Crowded Harbor Beach Oceanside, CA 5:30 p.m. Sunday

Sunday late afternoon. It must be Spring Break or just our beautiful weather.

Really a perfect day for enjoying sand, friends, and the beach. Two-foot waves, 2-foot visibility, flat water, long interval between sets and waves. 56 F, felt chilly. 

Beginner and intermediate surfers had mild, slow waves for practice. No aggressive surfers noted by this senior citizen.

Nice to see regular people partaking in the slow surf without the hot shots.

I may be done for my swimming career. Gotta see a doctor and dig up records of previous chest x-rays and MRIs over the years. "Bilateral atelectasis with significantly elevated right hemi-diaphragm," whatever that is...

Caused by what? When?

Been coughing for 6 months.

I'll include 2 photos of the pleasant scene yesterday. I got in and kicked out to the surfers--not far at all--and was short of breath, so I just watched the young folks and then returned home. Blah...What do I do about my motto below?

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

Friday 5 pm Harbor

Yesterday late afternoon I got in the water for a short stint. 

Cloudy, few beachgoers, no water visibility, few surfers, and strong waves rushing in every ten seconds, straight on, with lousy surf conditions. 

The water was quite rough and angry, with the outer waves pounding this man, who wanted to kick out through the 4-5 footers and achieve comfort past the breakers. No such thing occurred. 

In front of the big waves, one surging after another, consistently, I had to use my safety discretion and ease back in toward the safety of sand. 

I broke out my old, trusty swimmer's lifejacket yesterday, wore it, but didn't need to use it.

I somehow developed this no-wind-in-my-lungs condition, I don't know why, but it's unpleasant and limits my physical output. I think it's a forever condition.

Despite rough waves and a lack of air, I enjoyed the brisk water; it was worth the trip.

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

Oceanside Harbor Beach Surf Contest High School

I have been dry for a few weeks due to general malaise and ongoing, boring pain. Yesterday, Monday morning, I was up early and felt okay. Lots of coffee.

To my surprise, many people were frolicking at my beach. I typically expect my beach to be sparingly populated with an ample supply of parking spaces. Uh, oh, a big sign read "State Championship High School Surfing."

Also, I think it may be the start of Spring Break, as the adjacent beaches were populated with families.

We are so fortunate here; I'll repeat it again & again. Even if I did have to walk 100 yards or 200 to get my feet wet. 

The water was notably warmer Monday with the usual 2-foot visibility. The ocean was calm, flat, lovely with waves of moderate shape...about 3-4 feet. Good enough for a decent surf contest but not great.

I walked to the south side of the south rock jetty as the north side was populated with surf families and fun. 

I have had to come to accept that my vigorous swim activity days are gone. As years pile up, I add maladies to my list of body malfunctions. My recent addition is a diaphragm problem which really decreases the volume of air that I can take in when I breathe. Under exercise stress, the air intake causes shortness of breath and chest tightness. It's termed 'Significant hemi-diaphragm elevation right side.'

My swims now will be more like mild dips in the water with a bit  of kicking with the fins. The big waves are off limits now due to a senior citizen's safety and discretion.

That's the way it was yesterday. I enjoyed it anyway. Thanks. 

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

Oceanside Harbor Beach Friday

I mostly like to be surprised at the water conditions before I drive to the beach. Today at 1 p.m. I was somewhat surprised that the conditions at the Harbor were inhospitable to human recreation.

A strong wind blew in steadily from the west, so much so that one guy surfed the wind quite adeptly.

I was the sole entrant into the water during my brief stay. No surfable waves whatsoever. The photos show a very low tide; however, hiding past that all hell was breaking loose. In 6-8 feet of water surged 3-5 foot waves crashing straight on in, parallel to the shoreline.

My objective was to kick around a bit to work the back muscles. Once the water was over my head, I experienced looming 4-5 footers dumping on me and actually creating anxiety in my mind. Anxiety in rough surf is certainly an adrenaline rush per se but I'm not young anymore.

