Oops.

A/k/a "Inattention to detail can kill you."

I almost screwed up big-time.
('Almost' my ass. I did screw up. I got lucky.)

I decided to do a little snorkeling up around the rocks at Crowdy Head...
I didn't bother to take a good hard look at the water movement patterns where I planned to dive.



Waves roll ashore on the long strech of beach outside Harrington. The water moves northeast along the beach then out to sea at the rocks at Crowdy Head...

I had no issues for th efirst 30 minutes in the water near the rocks, but as soon as I got outside the shorebreak, all of a sudden I was moving out to sea pretty fast...
Oh shit.

Ok... Remember the rules on rip currents. Don't fight against the current- swim parallel to the shore until you are out of the flow...

Swimming I have no problem with...
And I also have some really good built-in flotation.
(First time I've been happy about that...)

Ok... swim swim swim swim... swim swim swim swim... swim swim swim swim... swim swim swim swim...

I was pretty far out- probably about 500 and 600 yards in about 25 feet of water, so I could see my progress by watching the bottom and I was finally starting to make headway back to the beach. The waves were starting to carry me in, and I finally got back to shore...



A - Where I started to get into trouble 
B- Where I realized my mistake
C -  Where I finally made the turn back in to the beach
D - Where I collapsed on the beach and reflected on my screwup

Plan B was to try to round the point and come in on the other side of the peninsula, but that would have been a mile plus, and there is a pretty deep trench there, and probable some fearsome beasties...

This particular beach is not patrolled and doesn't have lifeguards...
I'm kinda happy about that now, but there were a couple moments while I was out there that I probably  would have been happy to take the humiliation of having to be "rescued".

Ok, lesson learned.

Lesson: When you're dumb, ya gotta be tough.

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