Twelfth Swim - December 2014 - Esquimalt Lagoon

Beach: Esquimalt Lagoon
Water Temperature: 8.6 C
Sand Temperature: N/A
Waterkeeper Rating: Not monitored at this time of year.
Outside Temperature: 7 Celsius
Weather Conditions: Wind: White caps, windy and rainy
Water Conditions: A few sticks
Tide: Almost all the way in
Time: 10:20 AM

This was by far my coldest swim of the year and my last swim of the year. It was super windy and my towel almost blew away. I tried to swim the Sunday before but there were too many logs in the water from a storm the day before. The waves were very strong and I was lucky that I didn’t lose my sunglasses when I dove under and stepped off the shelf of rocks into the deeper water.

My swim did only last for two minutes. I am 19 weeks pregnant and I wonder if our baby with have as high of a cold water tolerance as I do. It looks like the water temperature stays pretty even throughout the year and fluctuates in the 8-9 C mark for spring and fall/winter. In the summer, the water does warm up when the shallow water is heated by the sun.

I am going to miss the Polar bear plunge again next year, but I’ll be enjoying my first swim of 2015 in warm water in Cabo San Lucas.

In between rain showers

Eleventh Swim - November 2014 - Esquimalt Lagoon

Beach: Esquimalt Lagoon
Water Temperature: 9.1
Sand Temperature: N/A
Waterkeeper Rating: Not monitored at this time of year.
Outside Temperature: 7 Celsius
Weather Conditions: Wind: 0 knots of wind and cloudy
Water Conditions: A few weeds
Tide: In most of the way.
Time: 3:00 PM

The last time it was this cold for my swim was in January of this year. However, I don’t really consider 7 C to be cold. I am currently getting a cold, so the salt water helped to burn out my nostrils and throat. At this time of year, the waterkeeper rating on the the Swim Guide app is not updated. As soon as we arrived at the beach, my lucky swim charm greeted me (a harbour seal stuck his heady out of the water. There was a mix of sun and cloud which also made the swim more enjoyable.

I think it is fairly safe to say that the water temperature stays fairly average throughout the year. Today at Esquimalt Lagoon it was 9.1 C, in January and February this year it was also 9. However, the anomaly is in July when it was 14 but this was probably because the water was shallower and the tide was part way out so this water was heating up as it sat in the sun. I will take the temperature in the same spot with the same tide level and the same thermometer next month for my last swim of the year.

9 C

So exhilirating.

I am holding my glasses.

Tenth Swim - October 2014 - Oyster Bay

Beach: Oyster Bay in front of Ocean Resort
Water Temperature: N/A
Sand Temperature: N/A there wasn’t much
Waterkeeper Rating: Green and safe to swim.
Outside Temperature: 17 Celsius
Weather Conditions: Wind: 0 knots of wind and cloudy
Water Conditions: Clear
Tide: In most of the way.
Time: 1:00 PM

I was at a new swim location this weekend (I was there for a yoga and journal writing retreat with Yoga Inner Spirit). I got to enjoy a swim in the calmest water I have swam in on the island yet. It was so still that it was like swimming in a pool instead of the ocean. It was a cool and relaxing swim.

I went for a walk along the beach during low tide and there was a ton of sea life. I saw crabs, sand dollars, purple sea urchins and baby purple starfish. After my swim, I also saw a salmon jump out of the water and a few seals swim by.

Ninth Swim - September 2014 - Cadboro Bay

Beach: Cadboro - Gyro Park
Water Temperature: N/A
Sand Temperature: Somewhat hot
Waterkeeper Rating: Green and safe to swim.
Outside Temperature: 26 Celsius
Weather Conditions: Wind: 5 knots, sunny and clear
Water Conditions: Clear as can be. Very few weeds.
Tide: In
Time: 12:30 PM


One of the items on my summer checklist was Stand up Paddle boarding (SUP), so my husband and I took lessons through the Gyro Beach board shop. The lessons were great and the shop is a short walk from the beach (the boards are placed on wheels so it’s easy to transport them). It didn’t take me long to learn SUP and gain my balance. Although, the first time I went, I did fall off 3 times, (it was a great warm up for swimming). The second time I went I didn’t even fall off once. It was really relaxing to hear the waves rush over the board and my feet while I stared at docked sailboats, houses and bull kelp peaking above the surface.


Cadboro-Gryo park has it all. There are bathrooms, a great playground that was recently expanded and a nice white sandy beach. The water is quite cold. I had goosebumps the second I got out and my body hairs were little razors piercing my skin as I tried to pat myself dry with a towel. It’s tough to get into the water, but once you’re in you don’t want to leave.This is why I highly recommend jumping off your paddle board instead of trying to ease into the water.

