Thermocline

Next Swims:  6AM Monday - Friday this week, July 27th - July 31st
There may also be some 6PM swims this if conditions are favorable, stay tuned
On Friday evening we'll have a Blue Moon swim followed by a stop for food and beverage, details later

Last Swim: Sunday July 26th 1PM
Water Temps:  Measured 60 on shore but pockets of much warmer and much colder water.  Also, a steep thermocline.
Waves: Gentle Rollers
Water Clarity: Ultra HD Clear
Crew: Jackie, two Annas, Jack Frost, Mark, Renee, Diablo, Capt'n, Showgirl, Valarie, Kate, Lorraine, Neo, Kahuna, Sonnakuhuna, Gigi, Gumdrop, Mr. Anonymous, Itch, Mike, Slip-n-Slide, Dan, Patriarch and I may have missed a couple, there are so many people coming lately it's hard to keep track
Wetsuit/Skin: 12/10
Pitsch: 17

I was amazed so many people showed up to swim, especially after yesterdays report of 49 water temp.  We're either a hardy crew, a determined crew, or a just plain dumb crew.  So let's raise the quality of this blog for just once with a lesson.

Thermocline: Noun. A layer in a large body of water such as a lake, that sharply separates regions differing in temperature, so that the temperature gradient across the layer is abrupt.  For example, standing up in neck deep water today your shoulders felt 70 degree water and your feet felt 40.

An epic battle going on in the lake today between good and evil, warm water and cold.  Extreme differences between one spot and another and surface water versus five feet down.  Into this maelstrom we swam, and it quickly became a test of will.  Those who focused on just the cold spots quickly exited the water, especially because the coldest water of all was right at the rock piles where we start.  But those of us who have experience knew that if we just hung on for a bit, we might find warmer water offshore, and today we did.  We were richly rewarded with (mostly) warm calm clear water.  But it was not a good idea to stop and touch bottom or tread water.

Obviously the lake is in transition.  Will good or edit prevail?  We'll find out at 6AM