I've been swimming in the Bay for a few years now, but always with a wetsuit. I keep meaning to take the plunge with just my skin to protect me, but I've never been able to get up the gumption. So last week when Mark Robinson--who is the very definition of dashing and cool, and a guy for whom I'd walk across a mile of broken glass just to bring him a Band-Aid--invited to come meet him at the Dolphin Club and go for a wetsuit-free plunge at Aquatic Park, I decided I'd take him up on it. I'd also always wanted to see the storied club.
It was cold.
I started off warm enough. Well, no. It started off freezing. When I hit the water, my testicles immediately relocated themselves up somewhere near my esophagus. But once I acclimated it wasn't so bad, and we swam to the end of the buoy line that runs parallel to the shore. Robinson pointed out a buoy about midway to the end of the pier, and we agreed to go for it instead of swimming back along the shoreline. (I'll often do a full loop of the perimeter of Aquatic Park, but that's in a wetsuit.) When we reached the buoy, I then suggested that instead of going back, we swim straight over to the Balclutha. So we did. The current was really strong, it was at maximum ebb. But moreover, the deep water was much, much colder than it had been by the shoreline buoys. By the time we got about 4/5 or so of the way to the Balclutha, I was frigid, and my left hand and arm were numb and nearly useless. I couldn't make a cup with my fingers to drag the water, and my entire arm felt like a piece of rope that I was just throwing on top of the water, slapping it without really pulling through. My chest felt a little weird. Also, all my toenails all fell off into the water*.
At this point, I suggested we change course, and make a beeline for the Dolphin Club. Mark, thankfully, agreed.
As we approached the shore, the water became noticably warmer. By the time we hauled out on the beach, I felt a little bit like normal again. The warm shower inside the Dolphin Club may have been the second greatest sensation I've ever felt. Number one was the sauna immediately afterward. And man, did I need that sauna. Even after ten or so minutes in the shower, my skin was still cold to the touch, and my ankles felt like someone had poured concrete in the joints. My skin was bright red all over, except where my trunks had been. Even after the sauna, my chest and arms were covered in red splotches.
And I felt like a hundred million dollars. Even better than that. I felt like the entire TARP package and a thousand shares of Google stock. It was amazing. Rode my bike home, stopping on the way for a cappuccino at Mojo. Great morning. You should try it.
*My toenails are, in fact, intact.
