A Swim In The North Pacific

I managed to have a pretty wonderful swim in the cold waters of The Bay on a cool, foggy day in San Francisco.

I started out from the Dolphins Swimming club at Aquatic Park. I swam along the half mile course marked by buoys inside the sea walls.

I had views of Alcatraz, but only glimpses of the Golden Gate Bridge through the fog. Foghorns were sounding out continuously across the bay.

There was no temperature chalked up on the board, but I reckon it was about 15°C, so I was glad of the hot shower and sauna in the clubhouse afterwards. 

A Swim In The South Pacific

Actually, nothing unusual about a swim in the South Pacific, but it's a precursor to a swim in the North Pacific some time tomorrow. Yes, I'm off to San Francisco again, for (among other things) a few swims in The Bay.

My swim at Coogee was unexpectedly cool, but probably nothing like as cool as the chilly San Francisco waters will be.

Today, out in Western Sydney, where I work, the temperature climbed above 32°C on a very sunny day. But, by the time I'd taken train and bus the 45 kilometres to the coast, the 'southerly buster' had swept through the city and pushed temperatures down to 15°C. It was overcast and gloomy, with dark clouds over the sea, as the evening light faded.

On the beach, the strong winds were very cold indeed. Even the water temperature was lower than it's been since early August, clocking in at 16°C. I swam a great many lengths of the S.L.S.C. pool, and eventually warmed up a wee bit. However, no hot shower, and those southerly winds, made for an uncomfortable few minutes while I was getting changed.

The water was cooler than it's been for some time.

The evening lights were coming on after I finished swimming.