Sea Swimming Blog #53

Day 92 Sea Swimming.

#53 of the blog.

Bit of a washout this morning!

As it was pancake day and I knew the Bathing Beau and Bluebelles would be making a special effort I joined them down St Aubin in the pi$$ing rain at 9am.

Like the other day, it was pretty rough at the normal slip entry with the waves creating a ‘thou shalt not pass’ barrier.

Into the harbour for a quick dip it was then.

I’d been outside in the rain taking a few shots before everyone arrived then took a few more shots of everyone getting in the water… naively letting my main camera get a bit wet… no worries… it’s got weatherproof seals… only, for some reason it stopped working properly… mmm… best leave it dry off in the car whilst I go in - grabbing the actual waterproof camera as I went into the sea.

The water was a stunning deep grey/green today with rain drops falling on the surface producing a ballet of droplets before us.

As well as appearing visually different, there’s another layer of rawness that’s added when you’re in the sea and it’s raining - the feeling of the rain drops as they come down and land on you creates a further sense of wildness and freedom - feelings that are worth their weight in gold right now.

With 10 minutes completed and a few more photos taken, we got out, got dressed (still in the rain) and, thanks to the lovely Helene, were treated to lemon and sugar pancakes as well as a little tipple of Grand Marnier.

I got back home and within the hour had received a delivery of an underwater housing for my now dysfunctional camera… comedy is all about the timing.

‘Be present. Make love. Make tea.

Avoid small talk. Embrace conversation. Buy a plant, water it.

Make your bed. Make someone else’s bed. Have a smart mouth and a quick wit.

Run. Make art. Create. Swim in the ocean. Swim in the rain.

Take chances. Ask questions. Make mistakes. Learn.

Know your worth. Love fiercely. Forgive quickly.

Let go of what doesn’t make you happy.

Grow.”

- Paulo Coelho