The Swimming is Still Good
It’s the first day of November and it is feeling more and more like Fall. It was 50 degrees out this morning and I was having a difficult time getting my head around the fact that I would be getting into the water today. Fortunately, I was not able to leave until 11:30 and by that time things had warmed up considerably into the 60s.
I actually packed a bag with a jacket and towel to take to the beach with me today. I’m still cold in my house and I’m just certain I’ll be on the edge of hypothermia as soon as I get out of the water. However, when I step out my door, the sun intersects with my skin and it’s a match made in heaven! I’m warm and toasty all the way in my car. So when I leave my car and head for the stairs, the bag stays in the car.
I’m trying to limit the inner dialog as I walk down the stairs because the hot topic of conversation is the water temperature. Surfline has lowered the water temperature rating here to 60, which I don’t completely understand since all the local buoys are between 62 and 65. Monday was downright comfortable. Then we had winds but come Tuesday morning the surf report said the temps didn’t take much of a hit. Then on Wednesday it came down further. So for some reason my mind is preparing itself for 57 with the strategy that if I expect 57, 60 will be nice.
It is in all respects a beautiful day. The water is a rich navy blue and the sky is clear. However there looks like there are low clouds way up north past Laguna. It looks like it may as well be a different day up there. Well I sure am glad to have the day that has been given to us. It’s nice. It’s just a tad chilly in the shade. It really does feel like November.
When I get to the sand there is a small cliff forming in the sand just before the rocks below the bluff. I can see the Jupiter rock protruding out of the edge of this sandy cliff. It’s about a third of the way exposed - probably about 2 and a half feet of the rock is above ground now. It was almost completely submerged a couple weeks ago.
There is a Curlew walking on the wet sand just in front of me. The water does feel colder than Monday but it does not have the edge of 57 or even 60. Surf is down quite a bit too today but not flat. I walk in and soon start to swim south. It’s cool but I am delighted to find that it is not nearly as cold as I thought it would be. I really don’t think it is much colder than 63 if at all. It feels like we are back to where we were two or three weeks ago.
The wind is just starting to pick up here. The water looked a little ruffled earlier but I didn’t see any chop. There is a little bit of chop now and when I turn around at the southern end of the beach, I can feel the wakes heading in the direction of my face.
It is beautiful and clear out today. I know I have mentioned that already but I think it is worth mentioning again. I can see forever out on the horizon and up north along the coast. The water is relatively clear and I follow one stalk of kelp right after the other all along the beach. There are some bass, sitting frozen above the vines.
I can’t seem to decide whether the water is truly nice or just a tad too cold for comfort. I find myself inwardly reaching for warmth only to find that when I pause and assess how I feel, I seem to feel pretty good.
I hear the high pitched hum of a motor and I lift my head to make sure I’m not going to get run over. It is a motorized raft and zooms past me. I pass several lobster trap buoys and when I get close to my northern turn around point, I see a small fishing boat a couple hundred feet further out from me. They are throwing things into the water and there are at least half a dozen birds flying all around the boat. I hope that the birds come toward me but they don’t.
The southern point looks so close even though I am all the way down the beach. Everything is crisp and clear. On my final leg to the finish, I make my way closer and closer to the beach. This day has this look to it that makes me think that this water should be colder than it actually is. Not long ago, I had thought that once summer turns to fall, the water immediately plunges into some kind of lethal frigidity. This is not true. The swimming is still good here.
The water feels better and better as I make my way back closer and closer to shore. I think some of this has to do with the fact that I know I’ll be getting out soon. Even if I start to feel the early signs of hypothermia now, I’m totally safe where I am. I swim all the way to the ramp and I’m about chin deep when I check to see how deep the water is here. Rather than swim, I go ahead and slowly walk my way into shallower water and eventually to dry sand.
I walk back up the ramp and watch the sun shimmer on the water out past the large red buoy that guards Dana Point. The upper showers are still down for maintenance even though I have not seen anyone maintaining them, so I shower at the lower showers by the Niguel Shores parking lot.
The remainder of the walk up the stairs is pretty blissful. It’s a little warmer than the walk down but not much. It’s just about 1:30 but it feels like 4:00. The ratio of sun to people definitely favors the sun and it is quiet here. I think about tomorrow and wonder how the water will feel earlier in the morning. I know it will be just fine if not better but the gossip in my head is already trending otherwise.
