Water Proof
I left the house at 6:00 this morning. It’s overcast but warm. Not a whole lot of light out but well enough for a swim. I drive through the sleepy Dana Point Lantern District and then into the Strand parking lot not far after that. Just a few cars here and a couple of walkers with their dogs.
I grab my favorite parking space and head toward the stairs. The pavement feels warm under my feet and I can smell the rosemary bushes that are planted in abundance here. The surf sounds a little louder than I would expect. The morning surf report isn’t out yet but there is nothing significant in the forecast - just some light pulses of SSW swell.
Once I get a view of the beach, there is indeed some surf but it’s pretty small stuff. Maybe it’s the early hour that brings out the volume. In any case, it’s a nice sound. There is a hint of pink in these clouds and I see just a few light touches of blue. I don’t think this sky is going to make any kind of dramatic transformation while I am in the water but I’m happy to be wrong. I’m sure it will burn off eventually.
It’s a medium tide - in the 3s - and the water feels good on my feet. I can tell we haven’t lost any temperature since my last swim. As I walk in, I’d say it feels warmer today. I start swimming south and the water feels good. There are a few cool spots here and there but they are not as cool as Wednesday. This is all very comfy. With this cloud cover, it feels like I am swimming in some kind of black and white universe. I’m pretty sure I have the pool all to myself right now.
I pass by the mega beach front estates and note how I rarely see any lights or signs of life from many of them. I day dream of a post apocalyptic world where 95% of the world’s population is wiped out and I wonder if I were among the 5% survivors if I would make myself at home in one of these. How long could I remain here in peace before some freakish tribal army tries to crucify me. I’m hoping it would be closer to a Station 11 style dystopia than a Mad Max or Walking Dead civilization.
I get to the south end of the beach and I’m parallel and just north of the large rocks. I snap a photo and notice that nothing happens with my camera. Hmm. This happened once last week and I had to turn it off and on. I do this and I notice that the indicator light is dim when it comes back on and it is not responding to the “take picture” button. I turn it off again and now it does not come back on. I get this sinking feeling and keep trying to turn it on until I feel like a crazy person who expects something different to happen on the 1001st press of the power button after no response from the prior 1000 tries.
I’m still using my backup camera and my primary camera is “in the shop” and I’ll hopefully be getting a replacement under my warranty soon. What is it with these cameras? I really think the “water proof” feature is based on someone who might take it under water for a couple hours a year and not several hours a week. Fortunately I have one last camera at home that has lasted the longest. It’s not even water proof exactly but has a clear plastic housing. Once I get my replacement camera back, I’m buying a housing for it as well.
I’m super bummed about my camera and almost feel naked without a means to document the remainder of this swim. However I am determined not to let this ruin the swim. It is utterly delightful out here and I want to be here for this experience regardless of failing equipment. I can take pictures on my next 1000 swims so I shouldn’t worry about a lack of photos.
I tuck the camera away and who knows, maybe after letting it dry out a while it will work. I’m not holding my breath. Well actually I am holding my breath but I’ll breath the next time I see the horizon. Which so happens to be right now! It is not flat today. This is one of those mornings where the ocean surface is kind of weird. There is little to no wind but the water is all jumbly and bouncy. I wonder if it is because of the combination of swells. The primary swell is SSW but there is supposed to be a nudge to the NW wind swell today.
I keep swimming north and pay attention to the feel of the water on my skin. It feels so pleasant today. There are no cold spots the entire northbound leg. I’ll admit that I make more attempts to revive my camera along the way to the Ritz and none are successful. By the time I reach the north end of the swim, I’ve wandered a ways offshore but not too far. I aim for the asphalt road and soon I’m just about to end the swim. The water gets a little cooler once I’m about 50 feet from the beach. I see another swimmer just behind me who is also coming in. Soon I stand myself up in shin deep water and walk in to the sand. There are a few other swimmers standing on the sand waiting for their buddy. We say good morning and I head up the stairs. I have an 8:30 meeting so I’m walking briskly and get home in plenty of time to fuss in vain with my camera before the meeting. At least I got these pics just to prove that this whole post isn’t a lie.
