Sat Feb 5 Oceanside Pier Swim

Late afternoon about 4:30 PM I got in on the south side of the pier and swam around and got out on the north side. The day and water were quite exquisite-really beautiful. Almost no swimmers in the water-as the temp is 57, but maybe a dozen surfers surfing the well-shaped small waves (about 2 feet).
The water outside was glassy with no current except out at the end of the pier. I was starting to go around the pier and kept noticing that I was staying in the same place. I threw in a couple of hundred stronger, faster strokes and got around the pier and headed back in. It took me longer to get in than head out, or so it seemed. Sadly, it is on gorgeous swim days like this when I am faced with the reality that I am just not a very good swimmer. When I don't wear fins, as today, I just don't seem to be able to propel my fat body forward quickly. I had my webbed gloves and wet suit on today. One of these days I'll do a swim without the gloves and without the fins and see how I fare.
But, at 53, with a surgically fused cervical spine, I'll keep plugging along. The last two days were actually pain free for me. So that's a big plus. No pictures today. Forgot the camera.

Feb 4 Camp Pendleton Beach

After work, Mr. G and I went in for a relaxing wet-down at the 21 Area Beach. We just practiced the sidestroke a bit and chatted about the difference between the conventional sidestroke and the combat sidestroke used by military combat swimmers: the latter involving dipping the head underwater and looking forward as one's arms are moving in opposite directions--the lower arm is reaching forward and the upper arm is pushing water toward the feet. Just a slight difference between the two strokes.
There was a small area with 4 foot waves breaking but the shape was not very surfable-only one surfer in the water. Temp was 57 degrees and we didn't stay in very long.

Offshore Breeze Feb 10 O'Side Pier

Hey there was another ocean swimmer in the water just south of the pier today. You can barely make him out in my bottom, right picture. Maybe I should have introduced myself but he didn't look like he would make it too far. I went in with wetsuit, webbed gloves, and fins. The water was chilly and the chop was about two feet high out far. I swam around the pier against the chop, from south to north. I was slowing down the last quarter of the swim from the cold, I think. An invigorating swim after work.

Wed Feb 9, O'Side Harbor to Pier Swim

So I decided not to wear fins today as the water was smooth out there and there appeared to be no currents. The surf was small. I started at the right side of the rock jetty in the pictures about 100 yards and swam south (or left). I was wearing my webbed gloves for security and concentrating on a proper arm pull. I felt comfortable, albeit slow, but I made it to the pier and could easily have kept going.

I jogged back up the beach to where I began at the O'Side Harbor. A really nice day and I feel like I made some substantial improvement.

Tuesday, Feb 8th Oceanside Pier

I drove to the Oceanside Harbor first but there was not a soul in the water. The beach was nasty, thoroughly without shape, just rough chop.

I drove over to the south side parking lot for the Oceanside Pier, which I never do, and parked there. There was one intrepid surfer in the water trying to catch any kind of crummy, shapeless wave to get his fix. I decided to swim around the pier the opposite way from my usual north to south because the mild current, waves, and chop were moving southward. I wanted a more difficult swim against the wind and choppy water with my fins and webbed gloves.

I felt good in the water, strong heading out. Once I rounded the pier, it was easier to swim toward the sand with the wave action helping me in. A nice, thirty-minute, vigorous swim. I took some pictures before and after. Oh, and I found a nice sand dollar in the water as I exited! It was in great shape, unbroken. While not as large in diameter as the one I lost yesterday, it helped.