Stealthy Dolphins

I’m out of the house a little after 10:30 this morning. It looks like the sky is getting cloudier. Most of the morning has been on the “mostly sunny” side but I’m now downgrading it to mostly cloudy. There is definitely blue in the sky. I can see it but I can’t feel it. It’s in the low 60’s and probably a touch warmer than yesterday and definitely less of a breeze in the air. I kind of had my heart set on this beautiful warm sunny 70 degree day but so far it’s not showing up.

When I drive into the beach parking lot, I have a clear view of Catalina Island. It is sandwiched between the soft clouds above and a thin layer of haze that hovers just on top of the water.

Despite the subdued tone of the morning light, it is still very nice to be here. It’s mid to high tide right now. It’s just in the mid 3’s but there is not a lot of sand to walk on. Definitely less surf today. There are still some sets rolling in but they are a bit smaller and less frequent than yesterday.

I head into the water and despite the smaller surf, it feels like a choreographic challenge to make it past that last bit of shore break. As the small 2 - 3 foot white water approaches, every bit of remaining water in front of it is sucked in and it looks like I am going to be stampeded. However, once it passes, it seems to immediately lose all energy and just feels like standing water being stirred up. I soon make it past this and am suddenly in chest deep and start to swim.

I power underneath and through a couple breaking waves and a new set comes as I am near the main break. I pause to catch my breath and then head into this next set and before I know it, I’m past the surf. The water looks more clear today. It’s not great visibility but definitely a step above yesterday. About half way to the southern end of the beach, I can see a thick brown cloud of sandy water just to my left (shore side). I aim slightly in the opposite direction to stay in this nice blue water.

The water surface is smooth today. It feels like I am swimming against some kind of current as I head south but it’s not at all strong. The water is reflecting the clouds above and it’s like a huge dynamically warping mirror that makes all sorts of interesting patterns with this soft light.

I reach the end and there are a couple birds hanging out here with me, floating on the surface. I turn around and head north. A little ways up the beach I hear a squealing sound. I stop to look up and see a kayaker just in front of me. Is he making some kind of animal sound trying to signal me so I don’t run into him? I say hi and he asks me if I saw the dolphins swimming right by me. Oh man! This has happened to me several times now where someone comments on the dolphins right by me and all the while I was totally oblivious. I’d be willing to bet that this probably happens all the time. They are quite stealthy. When I do see them they often seem to come out of nowhere. As I am talking with the kayaker and staring in the direction he says the dolphins are, I do see a fin bob up above the water and then quickly disappear.

I do love these encounters that I have every now in then with humans out here on the water. They feel kind of surreal. One comes out here and does not expect to interact with others and when it does happen it feels sort of out of place and kind of magical.

We part ways and I proceed north. I’m surprised how good I feel in the water. It is a strange sensation where I know I am cold yet somehow my body finds this stasis or equilibrium and simply recalibrates itself to the environment. I set my intention to melt into the cold. If I can just find rest in its energy then it can’t disturb me. If I reach for warmth, then I can feel a surge of distress begin to surface. This lasts nearly all the way to the northern end before I begin to feel the cold penetrate me. That’s pretty good to make it this far.

It definitely seems like it is getting more grey out here. I have released any hope of my summer time fantasy showing up here. Still, the clouds and the water look beautiful against each other. I start to swim in to shore and soon I am in waist deep water after I meet what little surf is here. I’m still a good 50 feet out at least but I walk the rest of the way. The floor here undulates from thigh to stomach depth but almost entirely sand covered.

The beach looks super pretty and the rocks exposed by the lower tide are surrounded in a fine mist. Unfortunately my camera has just ran out of juice but I can still see it now in my mind’s eye. Hopefully it will stay there for a while.