The calm waters glisten as we drive down to meeting spot of the Caroline Bay Swimmers, it is a perfect morning, windfree, wave free and fellow swimmers to share the inviting sea, I’m excited.
I pull into the parking lot at 9am, 5 Caroline Bay swimmers are kitted up, ready to go, I bounce out of the truck, strip down to my suit and begin digging around for my cap, goggles and ear plugs from the back of the truck.
The Caroline Bay swimmers, come in to take a closer, ” wet suit?”, asks one, looking puzzled at me wrenching off the last of my layers, revealing my stick insect legs.
Time to head to the sea, the morning air is cool, as we walk through the sand dunes to the water
Once to the waters edge our small pod wades in, me noticeably in the back, dawdling, Jackie, fills me in on the lay of the land,” we swim to that point, then across the bay, aim for the big trees & yellow house, we regroup there and swim back up the bay”, she says, Jackie has a warm smile, is easy to laugh, and has kindly lent us a yellow kayak for the duration of our stay in South Canterbury.
One by one the swimmers plunge into the water, I stay put, waist deep, gazing out to sea, what a picture, five wetsuit clad swimmers pulling away from the beach, looking so graceful as they cut through the glass like surface, I look closer into the deep blue sea, memories of a 5 year old girl, with a big grin, bursting with excitement to swim, in this very same spot fill my mind, I lean forward and dive under the water grinning from ear to ear, ” what fun”, I say to myself, the sea wraps around me, like it’s welcoming me home. I stretch out with long strokes and pull up alongside the Caroline Bay Swimmers, what a feeling.
Soon we are swimming across to bay to the big trees, I sight on the yellow house, it’s a good sighting marker, as I breathe I see the Caroline Bay swimmers off to my right, what a stunning view. We regroup near the big yellow house, then head back up the bay for home. What a terrific time, thanks Caroline Bay Open Water swimmers for the top rate hospitality! Next up today is a swim in Lake Tekapo, a glacial lake in Mackenzie Country, an area of high country farming of Merino sheep, aqua deep, blue glacial lakes and dramatic views of Mount Cook & the southern alps, I can’t wait and I suspect we are in for some rough water and cool glacial lake temperature. Will there be other swimmers? I’ll keep you posted
