A Swim in the Sea

 

“I’m gonna go swim in that sea today!”

Ian finishes chewing his bagel. “It’s really cold. Are you sure you wanna do that?”
I grin, taking a slug of coffee. “YES! When am I gonna get another chance to swim in the ocean?”

We’re in Santa Cruz, eating breakfast at the little table in our Airbnb off Seabright, the brightly colored walls of peach, lemon and rose surrounding us. A gentle breeze whispers through the open door to the cottage.

            “It’s a perfect day for it,” I continue. “I know the water is cold, but it’s September. It’s warm out! I will be okay.”
            Ian shakes his head. “I dunno….”

            “You don’t have to swim.”

            “Oh, don’t worry. It hadn’t even occurred to me.”
            We chuckle. I remember how he used to swim with me at Keller Cove in Pt. Richmond during the Pandemic. The water there had been SO cold. I had had a wetsuit, but Ian had braved the icy bay without one.

            I finish my coffee, take the plate and cup over to the sink to rinse off.

            “Let’s go before it gets too sunny!” I push.

            “Okay, okay, I’m coming….” he says, chewing the last bite of bagel before heading into the bedroom to collect the beach accoutrements: chairs, towels, umbrellas and fortitude!

 

            Sitting on the sand, slathering on sunscreen, I ponder the sea. It’s calm now, but there’s a swell. I’ll just have to time my entry between waves. I’m not worried about this.

            I am a little worried about the water temp, but I just know that I’ll love it once I’m in. And, I don’t have to swim long. I just want to get wet and fell the buoyancy of the sea.

            As I back into the water, I gasp. It is so goddamn cold! Ian’s on shore, watching me. “You sure you don’t want to join me?” I holler.

            “What?”
            He can’t hear me over the waves, so I just grin and continue to back in, slipping on my fins before diving under the first frigid wave.

            Exhilarating!

            I begin to kick and stroke out beyond the break. Turning on my back once I’m over the waves, stroking quickly to try to keep warm. But knowing that this will be impossible without my wetsuit. I’ll just have to swim a bit and then get out.

            But as I swim, grinning up at the blue blue sky, a flock of pelicans come swooping near me. I continue to stroke on my back when one swoops down near me. He seems to slow, checking me out. If I stretched my arm up just a little further, I could almost touch him.

            “Hello, Mr. Pelican!” I call out.

            He looks at me with his little beady eye. I look at him with mine. We have eye-to-eye interspecies communication for just a split second. I am him. He is me. It’s magical!

            Then he flaps his wings, enormous in their span, and head off to join his flock.

            I turn onto my stomach and start stroking the freestyle, heading back into shore.

 

            “Ian!” I hail him.

            “Carol!” he calls back, running toward me with a towel.

            “Guess what?”
            “What?”
            “I made a friend!”

            “You did?”
            “Yes, a Pelican Friend. We had interspecies communication for a moment.”

            He grins. “Cool!”

            “It was!”

But now I’m shivering. Have to get warm.

            Lying on the towels in the warm sand, the sun’s heat starts to thaw me out. I hear the gulls calling, the waves crashing, some kids screaming.

            It’s a day at the beach. And, I’m so glad I’m here.