Good Vibrations

Remember those Mountain Dew and Sunkist commercials in the 80’s? Yeah, way back in the 1900’s before the turn of the century. The commercials featured music from the Beach Boys and were set on beautiful sunny beaches and filled with surfers, jet skiers, etc. Of course everyone was young and beautiful. I remember watching them in my family’s living room and wishing I was on that beach where only good things could happen. Well today when I got to the beach, it was like someone was filming a new 2025 version of the commercial and I was the lead actor.

Fog dominates Strands and Salt Creek today but there was a pocket of sunshine as I walked my dog through Pines Park overlooking Capo Beach around 7:30 this morning. Then around 8:30 after my meetings, the fog crept in to Doheny and Capo. I almost skipped the swim in favor of the gym but had to get on another Zoom call and by the time it ended a little after 11:00, Doheny and Capo were clear again. So off I go to Capo. I swear I can hear that Beach Boys “Good Vibrations” song through the web cam.

It’s already over 70 degrees out. My feet are in the water in less than 10 minutes after stepping out my front door. It feels a little cooler than I expected. That thought lasts for about 5 nano seconds. I step towards the small surf. No one else is in the water and on the second step I immediately descend to shoulder deep water so I start swimming and after two strokes of my arms I am back in 6 inch water and start walking again.

Soon I am off and swimming again in this perfect summer water. Ok. It is not officially Summer yet but don’t let the water know because it is clearly confused. It feels delightful. This morning at 4:00 (yay early meetings!) I checked the buoys and Oceanside registered a water temperature of 67. 67! If there was an uppercase for numbers I’d totally go all caps. Nothing like a day of near 80 degree sun to heat up the pool.

The entire swim is a blissful experience. The water has this sort of creamy white quality to it. It almost looks like something out of the Caribbean. I try not to look at my hands because that makes me realize the color is due to the severe cloudiness of the water and not a clear white sandy bottom. I mean, maybe there is a white sandy bottom. I do think it is sandy. But man is this water so much cloudier than north of the point.

I can see the fog bank far offshore of me and wrapping around the entrance to the harbor breakwater and out to Strands Beach. But right here the sky is just as blue as can be and I can see the orb of the sun shining directly above me. I imagine my back side opening up and absorbing every ray and particle of light that it can possibly get. I imagine the light entering my body and glowing outward onto the immediate surrounding water. I let go of every care and thought. This water and light has everything I need.

I try to keep close to the shore which for some reason is much easier to do on the swim back from the Doheny camp grounds towards my car. I pause to snap some pictures of the same things I shot on the last pause and I am surprised that my feet touch the bottom. Well I can definitely confirm that the bottom is indeed sandy. The waves break just inshore of me and I enjoy riding along the crests of these small waves.

I don’t understand why the entire town is not here on their lunch break. Where else could everyone be? Where else is there to go? If only they knew. The whole population of the earth would fill these waters. Here I am - a single voice crying out in the vast wilderness of the internet. The water is good people. The water is good.