Man Overboard

I left a little after 7:15 today. Skies are back to overcast but the clouds look almost translucent and striated a light blue. It feels like this could be very temporary.

When I get to the parking lot, the water looks smooth - smoother than yesterday.

I head down the stairs and listen to the sound of the surf though from what I can tell there is not a whole lot of that going on. Just enough to make a little noise which is nice.

I get to the beach and yes, the surf looks like it is on the flat side this morning. It is mid-tide and I walk down the beach looking for my drill hole rock which is my takeoff landmark. Found it.

I walk into the water. Somehow I have to motivate myself to get wet and start swimming. The waves often do this for me but not today.

Welp, in I go and oof - this water is not getting any warmer. I head out further hoping to find some warmer water. Boy have I grown soft. There is a patch of warmer water here and there but it feels like the average is around 64ish I would say.

I feel cold most of the swim today. It’s not like an agonizing cold by any means but its just a sensation that I need to get used to again. I remember this happening last year where the water mentally feels colder than it is. You feel cold but I can feel all my fingers throughout the entirety of the swim and I am not shivering afterwards. It’s always nice to feel all of your fingers.

It is a beautiful morning and the water seems maybe just a bit clearer today. Despite the clouds, the sky looks electric. The cloud cover has a glow and it also seems to be slowly dissolving.

At one point on the south end of the beach heading back north, I thought I felt something grab my heel. In general, I startle fairly easily but oddly not here in the ocean however this did startle me. I abruptly stop and look behind me for what I wonder is an aggressive Sea Lion that wants to make a meal out of my heel. Nothing. I chalk it off to some bit of stray seaweed floating on the water.

By the way Seal Lions and Seals are generally safe from what I understand. I've read that if they approach you in the water on their own terms, things go ok. Trouble happens when the human approaches the Seal. We have had an epidemic on the west coast here just this year where Seals, Sea Lions and even Dolphins are being poisoned by an algae and getting sick and acting uncharacteristically aggressively. They had to close the beach a couple days in June but I have not heard of any episodes since.

I am currently about a third of the way through reading Endurance about the Earnest Shackleton 1915 Antarctic expedition/fiasco. Now in Antarctica there are these large Seal-like creatures called Sea Leopards. After reading about some of the Endurance crew’s encounters with those creatures, I definitely never ever ever want to come across one of those! Fortunately I think we are safe from Sea Leopards here in Southern California.

I continue northward and can see the sky opening up just over the bluff to the south of the Ritz. Those bathrooms at the end get closer and closer and closer.

When I reach my turnaround point, this guy seems to come out of nowhere on a small outrigger canoe. I say “good morning” and he very cheerfully replies “hello hello good morning! Where is your boat?” I tell him I seem to have lost it. After he leaves I kick myself for not saying I was a man overboard! Oh ho ho ho how funny that would have been? The wit! I’ll just have to stash that one away for next time.

I head back and the swim comes to an end. The beach has a lot more clear sky than when I started. It feels good walking up the stairs in the sun.

I need to change my clothes and I try my new “just change my shorts under a towel trick.” I think I still need more practice. I’m afraid I’m gonna end up reported for indecent exposure here. I see people doing this all the time in the parking lot but it seems socially inappropriate to ask strangers for tips on this technique.