After opting (wimping?) out yesterday, I was determined to return to La Jolla Shores today and face my fears of ocean waves. Kathleen’s husband, Mike, who arrived at the reunion a couple of days ago and joined Kathleen and me on our morning swim excursions, promised to help me navigate the surf. It was another morning without an organized swim (there actually was one, but it was at 6 am, which would have meant leaving our house before 5:30), and I was grateful to Mike, grateful to have a buddy to talk down my irrational fears.

It turned out I didn’t need any pep-talking, though because the ocean was a picture of peaceful calm. Tiny gentle waves lapped the shore; waves so small even I couldn’t be afraid of them.

Mike joined me through the breakers anyway and then I continued on my own. Or not actually on my own; there were plenty of other swimmers, paddleboarders, kayakers, and scuba divers. I swam along the buoy line, marveling at the clarity of the water. With my goggles on I could see through the aqua water all the way down to the sandy bottom. 

I took some time to admire this guy.

Pelicans always look prehistoric, but this guy seemed especially ancient and other-worldly. I sent a picture to my swim buddies back home and Colleen texted back that Pelicans can live 40 years! So now I’m imagining this guy has been swimming California’s oceans nearly as long as I have.

Since I was on my own I didn’t want to venture too far out to sea and swam along and around the buoy line. I took it pretty easy; opting for head-up gliding, taking in the scenery, rather than head-down powering. It was a gorgeous swim and, though my heart rate spiked for just a second when it was time to go back in, the surf was just as gentle and easy on the way out of the water as it had been on the way in.