Day After Thanksgiving at the Beach

Well, there were tons of people wandering the beach this afternoon at a very low tide in Oceanside at the Pier.  The sky was blue and sunny, with a light wind.  Surfline.com has the water temp at 58 to 61 degrees.  The water felt warmer than yesterday-I'd guess 60 degrees.  The ocean surface was blowing southeast with a strong chop of 2-3 feet.  There was a moderate current running south.  I got in on the north side and wore fins because the water looked rather rough.  It was probably a good idea.  Getting out would have been a challenge without the fins. 
It took 26 minutes to get around in a very wide semicircle.  I enjoyed the swim (with fins life is easy) but still froze.  I stopped out past the pier to watch the swells.  There were swells rolling in out there and chop all around.  Really very special being alone in that stuff.
The shape of the waves was terrible but a dozen or more surfers were still looking for rideable waves.  God bless 'em.  They're tough-and the surprising thing is that when you see some of them come in they are just kids-girls and boys. 

"The first time you quit is the last time you try."