Karen writes: Shadows

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I went to the beach as the sun was going down, I wouldn't normally swim at that hour but I needed a short swim and after a busy afternoon with the daughters at Touch rugby it was the only time I could fit it in. It was hard to leave the comfort of home so I was quite pleased with myself for even getting into my wetsuit (now tight) and into the water, which was choppy and murky after a blustery day.

I swam along the beach, as I do. I'm not brave enough to head out into the bay being chronically suspicious of what lurks below, and swimming by myself I like the security blanket of being able to easily get to shore if I hit trouble, like a cramp. Sloshing along, my heart sped up when I saw these intermittent dark shadows underneath me, they were swimming smoothly along, great big things, what were they?

I realised that these shadows co-incided with me taking great gulping mouth-fulls of sea water instead of air when I turned my head to breathe. Turned out I was seeing the effects of the waves on the sea-floor, big wave, big shadow, not conducive to breathing.  The dark shadow effect was from the low sun shining at an angle through the murky water, I found it quite amazing to watch when I wasn't actively drowning.  I lasted 400 difficult meters and went home.

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