The Perfect Window

It was a busy Easter weekend and I did not have time for a swim. I have to say if there was ever a weekend that I could not get in the water, it might has well been this one. The water temperature is still posted at 54 degrees. Last Friday I read an article in the San Diego Union Tribune that said a San Diego county buoy off Del Mar recorded the lowest ocean temperature since UCSD started collecting this data in the 70s.

It is a good thing the water temp did not get updated to 54 until after my swim last Wednesday. I’m not sure I would have swum (I probably would but with extra internal drama). It was 56 when I left and it was fricking cold but not mind blowing. It must have been in the 54 zone already because there definitely was no weather event between the morning and afternoon reports. All the damage was done Monday and Tuesday. I thought maybe the 54 degree report was some kind of an error. Why would it get updated to 56 (from 58) in the morning and then dip to 54 in the afternoon? Who knows. After reading that article and not seeing another change, I guess the 54 was legit. One thing is for sure, I think about this way too much.

So this morning’s report comes around and it is still 54. I didn’t die (or feel like I was going to die) last week so what should stop me from doing this again today? It is super foggy in the morning and is still socked in at 9:30. I tell myself if things don’t clear up by the end of my 10:00 meeting, the swim is off. The meeting ends, I check the web cams and, oh well, things are clearing up. I guess I got to get in that water. Today definitely lacks any kind of a spring time sunny vibe. It looks cold.

On the drive, it sure does look foggy around Doheny and the valley to the east. As I approach Selva before turning left to the Strand parking lot, I see wisps of fog blowing across the highway. Am I going to have to turn back home?

Once I can see the water from the parking lot, I can definitely see out well past the boats. The swim is on.

I head to the beach and as soon as I see the sand it is clear that there has been a significant influx of sand over the past several days. The tide is about 2 feet and as the water recedes from the shore, I see lots of sand and it seems those boulders just in front of my usual takeoff spot are covered up. Good - I hope it stays that way for a while (as in years).

Things look pretty grey here but there is almost no wind. As I remove my upper layers of clothing, I feel pretty comfortable.

I make my way into the water. I soon reach a ledge and am chest deep and start swimming.

Yeah it is cold but does not feel record breaking cold.

The surf is small and the water looks kind of yellow/brown - red tide maybe.

As I am making my way south in earnest, I am relieved to be here. As usual, this does not even come close to the misery I had been conjuring in my mind. I’m thinking with the extra cold water, I will probably cut out the northern leg of the swim but I’m totally fine. More than fine.

I reach a good inner core temperature about a third of the way down the beach. When I reach the southern end of the swim, I am struck by how still the water is. With almost no surf or wind, it is like a pool here. Even at 2 feet (probably closer to 2.5 by now) the tide feels lower and as I look south to the cliffs, it seems like the rocks that protrude from the water near the base are extra exposed. It is quite beautiful and peaceful.

I turn around and the western view as I lift my head with each stroke just looks like a never ending grey void - the good kind. I have this melody running through my head the entire swim. It is probably a snippet from some song on my Spotify play list. It’s not a particularly beautiful tune at all but not distracting. I just anchor myself in this little 5 second clip that plays on repeat and it holds me steady in the cool water.

I’m feeling good with the cold. I’m wondering how long this will last. Every now and then I feel a sensation that one (one who leans on the optimistic side) might just label as warmth. 54? Really?

At one point I see what looks like a small splash to my left, I pause to look and it is a line of about 5 Pelicans hovering just inches over the water passing right by me. I think the splash was the wing of one of them dipping into the water.

As I near my entry spot, I decide that I definitely feel good enough for a full swim today. This makes me happy. My fingers won’t be winning any dexterity contests, but I feel fairly warm all around.

I get to my northern turn around point. I pause to take in the view from all directions. While the heavy fog has subsided, I can see lots of mist that gives this place a hushed ambiance. It feels like this spot has become frozen in time. Perhaps I am passing through a zone where the speed of light has slowed considerably and time nearly stands still. Of course this means when I exit the zone I will be well into the future and some may be wondering where I was if they are still alive.

I wrap things up and yeah, the final five minutes feel icy but not freaky at all. What a great swim. Yet another of the many sessions that seemed like it would be horrible but turns out wonderful. I get home and the afternoon surf report still reports 54. I even dig into the real time buoy data and things have not come up. The Strands web cam shows a totally socked in beach. I can’t see anything. Looks like I chose the perfect window.