There weren’t any organized swims to join this morning so I planned to head back to La Jolla Shores and brave the waves while my buzz from yesterday was still intact. But sometime during my morning cup of coffee, I chickened out. Or maybe I just needed an easy swim after two challenging ones. In any case, I opted for a leisurely swim back at Mission Bay.

The water was like a mirror, calm and clear. When we arrived there were two other swimmers doing laps between the buoys and further on there were several paddleboarders and rowers. I slipped into the warm water and swam out for a bit, eager to explore beyond the cove where I had swum with the crew on Tuesday.

I kept close to the shore to keep out of the way of boats. At one point I stopped to take pictures and realized the tide was carrying me out into the bay, so I put my head down and swam back to the buoys. Then I spent the rest of the time doing laps.