Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2012
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Originally we were just going for a walk, but she was begging me to swim. We'd already been in earlier at a Ohm Playa and had a lot of fun. We'd come home, showered, got dry clothes and ate. All I wanted to was walk the whole beach as we had not done that since we arrived.
Anyways she was begging me and I so I let her wade along, but Mother Ocean kept coming up and kissing our toes, ankles, knees and then eventually Angel was getting soaked so then I just let her go in. So as I said she was swimming parallel to the shore and having the most fabulous time. I could see how far out she was the entire time and would call her in if I saw big waves or if she was getting a little deep, but she was never very far out.
Today was a different story. I decided to go with her. But we stopped at one point and played a bunch and it was fine as it was super shallow ....a bit too shallow I thought and I was getting a little scraped up on the sand as the bigger waves came in so I said "Let's go farther down"...
As we got farther down where I thought would be good I realized we'd be pulled into the rocks so I said "Let's go a little farther down"
So while I was putting my glasses in a safe place Angel went in and right away got spooked by something and came right out...I guess that should have been a warning!
She wanted to show it to me,...some strange sea creature...I said it was probably a crab.(Thinking about it now our guardian angels must have been trying to warn me but I wasn't listening.
Note to self: PAY ATTENTION!!)
Anyways we made some mistakes. This area got deep quickly. Right away on the second wave, suddenly I couldn't touch, I looked at Angel and suddenly she was being pulled out farther than me and she came up from the wave panicking and couldn't touch either. I called to her that I was coming, and reached out, grabbed her arm and pulled her in past me towards shore and gave her butt a shove to get her in as far as possible, but I was going out farther and still could not touch.
We got hit with another wave. When we came up, I told her wait for the next wave coming in and swim hard with it...Let it push you.
By this time the lifeguard was blowing his whistle and waving at us. (Luckily we were right by the lifeguard station, because there isn't one at the other end -where we normally swim, right now)
I put my hand up to wave to him to come get us, I couldn't yell, I was out of breath and another wave was coming. Anyways he waved us to the left and so I told Angel swim this way and with the next wave we managed to get in where we could touch and we came out right away. We were both very scared. I told the lifeguard we normally swim the other end and I got very scared because she was going out and I couldn't touch. He said this part is very difficult but just move over a little bit in front of the white house and we'd be fine.
The thing is we had been just to the side of the white house and were so quickly pulled sideways and out. This is how you must be so careful.
She told me "I was so scared for you Momma!" I said "I was so scared for You!" She said "Even my best swimming wasn't doing anything! (And she's a strong little swimmer) I said "I know, Mother Ocean taught us a powerful lesson today. You have to have GREAT RESPECT for her!" She said "I do, I always do"
Anyways, we did go swimming again...so we could get over our fears and not become to frightened we wouldn't go in. The waves have been really rough since we've come...this is some of the roughest time, April is really rough too.
HERE IS A LIST OF THINGS TO DO AND TIPS- A SAFETY LIST!
*Swim where the Mexican Locals are Swimming*Swim Only in Areas You Know Well
*Wade, Wade Until You Know it's Okay to Swim
*By Swimming I mean You Can Still Touch AFTER Each Wave
*If you can't touch DO NOT GO THAT FAR
*By swimming I actually mean Bodysurfing:
When the wave comes in, you dive into it, or you swim in with it. BODYSURFING, GO UNDER THE WAVE, GO IN WITH THE WAVE-DO NOT GO OUT WITH THE WAVES
*Do Not Get Distracted-(we were looking for that crab)
*NEVER TURN YOUR BACK ON THE WAVES
*USE A BOOGIE BOARD- We didn't bring ours that day. Normally I never let Angel in the water without her board..she's getting taller and stronger now, but I won't let that happen again.
*Watch the Flags- Red, Green & Yellow
We were really lucky that Ray from Cafe Maya-Lifeguard Station was alert and waved us to the left. MUCHAS GRACIAS!!
Normally we swim the Roca Blanca area, and we have a lifeguard friend near there but he's away right now. There is a lifeguard patrol and they ride the beach on an ATV. Remember there are hardly any tourists here, so it's hard to see where people are swimming and when it's safe. They do put up flags, Red, Green, and Yellow so watch the flags. Do Not Get Over Confident- Even if you have swam here for years, it changes EVER SINGLE DAY AND ALL DAY!!
Anyways, we learned some powerful lessons yesterday and I'm grateful the reminders didn't have a harsher penalty. This beach has a name that I don't like...Beach of the Dead. Many many people have drowned here but not lately. The lifeguards work very hard to keep people safe and I saw them training a group just the day before when we were having so much fun.
There are other calmer beaches, I've heard San Agustinillo is really nice, but we've never made it there. Anyways, you can have lots of fun here...just be VERY CAREFUL. Often in the afternoon the tide comes up high onto the beach and makes all these cool puddles and just playing at the shores edge is very refreshing.
In a few months the ocean will get calmer too. And that's another thing, this is our first time here at this time of year, so we are still learning the ropes. Okay, so you've been warned. It's GORGEOUS here, but you have to be alert and educate yourself. STAY SAFE!!!
