November? Really?

It’s a late swim today. I’m swimming after church instead of before. Because of the time change this morning it feels even later. I get to the beach parking lot at 12:00 and it seems like it should be 1:00.

At any rate it is a great afternoon for a swim. It is about 69 degrees out and a beautiful sunny day. The sky is a bit hazy. I’m not sure if it is a lingering fog or smoke or a little bit of both. On the drive up the coast to church earlier this morning, there was a solid fog bank offshore. We have also had some local fires burning and I could smell smoke on my way to the car after church.

There is a light breeze in the air and the stairs are a buzz with people coming and going to and from the beach. Can you believe this is November? You have me fooled.

I get to the beach and it looks about medium tide. Lots of people on the beach but I don’t understand why there are not more than a couple of people in the water. I wonder if most just assume that the water must be freezing because it is November. Well I can assure you that it is not. It’s probably warmer now than it was in June.

There is a fair amount of texture on the water from the afternoon breeze, but no chop. The water looks clear. As I walk out into the water, I can clearly see the sandy bottom. Once I am about stomach to chest deep, I can see a school of fish hovering right on the floor not going anywhere.

I submerge myself to get a better look at the fish and then start to swim out and veer south. The water feels good. A little cool but mostly pleasant.

The water is still clear. Visibility waxes and wanes slightly throughout the swim. There are stretches that just seem crystal clear and others not so much.

Especially on the initial southbound leg to the end of the beach, it seems like there are fish constantly swimming in my direct vicinity. When I get to the end, I see a couple bright orange Garibaldi and lots of kelp waving to and fro in the current.

After I begin to head back north, I have the horizon in my field of vision. With the afternoon sun, the surface looks all sparkly. The wind swell is putting a lot of activity into the water. Each time I come up for breath, it feels like the landscape has changed.

Once I reach the middle of the beach, I see several kelp trees coming into view. When they approach, I can just barely see the tops of the stalks as the light catches the teardrop shaped bulbs that cling to the vine. Then when I am right over it, I can follow the stalk that extends to the ocean floor. I see a few Bass floating and swimming very slowly around the kelp.

It feels like the water is getting warmer on this second half of the swim. November? Really? It also feels like the current is getting stronger too. I can see the wakes rolling in from the northwest. One after another after another.

I’m treading water now at my northern turnaround point. I can hear the wind to the west. It sounds like a lot of comotion as if there are some hidden goings on beyond the curtain of haze that sits between me and Catalina. Both up and down the coast, I can see the lingering smoke in the sky.

I know it is just barely after 1:00 but it feels like dinner time. I wonder if the fact that I have not eaten anything today might be contributing to my thoughts of dinner. Well, my coffee is ready to go as soon as I get home. I just have to press one button to kick things off.

I set my sights on the asphalt road that leads from the sand to the stairs and then start swimming towards it. I can feel the push of the current. There is a rhythm to my momentum. I swim and seemingly remain in place but about every 20 seconds in time with the swell, I gain an instant 5 feet.

I’m finally coming into shore and see more of those bottom floating fish that I saw on my way out. I stand myself up in this knee deep water just as a wave is about to break. I kneel just a bit to crouch under and into the curl and then stand up and through the other side.

Well that was all pretty great. My camera just barely made it through the end of the swim before losing power (forgot to charge the battery). I head back to my car and shower off at the top. It feels like the sun should be setting any moment now. How about that coffee!