Member-only story
Beach Walker: Chapter 10
Letting Go
‘Let’s get in there, eh?’ Leonard waded resolutely ahead of me.
Left with no other choice acceptable to my pride, I reluctantly followed him out into waist-deep water, treading gingerly at first, though I could see the sandy bottom and there were no rocks at all, no spiky sea urchins, no blue-ringed octopus and hopefully no cunningly buried stingrays.
Despite all my armour against the elements, there was still an initial shock as the cold water seeped through the wetsuit. Was there something wrong with my gear? I barely had time to think this thought before my body heat created a thin buffer of tepid water inside the neoprene. Suddenly, the sea was still wet — but had no temperature at all. Magic!
There was a slight swell, wavelets but no surf. A cold breeze ruffled the surface, and I realised I was actually keen to submerge myself and escape the chill.
Leonard helped me fit my goggles: the swim hood was proving more of an encumberance than a help right now, and my gloved fingers were uselessly clumsy.
A last appraisal, a wink, then he slipped his own goggles on and dived under the water, to resurface a few metres further out bearing a relaxed grin.
‘In you come, girly. The water’s lovely.’
