Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Waiting For The Winter

Not that there's anything wrong with summer, but I think I prefer swimming in the winter.

Right now the air temperature is in the thirties (Celsius), and the seawater is around 23 or 24 degrees. You could stay in the water all day and still not shiver. But everybody is keen on the beach or the rock pools at this time of the year, so it gets very busy indeed. Wylies Baths were especially crowded this weekend. My lazy lengths involved many-a-detour around rubber dinghies and li-los, and many avoidances of be-flippered and be-goggled youngsters exploring the ocean life at the bottom of the Baths. At least my simple breaststroke allows me to see what's ahead and thereby avoid it. Not so those front crawlers who are trying to do fast lengths in a full pool. I am always very keen to avoid these serious swimmers, especially the occasional lap-nazi complete with snorkel and fins.

Better by far in the winter months when cooler air temperatures cause many to shy away from sea pools and the like, and just a few swimmers are left to enjoy less crowded pools and cool, clear saltwater.

3 comments:

  1. Yes I much prefer having the whole pool all to myself!! I thought it was because I'm a grumpy old woman, but on reflection, maybe I've always been like that...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Actually, I've just re-read my post and realised that I sound like a very grumpy old man.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nah, not really! It's easy to pick up on behaviours in swimming pools which irritate. Then, because swimming's a solitary activity, there's plenty of time to ruminate on them!......Hmmm, I wonder what I might do that irks my fellow swimmers.....?!!!

    ReplyDelete