The tide is furiously whipping in this morning, the air is icy but the sun heats my bare neck. I'm ready for my swim today, no hesitation even though the water is cold. I want to get in and once again leave everything else on the shore. The water temp isn't too bad, it seeps in through the zip and down the neck of my wetsuit but it's not painfully cold when I put my head under. As I lift my feet off the ground the tide takes me and I swim with it. The surface is bumpy and underneath I can see the pieces of seaweed coming with me being pulled along by the water. It's easy and everything passes by quickly.
There's so many fish today of all different sizes, some alone, some in big schools, they all change direction in unison when I startle them. The further up the river I swim the bumps subside and the water becomes smoother. It's deep today with the high tide, deep and clear. I stop to wait for my buddies at the four knots sign and my wetsuit suspends me above the deep water. I can stay vertical, look down to the rippled sand underneath me and feel weightless and free as the tide continues to pull me in the direction that we're going without me having to do a thing. They catch up and I have drifted at least thirty metres, we swim on around the wide river bend, past the bright red buoy and under the train bridge. The water becomes shallow near the boat ramp at the highway but I keep swimming for as long as I can. Eventually there's not enough depth and my hands keep hitting the sand so I stand up and walk out of the water. Looping around back to the river, the rocks make it uncomfortable on the bottom of my feet so I'm grateful it's not the season for bindies as I step up onto the grass. We get to the boat ramp opposite the four knot sign, it’s slippery and I'm careful to avoid the oysters. The water is still. I choose to swim back instead of walking with the others along the beach. I swim through the shallows over the reeds until I get back into the deeper water. The water isn't moving me, I'm swimming under my own power but not for long. The tide picks up and the water starts to move. Slowly at first, I start to see small bits of seaweed moving in the same direction as me along the bottom. It's just me out here and I love it, the shades of blue are stunning, the water temperature is comfortable and I feel completely content. There's nothing else I have to do right now but swim, nowhere I need to be, no phone messages, no deadlines, nothing I can change. And then I start to feel the tide pull me along with it. It's easy swimming, it's lovely and I decide I'll beat the others back to th car park so I swim strongly, it makes me feel good, capable. I walk up out of the water and the things I have to do for the day flood back through my mind, but after a swim everything is in perspective and everything is achievable.
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AuthorKirrilee Archives
September 2018
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