Today was a mess.

The entire stretch of my swimming beach thundered with white water. This beach typically has 3 banks on big days, but today it expanded to 7 due to the low tide and larger than normal swell. What does that mean? Well, from the shore I counted 7 rows of waves breaking almost simultaneously. The largest ones right out the back.

I almost didn't make it.

Yesterday morning I passed at the idea of swimming in 3 meter swells at low tide. I knew I wouldn't make it out the back to clear water, so what was the point? I'd probably lose my goggles. That's one of the sneaky thoughts that buzzed in my head like a pesky mosquito. But then I remembered to look for opportunities amongst the mess.

So last night, I called in my friend Gerrard. (The same mischievous guy from an earlier story).

We agreed we would use the thumping conditions as an educational session. What could we possibly aim to achieve? Were we nuts?

We needed an opportunity to get familiar with diving under waves.

Boy-oh-boy were we in for a ride. From the moment we entered the sea, it wanted to sweep our legs out and roll us back to shore. Even at waist deep, the waves felt relentless. We had the perfect opportunity to practice what we came for.

By now EVERYTHING was a mess, we knew it would be like this.

The water, us, another swimmer Jo lost her goggles, the waves kept coming and coming. Even the small waves that looked like reprieve weren't -they moved quicker than quick, knocking you for six before you adjusted your counter moves. We were in the thunder zone, time to buckle down and get into it.

Dive. Hold. Let the wave pass.

Rise. Swim. Do it again.

It took 2km but we got it. With each 500m our dives sharpened, the cross waves were negotiated, the rumblers avoided by adding 'gripping the sand below' to our holds. The disorganised swimmers that started the swim had begun to find a rhythm.

Jubilant, we left the water feeling proud.

We had picked our swim lines, dove through the mess and somehow found our joy in the process.

Oh! And I found Jo's goggles as we were leaving the water, can you believe it !?!