
Not only did it feel gross being in the water after a much-needed rain last night, it felt gross just outright walking on the beach today. I cruised lazily down to the ocean around noon, waiting out the morning for the wind to die down and turn slightly side-shore instead of directly west, the latter toppling over the incoming sets and making longboard life a bit more difficult. Taking my time and watching the still-stormy corners roll in, I sipped coffee while sitting on my towel, surrounded by piles of trash. I eventually made my way into the waves as the only other soul in the water at that spot exited – and I sweeped by floating waste everywhere, the water exuding a not-so-clean smell. Today’s session I made as quick as humanly possible – 3 waves on the inside, then booked it back to the beach, hoping that I didn’t come into contact with some wonderful type of bacteria.
Witnessing a lone lady on the beach with a bag, picking up the refuse, made my soul brighten a little. I grabbed a few pieces of plastic on my way up the beach, hoping to save a few winged or finned ocean dwellers. If anyone also loves the ocean and finds themselves down on the sand anytime soon, please help save a seagull or 2 from this nasty stuff. I thought my Pacific experience today was on the grimy side, but I can’t imagine what our poor sea critters are going through.