Nice sunny morning today and the first sunny swim I have had in a while. I’m hoping this becomes a pattern. I left about 9:45 and the air feels nice and warm.

I get to the parking lot and there is just a bit of ripple on the water. It’s a super beautiful day and it feels like fall - something about the light that I can’t quite describe.

There is some kind of police activity going on near the restrooms, but everything looks fine to me. Perhaps someone’s dog was not properly groomed or a parked Tesla was looking a little too dingy. These sordid Dana Point streets.

As I am walking down the stairs, the water looks cold but I know that’s just a trick my mind is playing on me. I expect the water temperature to be quite pleasant today. There really hasn’t been any weather event to cool off the water in the last couple of days and we are not expected to see any according to the long range forecast. Days are getting shorter and I also understand the the angle of the earth’s rotation right now will cause temps to fall slowly over the next few weeks given no other interference.

I reach the beach and get in the water. Oh it’s good.

I just ease into this swim and enjoy where I am. Water visibility seems a bit better today that it was on Wednesday but not great. The southern end of the swim is cloudier and the northern end has a sort of bright iridescent cloudiness to it. However throughout the center of the beach, I can see a hint of ocean floor.

The southern end of the swim also feels noticeably more wobbly than the rest of the swim. It is high tide and on this stretch of the beach, the water recedes at a sharper angle and creates a sort of reverse wave heading out to sea.

I don’t see any lobster trap buoys as I swim but I know there are several out here because I could see them like dots scattered on the surface from the parking lot. I do see a lifeguard buoy that was planted back in May. It says, “lifeguard 25M.” I’m guessing that is 25 meters. However it is definitely further out than 25 meters and the water can’t be 25 meters deep here (maybe 10).

The water feels so good and it is such a beautiful day. With each stroke I penetrate this water and light with my vision, heart and thought. The conditions set me up for success and make this easy to do.