Soon Does Come as Soon as Soon Does

Ok we have definitely made a transition into a different kind of day. The summer tease of warm and crystal clear days has come to an end (for now). Yesterday I was totally planning to swim resting on the forecast of another sunny day with a predicted high of 71. There was thick fog in the morning and I’d figure it would clear later on. I couldn’t see a thing through the webcam until 1:30 and yesterday’s high ended up being just 63.

I leave the house early today just a little before 7:00. There is no fog but skies are completely cloudy. There is a small breeze out that is supposed to pick up in a couple hours so I want to get out before that puffs up and I don’t have a 6:30 and 9:00 meeting to keep me here.

When I get to the parking lot, the water is a little roughed up but it’s not too bad. Plenty of parking to be had here this morning. I see the early morning swim crew that I have not seen in a while starting down the stairs as I park my car.

I add a little pep to my step to try and catch up with that group to say hi. We talk about my dolphin sighting on Wednesday. One in the crew was on the shore and had seen me just as I was in the thick of that big pod.

For some reason I’m really not thinking about the water temperature today. It’s been pretty manageable the last couple swims and there really has not been anything to bring temps down since then. Today’s winds are from the south which is good for temps in general. However without the direct sun exposure, I probably won’t have some of those glorious warm patches.

The tide is low - in the negatives and has just bottomed out at -0.7 at about the same time that I left the house. I feel the water on my feet and it doesn’t feel too bad. I walk into the water about 40 feet north of the other swim group. Waves are a little bigger today. There is a south swell building and due to peak on Sunday.

I dive underneath a growing face and start to swim. The usual fatigue and shortness of breath catch me by surprise today. I guess I didn’t expect it to be as intense as it is. For a few minutes I’m feeling not so great, not alarmingly so but just a little queasy. I know it will pass soon and hope soon will be even sooner. Well soon does come as soon as soon does and I am able to just focus on the swim.

Yeah - the warm spots are gone today. It’s cold, but thankfully it is not Saturday cold - referring to last Saturday after the storm and west winds. I can totally feel the texture in the water here. Gone are the glassy days of Tuesday and Wednesday. It’s a bit of a fight as I move south against the current but it is not nearly as intense as the worst of days. The water temperature does undergo some fluctuation but it is very gentle.

As I get closer to the southern end of the beach, I can see waves breaking farther out here. Soon I pass a couple surfers and I’m only about 15 feet further out from them. I take this as a sign that it might not be a bad idea to aim myself westward a bit. Not much longer and I’m at the end.

I look about me and take a few picks and then I see a pod of dolphins heading my way. Remembering my experience on Wednesday, I put my camera into video mode and start shooting. These guys are tough to capture. Not only are they constantly moving above and under the water but the water in general is moving up and down quite a bit today. I hope there are some decent stills I can extract from this later.

Time to move north and I find myself really working with the cold the entire way. It’s really not a terrible cold but it is indeed cold. I’m gonna say 58. I want to just settle into the cold, but my mind wants to make it this big scary thing. If I let my mind carry on then it really does become a big scarry thing, but it’s not. I just need to move toward it and stay with it and meet it on its own terms. This is not terrible. This is challenging and sometimes a little difficult but I like difficult and challenging things, especially when they are of a physical nature and super temporary. This is all gonna be done after an hour.

I look up frequently today because the water is moving me this way and that - sometimes westerly and sometimes easterly - and I need to correct my trajectory often. I keep my focus on the bald cliff face just above the lifeguard tower. I can’t believe the speed I seem to be clocking. I feel like I am over half way down the beach in no time at all. As I realize this, it makes the interaction with the cold even easier. If I can see the light at the end of the tunnel then the cold just seems more transient than it already is. Of course now my mind is threatening me with the south bound return and telling me it’s gonna take forever. No time for those thoughts now.

Eventually here I am at the northern bathrooms. Wow. How did that happen? So soon? I take in the view. As much as I like (no love) sunny days, this is pretty great. From a “taking pictures” point of view I find the outcome much more interesting. I just love a good and dramatic cloudy background.

Well it’s time to head back and for the first five minutes I swear that I am going absolutely nowhere. Could I actually be moving backwards? Part of me is convinced (and terrified) that this is what is happening and the rest of me knows it’s not true and that it’s best to ignore that part and just keep my head down and carry on. Then it feels like in a single moment, I am several houses down the beach. I think what is happening is I am heading significantly east and then I pivot south and my point of view shifts. However it happens, I am relieved and continue the southbound journey.

Soon I’ts time for another pivot due directly east to shore. I start to see waves at my back and let their energy propel me foreword. I notice some pretty good sized ones but I’m suddenly almost startled to realize I am in about just a foot of water. I stand up and begin to walk back to my pack. The tractor that has been working out here the last few weeks seems to be making its way into my pack’s vicinity and I kind of jog to snatch it before it possibly meets some kind of end of life event.

Without any sun to warm me up, it is…hmm…how should I put it?…Fucking cold as I make my way back to the stairs. I decide to use the inferior showers at the lower bathrooms. However, in just the last week, the better upper showers don’t yield as much time per press of the “button” which makes those showers even less superior. Whatever, I’m just gonna use the showers here and then I can towel off and enjoy the luxury of three layers of upper body garments including a sweatshirt hood - so decadent.

Oh man that was a good call, the hoodie feels just as indulgent as I imagined and the remainder of the walk up the stairs is quite comfy.