The ocean was wild this morning.
Broody sky. Heavy swell. The kind of sea that makes you stand on the rocks for a while and ask, are we actually doing this?
Lisha and I sat there for a good half hour …chatting, debating, procrastinating.
Manly looked bold. Halfway was tempting, but there were seagulls floating in clusters, pecking at whatever rubbish had washed in overnight.
The pool crossed our minds too, but the water felt still somehow. Flat. Not quite right.
So we kept walking.
By the time we reached Shelly, something had shifted, maybe not in the ocean, but in us. We were both carrying a bit this morning. A little heaviness. A few things sitting on our hearts and minds. And we knew the only way through it was in.
Lisha was the one sitting beside me on the rocks.
The one walking the extra stretch.
The one who said, without really saying it, we’ll feel better if we get in.
We didn’t swim far. Maybe 100, 200 metres. But the water was glorious. That perfect temperature where your body forgets to resist. The cold left. The chatter in the mind softened. And, as always happens, smiles appeared.
You never regret a swim.
What I love most isn’t just the ocean, it’s the friendships formed around it. The kind where you look at wild conditions and say, “We’re going in anyway.” The kind where you sit on rocks and process life before you dive into it.
We’ll go to work today and say, “It was wild, but we went in anyway,” and most people will think we’re slightly unhinged.
And honestly?
I think you’re crazy if you don’t.
The ocean heals. Friendship strengthens. And sometimes the bravest thing you can do on a gloomy Tuesday morning is walk straight into the waves with someone beside you.
Deb 💙
P.s –
BADGE CEREMONY CANCELLED
Due to a lack of participants, the Badge Ceremony on Sunday 15th March has been cancelled. Never fear, the badges will still be available on that date at the benches (just north of the surf club) from 8 am to 9am. You will be able to pay with cash or credit card on that date ($10 per badge). Although this is not as exciting as the badge ceremony, we will attempt to present your badge to you with as much pomp and ceremony as circumstances allow (once you have paid your money). $5 from the sale of each badge will still go to Royal Far West, so please try to get there on the day so we can maximise our donation. Thanks for your support.