Unnatural Stasis

I’m both excited and terrified for today’s swim. The exciting part is that I am heading to The Strand for the first time in almost a month - 23 days to be exact. Yesterday I finally picked up my car that had been waiting for a part that Toyota no longer makes. I wonder has anything changed? Will there still be sand on the beach? Have they repaved the asphalt road that leads to the sand? The terrifying part is that after the onshore winds that pummeled the coast on Sunday and Monday, water temperatures have fallen dramatically - like five degrees in some parts.

I was so delighted with the temperature on my last several swims. I’d say the average was 59 and maybe with some 60 degree spots mixed in. It was delightful given the time of year. Then yesterday morning I checked the buoys and one of the Camp Pendleton buoys was reading 53 degrees. 53! It was 59 on Sunday. Oceanside was reading 55 which was 60 on Sunday. Today that 53 moved to 54 which is still damn cold. Tonight and tomorrow more heavy onshores are on the way so I wonder if we might have some record cold water temps come Friday.

I leave a little after 10:30. I’m super busy with work today but I just feel like I have to get in the water. It’s due to rain later today and tomorrow and if it turns out to be rain of any consequence then I may not be able to get back in the water until Sunday. Besides I have to let my body start to adapt to the newly cold temps. I’m bracing for the fact that today could be a shorter swim depending on how I’m coping.

Skies are cloudy. It’s just grey all over but there is a liquid quality to the cloud texture that I find appealing. When I get to the beach parking lot, the water looks calm. As I head down the stairs I am delighted to see that the water actually looks blue here. It is much more attractive than the brown of Doheny and Capo.

Getting closer to the shore and I see something out in the water. Possibly dolphins? It is hard to tell since I don’t have my glasses on. The tide is lowish and yes there is still plenty of sand on the beach. I was just looking at some pictures from last year and what a difference. Last year the beach was nearly just cobble in January to early March. This year we have had a fully sandy beach all winter. It has lowered somewhat. The top three feet of Jupiter rock is fully exposed compared to just a few inches in late Summer.

I can still see “stuff” out in the water and I’m beginning to think maybe it is not dolphins given that it is in the same spot. It could be the legs of divers or birds. I will never know. At first dip, the water feels ok on my feet. However after I walk in the shallows for a few more seconds, my feet begin to ache. Yes it is officially cold. This could be interesting.

I get my stuff settled on the rocks and make my way into the water. The small waves are breaking a little further out today than the last time I was here. Oh and look! I can actually see into the water. I can see my feet and the small cobble scattered across the bottom. It is lovely. I’m close to the edge of the surf and I lean forward until my feet lift off the ground and I am floating atop the surface and propelled by the movement of my arms. I let out a slight grunt. It is indeed cold. I swim south and I can feel the energy and strength slowly expel from from my body due to the initial cold shock. I remember this from January and here we are again. Eventual I am barely moving my legs. I know the energy will wane and then come back shortly. Sure enough that is exactly what happens.

I can feel the cold move up my neck and through my jaw line. Its energy is palpable. I feel it in my chest and shoulders like electricity exploding in my skin. It’s not painful or even what one might imagine “cold” to feel like but it is fierce and different. It takes a good while for things to subside into the warm glow that is the next stage of the cold water experience.

I’m glad to be here. I feel like I am home again. I do love Capo and it is so conveniently located near my home but this here is special. It is more serene and I can actually see in the water. It’s not a particularly clear water day but it is so so much more clear than Capo and Doheny where I can barely see my own hands.

I get to the south end of the beach and take in the view and the cold. I feel ok but I also know my body is colder than normal. I wonder just how much longer I have in me. As I swim back north I can feel the dexterity evaporate from my hands. They move through the water like claws and I am unable to cup them with fingers together as I normally would. Should I try to get a full swim in and go all the way to the bathrooms at the northern end? There are moments where I think I can. I try to remain relaxed and just give myself over, mind and body, to the cold. I feel myself merge with the sensations in the water and reach a sort of unnatural stasis. Or is it super natural?

I’m getting close to the spot from where I started and I don’t know man, maybe I could make it? But one does not want to be wrong about these kind of things. I know what my body is feeling and it is on the extreme end. I know of folks who literally swim through slush in 26 degree water but they do it for about 30 seconds to maybe a couple minutes. My hour swims are a totally different story. I am just past my starting point and decide to call it. I often judge things by the dexterity in my hands and I lost that a long time ago.

I’m a fair ways out and it seems like it takes a long time to reach the shore. When I do, I have been in the water about 53 minutes. Not bad. There were times during the swim where I figured I would be unbearably cold once I exited the water and would for sure need to towel off immediately and maybe start a fire using nearby sticks and rocks. However, this does not end up being the case. I grab my pack and start walking for the stairs.

The cold shower at the top of the stairs is unpleasant but not as terrible as I had imagined. Besides, you just can’t beat the view from this spot. I look out over the bluff to the blue water and crystal grey sky that looks swept with a light rainbow-like residue. When I return home, I get a notification from the Dana Point reddit community asking if Dana Point is a good place to retire. Well I certainly hope to find out.