Recently visited California and went swimming at Zuma Beach. Thanks to global warming, the once chilly Pacific Ocean is now quite comfortable off the shores of Los Angeles in late October. But global warming cannot explain the bad judgment I showed in the water.
The waves were breaking with some intensity. The water looked soupy. The wind was blowing. My brother has lots of experience in the ocean. He loves the water and goes surfing and boogie boarding on most weekends. He's been a better swimmer than me since back in high school days. I could see him on his boogie board riding waves about 50 yards further out than me. I enjoyed the feeling of diving through the waves as they approached. The water had a lot of movement, great energy. The undertow water moving back out to sea had some strength to it. I thought I had the situation under control.
A couple of young women surfers, possibly beginners, tested their skills in the demanding surf, rough but not overwhelming or huge. One of them had a thong bathing suit-- definitely a point of interest. I noticed a lifeguard had whistled to some surfers he felt had ventured way too far out.
Suddenly I found myself only twenty yard away from my brother. I was about 50-75 yards from shore and got a little anxious. The intensity of the waves increased and I wanted to swim back to shore. The harder I swam, the further out I seemed to go. I couldn't feel the bottom. I was literally in over my head. We had separated from the lifeguard stand from a great distance. I felt a sense of isolation. Nobody knew about my struggle.
I turned to George, my brother, and said "I'm in trouble, I can't get back." He paddled over to me and pushed the boogie board towards me. Said, "get on." Then he pushed me in front of some of the waves as they surged forward. Slowly we made progress. Then he saw a larger wave forming up. "Get your body on the board and I'll push you," he said. I felt what seemed like a mountain of water crashing over me. I didn't want to smack against the board but I foolishly let go of it. I got pounded around by a few more waves but could finally feel the ocean bottom.
The shoreline was nearby. It felt good to be alive. I put myself in harm's way for no good reason. I only did it because I knew my brother surfed only a short distance away. I showed bad judgment, underestimated the awesome power of the sea. I tried not to kick myself too hard. Life felt precious to me, something sweet. And I was still around to enjoy it.
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