Balance

SUPs in training

Seated float

Eighth Swim - August 2014 - Gorge Swim Fest

Beach: Esquimalt Gorge Park

Water Temperature: 24 C
Sand Temperature: The weedy clay was probably the same temperature as the water.
Waterkeeper Rating: Green and safe to swim.
Outside Temperature: 26 Celsius
Weather Conditions: Pure sun, not a cloud in the sky, no wind.
Water Conditions: Can’t see the bottom, slimy, slippery weeds and silt
Tide: In
Time: 3:15 PM

Just because everyone swims in the Ganges doesn’t mean you should too.This is exactly how I feel about swimming in the Gorge. I decided that Swimfest would be the perfect time to jump in with everyone else.

When we first arrived at Swim Fest, there was music playing and people casually swimming laps between the red buoys. It looked like a scene from the 1950s with people frolicking about. Our kids made buttons at the craft table and enjoyed playing at the park.

I decided to keep an open mind and give the gorge a chance. The kids and I slid into the water. The muddy bottom was extremely slippery. My new Keen waterproof shoes have definitely been broken in. If we stopped even for a second, we sunk a few feet down and it was hard to get out of the quick mud. Even in the shallowest places, I couldn’t see my feet or the bottom.. There was goose poop all over the shore and probably in the water too. However, it was very warm and extremely salty. I did get my head wet to confirm and every time my kids splashed my face I could taste it. My son’s feet kept floating back up so we sat in our little chair positions and floated. It took a lot of scrubbing to try to remove the clay from our bodies. My toe nails and the bottom of my feet are still black. I will gladly stick to the colder but clearer bodies of water for swimming.




My Dad accompanied me for some laps.




My daughter.




I didn’t have to break out my meat thermometer.

Seventh Swim - July 2014 - hot sand

Beach: Esquimalt Lagoon
Water Temperature: 14.1 C
Sand Temperature: 20.8 C
Waterkeeper Rating: Green and safe to swim.
Outside Temperature: 17 Celsius
Weather Conditions: Cloudy, windy and looking like it was going to rain.
Water Conditions: Choppy waves and a few weeds.
Tide: Coming in. (medium tide)
Time: 1:00 PM

I finally bought a new meat thermometer but unfortunately I couldn’t find the same brand or model as my old one (it would have helped if I had known the brand or had a picture of what it used to look like). The water has really heated up since my last reading in March. The water is 5.8 C warmer now than it was in March. I had to measure the water temperature in a bucket because the choppy waves were coming too close to drowning my thermometer. Since the sand at Esquimalt Lagoon is usually blistering hot, I decided to check the temperature of the sand too and it was 20.8 C today.

Due to the wind and threat of rain, my son and I were the only two brave swimmers on the entire beach. The wind was warm so I immediately warmed up after my swim. I swam for 10 minutes. I still thought the weather was perfect for swimming. During our two weeks of really hot weather at the beginning of this month, we spent a few evenings going for swims at Esquimalt Lagoon. I have also been swimming in Parksville and Dolphin beach this month. Get out and swim while you can.

Water temperature 

 Sand: Warmer than the water and the air. 

Wave sitters.

The looming clouds and my husband’s Ural.

A tiny blip.

Sixth Swim - June 2014 - first day of summer

Beach: East Sooke Regional Park Aylard Farm and Becher Bay
Water Temperature: Not available yet. I still haven’t been able to find a thermometer that works well enough.
Waterkeeper Rating: Starts this month
Outside Temperature: 20 Celsius
Weather Conditions: Sunny with zero clouds or breeze
Water Conditions: Quite a few weeds..
Tide: Going out. (low tide)
Time: 2:00 PM

For the first weekend of summer, I, of course had to go swimming in the ocean. On Saturday, I visited Becher Bay. There are many beautiful walking trails along this beach. If you hike a little bit above the beach you can admire the azure coloured water. The sand is as fine as white sugar, so be prepared to track it home with you. The water was exceptionally cold which was perfect for me since it was exceptionally hot.

After I finished my swim, I was towelling dry and gazing out across the ocean. A grey seal popped his head above the water and looked right at me. He had missed swimming with me by 1 minute. I wanted to take his picture, but I didn’t bring my zoom camera.

With the kickoff of summer, everyone should be out swimming. The only other swimmers who joined me on the first day of summer were my son, two children in wet suits and numerous dogs. I highly recommend downloading the Swim Guide app to your phone. There are Waterkeepers who monitor the fecal matter in the ocean at popular beaches. Esquimalt Lagoon usually has a green rating (which means it is safe to swim there). Avoid the beaches that have been rated red. I swam in the nice clear waters of Esquimalt Lagoon today and the water felt warmer than Becher Bay. So far this month, I have gone swimming in the ocean 5 times. Happy first weekend of summer everyone!

Our creation

Was here when we arrived

My daughter got wet up to her waste