 

I'm cautious and decided to kick back in and call it a day. Easier said than done. The underpull of the water was strong, even with my webbed feet touching the sand on the bottom.

 

This afternoon I had the momentary thought that if I had been wearing my life jacket, I just might have had my hand on the CO2 cartridge pull. Really.

I need more wind in my lungs. Rehabbing is a long road, but I LOVE cold salt water! I love it. Did I say I love to be cold in salt water...

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

Warm Water

I got in at 2 p.m. for some kicking around at the Harbor Beach. It's just so nice here!

Waves up to a max of 4 feet every several minutes for 3-4 waves, but the shape wasn't very good for surfing--closed out. The south jetty was more popular than the north side. The water was very flat and calm out past the waves and I relaxed on my back, kicking easily. I got a bit inspired and kicked around the south rock jetty. It's a rough spot, the south side, and a kid could get smashed quickly and pulled out. 

I got two epidural steroid shots 2 days ago and I think the Dr. just hit two bad spots of mine just perfectly. Good reduction in pain and the lumbar felt very good this afternoon. 

I did forget my disabled placard and had to pay the $1.50 to the meter. It makes one happy to have a disability. I missed out on my free parking spot right by the sand. 

(but I'd trade it in for health).

No photos; I didn't care.

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

Before Sunset

Not an exciting swim today just before sunset. Ten minutes of kicking but I had no wind. A little bit rough with up to 4 foot strong waves outside. I didn't dare try to get through them due to a lack of breath. When one is old it is better to be cautious.

No photo. Forgot the phone.

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

Three Days Off

I got into the water yesterday after a few days of recovery time. Don't you miss your body when you were in your twenties and maybe into your thirties, when you could get out of shape but snap right back into fitness after a week of daily exercise?

I remember that youthful 'bounce back' ability. That was nice.

I can remember being in my early twenties and having a bad cold, a chest cold or something, that could be cured by going out on a hard 5-mile run.

Took that for granted.

I've been espousing the 'step-by-step' method of life for the last 20-30 years. 

Like Mao Tse Dung's quote: 'The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.'

Saturday in the water at the Harbor was perfect for me. Smooth waves 2-4 feet, decent shape, and a nice interval between waves. I was able to kick out past the several surfers and relax just kicking back & forth between the jetties. No, not the entire length, I'm talking 50 yards or so north, turn about, and 50 yards the other direction a few times. So peaceful, such gentle water.

This photo was of the south side of the south rock jetty. Is that beautiful or what?

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

Before Sunset, Tuesday February 18th, 2025

Damn, I wasted countless days sitting in my recliner chair--NOT GETTING IN THE WATER--feeling sorry for myself with my perennial antagonist: pain.

No, I have not had the gene of self-pity excised by "Ancestry" or "23 and Me."

This parasite has accompanied me in this life. But I have had my periods of time when I can locate the kernel of self-motivation hidden latent deep within my soul. 

The motivation is unearthed by fleeting physical pain, exhaustion, extremes of cold, and physical danger...the physical challenges that one lives in a young life, and throughout a life if a person is quite special, like Socrates, who propounded his idea of living a Stoic life in his Classical Greek age. I am not such a Stoic; perhaps I tasted a few years of that as a young man, without realizing the importance of it.

Wait! Isn't this a blog of swimming? 

This was yesterday:

This was me yesterday:

Fourteen years ago, this was me:

Not the build of a swimmer; I'm more of a plodder. I haven't been able to freestyle after 2 cervical surgeries, but...maybe...who ever knows.

Yesterday the Harbor Beach was rough, surging 2-5 foot waves without much of an interval to recover between waves. I was unable  to get to the big waves, much less through them and out past them, which is typically my goal.

I had 15 minutes of difficult, chilly fun in my Churchill fins. My lumbar is holding up well today. Fingers crossed. 

