Skies are clear above my house when I wake this morning. After the sunrise, it looks like the beach just has some wispy marine layer haze but looks generally sunny.

My second morning meeting gets cancelled and I am able to leave for the beach at 7:15.

There is a little lump in the water when I get to the parking lot, but things look quite inviting.

The tide is on the low side - about a foot - and surf is nearly non-existent.

I’m planning on an alternate route today. I’m going to head north into Salt Creek and just keep swimming as long as time permits. I brought my watch and am thinking I’ll turn around after 35 minutes. Why am I just trying this now? No good answer, but I’m excited for a change in scenery. I’m not anticipating anything dramatically different and I am familiar with Salt Creek from a running and body boarding perspective.

I’m starting the swim from my usual starting point just north of the ramp at the Strand. I hit the water at 7:52 so I plan to turn around at 8:27.

As I expected, the water feels nice. It feels weird going north since I am so used to starting south bound.

The entire north bound leg of the swim is facing the horizon and I have to check my bearings every so often to make sure I’m far enough out and clear of the point.

After I pass the point below the Ritz about 10 minutes into the swim, I set my aim for the Monarch Beach Club. The beach curves inland after the point and then heads back westward about half way down the beach so even though I continue to bear north after the point, I’m heading directly for that club house which is near the north end of Salt Creek just short of Monarch point.

Even though I seem to be a pretty good distance off shore especially at the half way point just west of the golf course, the water seems relatively shallow - maybe 15 to 20 feet?

8:27 rolls around and it looks like I am really close to Monarch point. Maybe I’ll make it? I’m gonna keep swimming until 8:30 and see how far I get. At 8:30 I am quite close, but I can tell it is still gonna take several minutes to reach the end and I can’t swim forever so I pause to take in my surroundings before heading back.

It’s neat to finally get a close up view of Monarch point and the south bound view looks really cool with two points in the distance: Salt Creek just inland of Dana further in the distance.

Now that I am swimming south, I have the beach to look at the whole way back. I pass the club house, the golf coarse, the grassy park and picnic area and then there is the Ritz in all of its glory.

There is quite a bit of glare with this morning sun and I really do need to get myself a new pair of goggles. I look up every few minutes and that double point just gets closer and closer and I can finally see the Salt Creek lifeguard tower. I usually just get the south end perspective of this point but I’m now dead center with the tower and can see both beaches and the entire Ritz Carlton estate.

Oh and if I haven’t mentioned it yet, the water feels just great. Oh and the sun. This is the swim one always hopes for. It’s July and finally feels like it too.

I’m now entering Strands territory and I can see squads of jr. guards doing some kind of running drills on the beach. I’m closer in shore and nearer to the lifeguard tower than usual.

Once I get to the Niguel Shores bluff houses, it all goes pretty fast and then I’m done. I’ve been in the water for 90 minutes now.

Well that was pretty great. I’m really going to have to do this more often.

I reach the top of the stairs, pass the bathrooms and a couple walks by me coming from the opposite direction. The woman is mentioning something about the funicular as though she is not aware of its current state of disrepair. About 15 seconds later I hear a “What the heck!?”