Still Training for the Oceanside Labor Day Pier Swim

So I had a bad crick in my back yesterday and was not planning to go to the beach after work.  However, the sea called to me and I felt the pull, as the Sirens called to Odysseus.  Impressive literary reference there from the Odyssey, by Homer, eh?  I hope I got that simile correct; it was off the top of my head-no fact checking.
The waves were a foot bigger than the last several days-about 3-4 feet, but friendly waves they were-not angry, hurtful waves.  I read from someone's blog a while back that in a race one should dive under the oncoming waves and "grab the bottom and pull yourself out as the wave passes overhead" or words similar to that.  Well, I have tried to grab the bottom for about four days now and I can't even "GET" to the bottom to grab it as I dive under the waves.  I run out of air quickly and I have a big gulp of air in my lungs before I dive under, so this could be the problem.  Maybe one needs to expel air from the lungs before diving under to help one get to the bottom to grab it.  I say the heck with grabbing the bottom.  Too much work.  Just dive under the wave, and then dive under the next one.  Eventually they will end. 
A bit of a chop Tuesday but warm water still.  Visibility about 7 feet.  No current except the "now customary" rip current pulling northward in the surf zone and inside the surf zone.  As I swam in through the surf, the visibility was great and I could really see the bottom as I was pulled north while swimming in.  It was neat, and strong enough to cause problems for the inexperienced and/or small kids. 
I wore my fins and webbed gloves because I wanted to pull the crick out of my back.  It worked. 
A nice training swim-glad I went.

Beautiful, Flat Water for Oceanside Pier Swim Monday

It can't get much better than this.  The water was about 68 degrees, few people on the beach, plenty of close parking, small (2-3 feet) nicely-shaped waves, no current past the surf zone, etcetera.  I had a great swim going south to north Monday at 5 PM.  Clean, light-blue water under an overcast sky with an air temp of 64 degrees.

I am alone out there!  Such solitude, tranquility, and rest for the mind.  My own breathing, snorting, coughing, kicking, and other assorted noises that I make while swimming are the only sounds to be heard out there.  No jet ski whines yesterday at all to give one concern.  No speedboats.  Not even a kayak or sailboat.  Wow.  The pictures that I take never do the reality justice but I'll post them anyway. 

Oceanside Pier Swim Tyson Street to Surfrider Way Sunday

Sunday afternoon was just like Saturday.  Warm water, visibility maybe up to ten feet, longboarders with 2-3 foot waves at long intervals.  Smooth waves, decent shape in some areas, closed out in other areas.

When I first went in at Tyson Street, I saw a fish, which is a rarity these days.  There was no current, but there was a surface chop moving southeast which hit me in the face on way way from the end of the pier angling in toward Surfrider Way.  The swim out was beautiful, with the water past the surf zone a clean blue.