Surfers KNOW the secret of life. Cold salt water striving to achieve the adrenaline pump of speed and power. I envy them.

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

Sunday Swim Oceanside Harbor

About 3pm I was pleased to see some waves between the 2 rock jetties. The water was fine, the temp, in a wetsuit. Waves 2-4 foot maximum, poor-fair shape. Several surfers doing ok on both sides of the south jetty. 

About 2 foot visibility. Surfline quotes 56 F degrees but much warmer, I believe. About 62.

A decent number of folks enjoyed the area, lots of dog walkers, but no dogs on the sand. I'm a hard-liner on this: no dogs on Oceanside sand. Use dog beaches wherever they may be. Del Mar is one and I heard Orange County has a dog beach.

I tried wearing a hard plastic neck brace today to prevent neck problems and it did. Pretty uncomfortable though. I kicked out past the big surf and hung out a bit, then kicked in. My wind is poor. Legs and lumbar feel good with the buoyancy of the heavy salt water but something isn't normal in my right side of the diaphragm. It is pushed upward for some reason. Who knows. I don't even know if it affects my wind or if I just need to exercise more.

A very pleasurable day overall at the beach. We're lucky to have it.

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

Rained Out

I've been craving some salt water for several days now, but we actually have been experiencing 'rain' in Oceanside. Rain here means dirty water runoff from the creeks and some street drainage that flow into the Pacific. That keeps you out of the water. The rule of thumb is 'wait 48 hours' after rain to swim/surf.

It's  kinda' like when you were a kid, and every adult warned you to 'wait 30 minutes' after eating to go in the water at the beach. "You'll get cramps and drown." Of course, no kid ever waited 30 minutes, and the deadly cramps never occurred. 

However, you will get a sinus infection in dirty water. So, I wait. 

Today is Saturday the 15th, a sunny day. Tomorrow I will return to my 'salt water fix.'

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

SATURDAY 4 pm Rough Water at the Harbor

Medium tide with lots of rough white water surgy waves one on top of the other. Little interval between waves. Current pulling south fairly strong. 56 degrees F per Surfline but the water felt warmer than that. 

7 surfers struggling to get  out to the 3-5 foot poorly shaped waves this afternoon. I saw several decent rides. I'm always amazed at how the surfers paddle through the incoming surge and actually get through to  the bigger sets. Tough, wiry guys. 

I kicked out and around here and there, being pulled toward the south rock jetty. I didn't have much wind. 

I couldn't get out to the big stuff today. Even if I had had the wind, I don't yet have the confidence again yet. 

I decided to get out and I walked north to the north jetty. I kicked around and tried to get out but half-heartedly. Ended up kicking easy and drifting south a bit before I called it a day.

Cold is good for me. 

A couple of photos. Hot  coffee is nice afterward.

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

Cloudy Day with the Water Getting a Little Rougher

Thursday late afternoon at the Harbor. A little chillier, 2 foot visibility, waves 2 to 4 foot swells. Several surfers but the shape was poor, closing out.

I liked the roughness of the incoming  tide smashing me at the distance out from the sand with the surfers. I'm still needing more wind but I felt good and got some nice kicking in for 15-20 minutes.

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

OCEANSIDE HARBOR BETWEEN THE TWO ROCK JETTIES

Below I include a photo of the stingray hit the next day.

Again yesterday, Friday, the tide was super low, and I had a great relaxing swim all by myself! The "all by myself" is crucial to me. 

The water was warmer. Get right in, no need to gird your loins first. Surfline quotes 57 F but no way. More like 64. I should buy a little thermometer (waterproof). I have always used the 'face freezing time' to gauge water temperature. 

Sand crabs are here again. The ones that live inside the round shell; remember the examples in the natural world that follow the 'perfect ratio,' the 1.67 thing, and the Fibonacci numbers. {1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,etcetera}.  The crabs live in that type of shaped shell.

