Heavy Weather and Surf Conditions

December 10th 2023

Causeway Coast

Charity AWARE

Swim Distance 1.77km

Air temp mild but torrential rain, rivers bursting banks, big tide and surf.

Donate here https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/al-mennie  

Last night I broke into the 16th kilometer of Swim Through Darkness. Torrential rain has meant burst riverbanks and overflowing waterfalls making torrents of water rush into the Atlantic. Huge gouges in the sand have resulted in cliffs of sand towering over twice my height in some places of the coast. Entering the water last night with a flooded tide and all this extra water not to mention surf set me up for a chaotic swim. But, it didnt materialise. The currents behaved themselves, the surf was bigger but it wasnt violent like some other nights and yes it was dark but it was ok, I managed well. At two points I came into a bit of resistance from a counter flow but it was swimmable.

Last night I had support from my friend David who persevered through the bad weather to keep an eye on me.

The long range forecast looks like a mix of weather on the way but defintely some proper swell so it is going to get very interesting from here on in.

Thank you for the support and the donaions at a time when many peoples money is becoming more and more scarce.

Blyton Guards the socks at the top of the stairs til I return

Getting changed in the dark at the beach is part of the process

Blyton clearing the shore for me in the morning

David and I

6 eggs, salmon, pepper, onion, garlic, oregano, ginger, turmeric, sea salt, sour dough

1.77 km