The sea which laps the shores of our sleepy little village is not normally ideal for swimming, unless you are wearing a wetsuit. The average temperate is probably 10 degrees on a good day and it would be an exaggeration to say that in summer there are more than 5 people actually swimming who are not surfers, and I think this has contributed in a large way to it not being a 'beach' destination to the extent suffered by Camps Bay and Clifton. But for the last few days, I have been listening to stories of people who have lived here for years and have actually swum for extended periods because the sea temperature has been similar to False Bay. There have been figures of 18 to 20 degrees bandied about!
I thought I should test this out for myself, as the last time I ventured to put a foot in the water here in the little bay, it was pretty icy and my foot was numb in minutes. Blow me down! The tales were true! Never before has the water been so acceptably warm - definitely around the 18 degrees mark. It would be interesting to know what has caused it - perhaps a stray finger from the warm Agulhas Current curling round Cape Point in search of new places to explore, pushed north by the westerlies that have persisted for the last 5 days?
Although the water was now at its most enticing, unfortunately the air temperature was not conducive to thoughts of casting clothes off and subjecting myself to a dip - it sufficed to stand at the edge of the sea and chat to others enjoying the ambience, while allowing their dogs to take the waters. I did get to have a bit of a drenching after all, as one of the dogs bounded up behind me, sopping with seawater, and placed both paws squarely on my shoulders, and as I wrung the water from my shirt, the cool breeze confirmed that it had been a good decision to just paddle!
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