I saw many of them yesterday, along with lots of sand dollars. I gave some to a dad who had a little girl with her plastic yellow bucket for collecting. 

I love that stuff. A complete, unbroken sand dollar with its 'flower petal' design on top hits a good place in my brain. 

My breath is returning gradually--my wind. I feel some leg muscles again. Adelante!

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

STINGRAY HIT AT LOW, LOW, LOW TIDE

Today, Thursday, late afternoon, I had an extremely pleasant 20-minutes of moderate kicking in the calmest water that I've enjoyed in many years.  

No waves, and the tide was way out there. I collected a bunch of sand dollars and left them on the ledge near the shower. I took 3 good ones home for my collection. I didn't see any little kids to give them to.

Finally, for the first time ever, I got stung or brushed and stung a few times on the area of my right heel.

It doesn't hurt much at the instant of stings, but as the minutes pass, it hurts more and more. By the time I got home I was hurting big time and limping. Now, as an experienced beach guy, water safety & survival instructor, military lifeguard and Scuba guy, I know that soaking the foot in a HOT bucket of water for a few hours mitigates the pain. I'm soaking now--no pain.

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

Oceanside Harbor Beach Almost Empty

About 3 p.m. I drove down to the Harbor Beach and got in the water for 15-20 minutes of relaxed kicking with the fins while lying on my back. My rehab program. 

Such a low, low tide, overcast sky, maybe half a dozen people in the water. Just how I like it.

57 F per web...no way...much warmer, about 61 is my guess. 

No surfing possible in a 1-2 foot chop, but great for my usage.

My lumbar is okay today, Sunday, after a dip yesterday. 

One could stand at the end of the rock jetty Saturday. Low,low, low tide...nothing but sand on the bottom. No visibility.

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

Clean Beach Again Today at Oceanside Harbor, CA

The polluted water sign was gone at the beach today, Monday, Martin Luther King Day. (My error...in my title, it should say yesterday, not today). So, that was 

something good about the day. The water was warmer; I'd guess 63 F, but the web said 57. I disagree.

I'm just simply kicking with fins to strengthen the low back. 

That's a low tide with 2-3 foot waves with lousy shape, just closing out. Several surfers, not worth the trip.

Not many thoughts in my head today. It's a national day of mourning...and I don't mean MLK.

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

Caution: Beach Contaminated

I feel that my blogger name isn't appropriate for me anymore, but I can't change it...yet....

I got in today and kicked on my back with the fins for a while. Crisp, cold water today. 

58 F. Ten minutes to get used to the chill. Visibility 3 feet. Waves a mellow 2 foot with a max of 3 feet

swell. Great afternoon for beginning surfers on a long-ish board. 4 real surfers between the two rock

  

jetties, and about 9 beginners/intermediates...the young females represented today.

I took a photo of the contaminated water sign. It's the sewage from the decades-old Tijuana sewage

problem and the sewage treatment plant on the US side. 

I've read that the feds are going to send $250 million to the US side, we'll see.

The middle photo. It's difficult to see. 

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

OCEANSIDE HARBOR SOUTH JETTY LOW TIDE JAN 16th 2025

I tried out the new wet suit with the neoprene hood this afternoon at the Oceanside Harbor Beach, between the 2 rock jetties.

The tide was the lowest I've seen, a great setting for my gradual swim post surgery. Water temp just below 60 Fahr.

Visibility less than 2 feet, not encouraging. I just kicked easy on my back with fins to work on my lumbar area. 

A few surfers for a calm sea with 2-3 foot being the biggest set I saw at 4 pm or so.

My lumbar is killing me after I  got home and all this evening. On a sky note, Mars is visible tonight, just below the 2 Gemini stars, specifically, below Pollux in the southeastern sky. A few photos.

Bottom photo shows Pendleton hills in the background. This is a great beach for easy living/exercising with lots of sand still.

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