Kayak Oceanside Harbor

I did a swim with my daughter kayaking in the Oceanside Harbor area Sunday afternoon.  Warm water again, and a beautiful day.

Rip Currents Oceanside CA

The lifeguards were on alert this evening when I arrived at 6 PM at the beach at Surfrider Way, a couple of hundred yards north of the pier. There were red flags with "rip current" signs along the beach. I studied the water thinking about which direction to swim. The muddy, dirty area at Surfrider often has rips, and there is a lifeguard station there. The rip current is a strong flow or current of water north or south. The rip tide is due to a low sand area under the water where water from breaking waves on the beach finds a low spot and follows it out to sea again. It can pull you out to sea. The rip tide can be seen by observing the water for a dstinctly different surface appearance-an uneven, bubbly, muddy patch of water perpendicular to the shore.

Saturday evening the wind was blowing south, the surface of the water was moving south, and I decided to swim that way. The first hundred yards or so out from Surfrider was rough heading out because of the north current but as I got out to the distance at the end of the pier there was a gentle south current that helped me swim along southward. Then, swimming in was rough again; I didn't feel a rip current but I felt that I had to swim hard to pull myself in.

The tide was low. Perhaps there was a tide shifting slightly. Who knows. The ocean is a mystery-powerful and ever-changing. I looked at a couple of sailboats moving north and they both had their front sails down; I think it was because they were heading into the wind.

It was warm, 71 degree water, but lousy visibility. Stirred up all the way. Silty. I'm improving and had the energy to run back along the beach to where I started from. A tough, good swim evening.

Swim 6 PM Today, July 16th Oceanside Pier

I'll be doing a pier swim tonight about 6 PM at Surfrider Street where it meets the beach at the turnaround. Park near Pappy's Market at Surfride and Cleveland Street. There is plenty of free parking with a short walk to the sand. The current should be a bit of a rip to the north inside and a mild south current far out at the pier. The water is warm. No wet suit needed. Fins welcome. Wet suits welcome.
I'll call a couple of you guys.
E-mail me if interested.

Oceanside CA One Mile Swim Pier July 17th

http://www.multisports.com

I just heard of this swim at the pier but it is closed out.

Friday Afternoon Oceanside Rough Water Swim

Since I'm working on improving my ocean swimming without fins, today was the roughest water yet, I think, that I swam in without them. As always, the guessing game with the currents was one I played today. Either way that I would have swum, north-to-south or south-to-north, I think would have been the same. The chop of the water was big-2 feet-and I swam against the current as it turned out. I could see the taut fishing lines of the fishermen on the pier being pulled northward but the surface of the water and the breeze were moving southward. So, which way to choose. I went south-to-north. I was going against the chop on the way out, against the current on the portion north past the pier parallel to the beach, and half-way against the chop on the way in.

I liked the rough swimming where one has to play the chop and waves to guess the right time to breathe and the correct side to breathe on. Sometimes you pop out of the water almost like a dolphin when you catch your breathing time just as a wave pitches you upward. It's fun. I didn't swallow any sea water today, so no puking. Also good.

I approximate that the swim took me about 40-45 minutes in a lower tide. Not great but ok for me. I'm not looking to set any speed records anyway; I just like a little danger and excitement and uncertainty in my life to help me appreciate living.

The water was warm, visibility was about 8 feet, and only a handful of surfers were aattempting to find a wave with any shape at all to catch a short ride on. Often it's better to be a boogie-boarder with fins-there's always something you can catch that way. So, a good training swim and I'm thankful for the proximity of the ocean as always.