The Will of the Water

I left a little before 10:00 under mostly cloudy skies. I’m hoping my later departure will allow the tide to come down a bit from its 6.9 high a couple hours ago. The morning started off completely overcast and then things were starting to open up around 8:00 which is nothing out of the ordinary. Then the skies closed up again and as I drive to the beach, it’s looking pretty grey all over. Still, the water looks good from my driver’s seat.

Getting out of my car, the air is mild and there is just a little texture on the water from the light morning breeze coming from the south. There are beautiful hues of green, blue and grey on the surface. The colors are mostly muted from the cloud cover and they encode this ocean with a gentle vibrance that doesn’t necessarily jump out at you but rather it waits for you to enter and then it slowly infuses your senses until you become unknowingly turned over to the will of the water.

I look south once I am on the beach and I find the blue sky that we lost earlier in the morning. It has converged on the very end of the point over the headlands. It’s like a flash of energy demanding to be known. The clouds just on its edges are dark and even blue but they are no match for the sun. It’s a losing battle here and I feel like I am rooting for the winner - the sun of course.

I get to my usual launching spot and enter the water. Surf is down again today and it looks as though that swell was never here. I dive into the face of an oncoming wave and I’m off to the races. I head south towards that flash of light. The water is cool but comfortable enough. It’s just a little bumpy but not too much. I try to forget myself and lose myself here and just focus on keeping my arms and legs moving. That’s all I have to do. There is nothing to think about. Worse comes to worse, I’ll just swim into the cliffs below the headlands and let that be my cue to turn around. However I’m pretty sure I’ll notice well before I make contact.

The water is super cloudy. That’s ok. I have a pretty good idea what’s here. By the time I reach the southern end of the beach, the sun is making headway and there is a gap of blue sky between the bluff and a good ways offshore. It’s looking like everything is moving in the right direction. The day truly feels like Fall. There is magic here. Whatever summer left behind feels long gone now. December is on its way. However, the water is still comfortable. The forecast calls for temps to fall but not significantly yet.

I swim back up north and just keep my head down and bear into the water. I think I am moving with the current now. Hard to tell. It really doesn’t matter. I’ll get to where I am going eventually. I watch as the kelp leaves and there vines emerge into sight through this murky water. Not a whole lot of bird activity today. From time to time I look up and grab a hold of a view of the lifeguard tower which inches closer and closer. I see more and more sun as I make slow and steady progress. This light feels like late afternoon but it’s not even noon yet.

Soon here I am just past the northern Strands bathrooms. The water feels warmer than it was when I started. The colors here seem to have come alive. The ocean looks more blue the the bluff has all sorts of colors that were once much more subdued. I swim back to where I started and I seem to find myself in a state of perpetual deja vu. I feel like there is something whispering in my ear that wants to be remembered. I stare at the houses that line the top of the bluff here in Niguel Shores. Is there an invitation here? I am looking for the portal door but I just can’t find it. Well I’ll just keep coming. It’s bound to show up eventually.