Rough Ocean Today

When I got to the beach this afternoon I decided to wear my Churchill Slasher fins along with this thin, wet-suit jacket that I have in the trunk.  The water looked quite rough and ugly, and I wanted the fins for survival.  My neck is out of whack again so I couldn't freestyle swim; I decided to go for a kick swim lying on my back.  The water was a cold 55 degrees.  The waves were up to 4 foot with lots of power in them.  Also there was a chop up to 2 feet everywhere.  I was kicking away to get out through the surf zone; moving across past the pier was ok; but the kick in was surprisingly difficult.  I kept thinking that the water didn't make sense.  If I'm kicking hard against the water to get out farther (this is out past the breakers), then kicking in on the south side of the pier should be easier, because I'll be kicking WITH the water flow.  But this didn't occur.  How can I be swimming against the movement of the water on both sides of the pier?  Really, I don't get it.
It took me 44 minutes to do the swim.
So afterward, I'm putting clothes on at my car in the parking lot, and there is this lady with her son parked next to me.  The boy is looking like a small, fourteen-year-old kid in his wet-suit who is heading toward the rough water with his surfboard.  I was impressed with the kid's guts and assumed ability so I say to the lady, "Hi, is that your kid?"  I follow it up with, "I'm amazed at these young kids who go out in that water.  They sure are tough." (or similar words).  She is annoyed by my existence and walks to the far side of her car (a Mercedes 4 door expensive car) and opens her back door and gets in.  End of my attempt at being amiable at the beach.  I got dissed.  All I wanted to do was compliment her son.  I HAVE to learn NOT to be nice to people at the beach.  What is wrong with me?


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

Special Olympics Oceanside CA

polar-plunge-special-olympics/

Some folks jumped in the water at the Pier yesterday.  Here is the newspaper link.

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

Neat afternoon at the beach

The air temp was 82 at my house in Oceanside today.  The water temp was 56.  Visibility was a few feet and the ocean was flat beyond the breakers.  The north side was 1-3 feet but the south side had some nice 4 foot waves which brought a bunch of surfers out there.  There was a moderate current all over to the north, for a change.  It didn't sink in until I was having to exert a continued effort to swim from the north side of past the end of the pier to the south side.  Then I had to keep a swim effort going to keep the current from bringing me back to the pier. Very different conditions today.  There were lots of beachgoers because of the unusual warm temps today; we had a summer feeling to the day.  A good 34 minute swim.

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

Oceanside Rough Water Swim

This afternoon at about 1:00 PM I had a 33 minute swim around the Pier. The day was beautiful. Temp outside 80 degrees.  Surfline.com has the water temp at 56-58 degrees. It was a little colder than that. I'd guess 54. My face hurt for ten minutes getting into the ocean and into the swim.  My legs were actually really quite cold after ten minutes.  After that I was good.  The ocean visibility was nothing.  The water was a nice greenish-blue color but not clear.  There was a decent chop of 1 foot to 2 feet in the water past the end of the pier.  No currents to deal with.  My goggles are done, I guess: the AquaSphere Kaiman. They are too foggy and cloudy.  Any recommendations?
I felt good coming in; my air was there and no pain issues.  There was a lineup of surfers at the south side riding some nice 3 foot waves.  The waves were smashing in pretty hard.  Once again a wave smashed me and I lost a swim cap.
I found several nice shells after getting out.  Gave some to a couple of little girls. I gotta' watch that. I probably gave their Mom a heart attack.  Too bad...
Getting into my car & changing afterward I met the new, young meter enforcement guy for the parking.  He's somewhat lucky; one of the senior citizen meter readers just retired.  I asked him if it was as bad as the TV show "Philadelphia Parking Wars," and he said, "That's my life every day."  I was surprised that it would be rough at the beach but he said same, same.  Still, not a bad place to work, eh?
Good swim day.


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

Damn! Cold & Rough Oceanside Pier Water Today

I have to fix my camera's date; these photos were taken today, the 26th, by yours truly.

My saying at the bottom of my posts is applicable today: "The first time you quit is the last time you try."  Well today in the early afternoon, there was not one swingin' di** in the water.  It was cold, colder than the 56-58 reading by surfline.com. I give it a testicle & weenie shrinking 54 degrees.  And rough and angry, just like myself as a teenager.  I could not get out past the surf.  The surf was 3 foot pounding waves one after another without much of an interval between them at all to catch one's breath.
I lasted an embarrassing 6 minutes from the time I was waist high and swimming out until the time I turned around, headed toward the beach, and was able to stand again.
I didn't have any air today, and my mind was weak; well, it's always weak, but today it was weaker than usual.  The current was pulling me to the south-about 100 yards in those 6 minutes.
The ocean doesn't look bad at all in these photos, and indeed in real life watching them from the sand. However, they were bigger and nastier than they appear; you just have to be IN it to appreciate what Mother Nature is throwin' out there.  Nevertheless, I tried, and that counts enough for me today.


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