a mini-vacation. Boy, isn’t that the truth.