Day 165 - 10th January 2011

An interesting and warmer sea this morning. The temperature in the air was around 5 degrees and the sea registered an average of 5.3 degrees, which is around 1 degree higher than last week. Whilst this is still ccccold, it is a lot warmer than it has been. The conditions themselves were that the waves were big enough and constant enough to let you play but still let you swim, and the tide, whilst pulling a little to the west, was not fierce enough to cause any problems. I stayed out for about 12 minutes I guess, which was a lot more than I have been able to. Whilst the sea was warmer, as I stayed in longer it meant I took longer to warm up afterwards; I’ve got to remember that. Really can’t wait until it gets to 15 degrees again, sooner the better!

Big Bob was back from his long holiday, which was great, as I’ve missed having my swimming buddy with me. This week I’m planning my usual morning sea swims, plus two pool swims and a couple a gyms (more if I can find the time).

Sad news over the weekend. A 52 year old man followed his dogs into the sea by the Pier (on our beach) after they ran away from him. One of the dogs made it back fine, but the other dog “and the man” never made it. The coastguard couldn’t get to him in time and the cold temperature and strong tide were too much for him. You hear this all the time how someone tries to rescue their pet and ends up losing their own lives; it’s crazy! The fact that it was on our beach brings back to me how dangerous the sea can be, especially on such a tidal and unpredictable beach as Brighton. As I now have so many hours in the sea in varying conditions and temperatures I feel that I have the experience to judge the safety levels and as such when we should and should not go in; other normal people just don;t have this and it can instantly become deadly. Incredibly sad for his family and for the whole town that this should happen.