Sea Swimming Blog #73

Day 440 Sea Swimming.

#73 of the blog.

Air Temp 8 degrees - Wind NW 36mph - Sea Temp 9.2 degrees

I wake. I open the curtains. It’s grey.

But, there’s a little bit of contrast and cloud definition in the sky, so I grab my swim & camera gear and make my way out for another early morning swim, this time deciding that St Aubin would be nice for a change.

As I stepped out the front door I realised that it was going to be a chilly one as the wind was pretty full on - a significant change from the past few days - it’s not that big a deal when you’re in the water but it always makes getting changed that little bit more difficult and painful, as your fingers and toes become so cold that they feel like they’re burning… in a good way… kind of.

As I arrived and parked up, I spotted a beautiful section of light piercing the clouds and producing beautiful crepuscular shards of light (aka God rays) over the sea on the horizon, and with the rest of the sky looking dark and moody it provided me with a dynamic, dramatic looking image of St Aubin’s Bay.

I could have left it there but I decided to take the camera and water proof housing in the sea and shoot a couple from water level to get a bit of a different perspective… I was lucky enough to capture a lovely little golden pathway as the light shimmered off the surface and led the eye into the image, towards the horizon where the sunlight was trying to break through the clouds.

The flow state I spoke about the other day was in full effect, as, before I knew it, I’d been in the chilly water for about 15 minutes… that’s not a massive amount of time if you’re swimming about but it adds up when you’re staying still, taking photos, just wearing a pair of speedos, in winter.

The light kept on changing and creating ever so slightly different vistas, but happy with what I had, I thought that enough was enough so headed back in to try and get dressed - attempting to dry myself and put my clothes back on with hands that now barely functioned.

It was of course 100% worth it… as it always is.

“I am forever chasing the light.

Light turns the ordinary into the magical”

- Trent Parke