by Judy Shane
Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning, surf permitting, the No. 1 Ladies’ South Bay Open Water Swim Club swims a mile in the ocean, off of Torrance Beach. Two of the club’s are over 60. The other two are over 75.
“Our name has more words than members,” quipped Judy Shane, who co-founded the club nine years ago with fellow Redondoan Anita Caplan. Redondoan Jane Affonso and Hermosan Terry Scott joined the club a short time later
“It started out as lunch on the beach after our Thursday women’s hike,” explained Anita Caplan. “We positioned our chairs near the water and watched burly young men racing freestyle to the orange buoy at Avenue C. One day we saw Ginger from our gym class slowly swimming backstroke to the buoy. She was our inspiration.”
“Gradually, we increased our distance by swimming to the buoy multiple times,” Shane said. “In warm weather, we now swim over an hour – often to Avenue C or to RAT beach and back. After buying wetsuits some years ago, we started the real fun – cold-water swimming.”
Affonso, wears a spring suit inside her full suit. It took three years, she said, but she no longer dreads the cold water. “The cold water feels unusual, but no longer shocking. It takes only a minute or so to get comfortable. On days when we don’t swim, I miss my cold water plunge. It’s more than refreshing; it’s rejuvenating.”
Since the start of the pandemic, health gurus have begun extolling the virtues of cold-water swimming, something the four women recognized as soon as they started ocean swimming. The benefits include increased endorphins, improved circulation, burned calories, reduced stress, and enhanced camaraderie.
“We appreciate the anti-inflammatory effect, but mostly we do it for fun,” Shane said. “On days we don’t swim, we hike together with our other friends. We do well with the one-mile distance. We look out for each other and sometimes help each other get out through the surf.”
“Every day is different,” Scott said. “Some days we swim with the dolphins and the sea lions. In summer, we often see dozens of stingrays and baby horn sharks in the shallow water.”
On a recent swim, Scott said, they saw three pods of dolphins leaping in the air just south of the Torrance Beach buoy. Last February, six dolphins joined the club for a 60-minute swim. When Shane turned her head to breath, she was eye-to-eye with one. She screamed, but the dolphin continued swimming alongside her.
“You can’t put a price on what we experience,” Alfonso said. “Once a sea lion and its baby were swimming so close to the four of us that we got scared. The mother seemed aggressive – and she was huge. A lifeguard came charging out on his paddleboard and chased the sea lions away.”
Bursting with endorphins – and frankly, freezing to death – club members grin after completing their mile swim. From Left: Jane Affonso, Anita Caplan, Terry Scott, and Judy Shane.
The four swimmers all expressed appreciation for the lifeguards who have watched over them for nearly a decade. To make the guards’ job easier, the women wear matching orange swim caps.
“On winter days, when it is dull and dreary and the water’s too dark to see the marine life, we watch the birds,” Caplan, a bird watcher, said. “If our swim takes us near RAT Beach, we are sure to see a particular willet and a whimbrel hanging out together. Just past Burn-out Beach, we see dozens of terns holding meetings on the sand before gracefully swooping away in unison. Our favorites are the little sanderlings, who show no fear of the surf as they scurry in and out of the breaking waves.”
Shane noticed the pandemic has increased the influx of swimmers.
“No matter what our age or ability, we share something unique. When we are gliding through the ocean water, all world and personal problems seem to dissolve. We are engrossed in the moment – our lives become larger as we experience what a small part of nature we are.” ER
