Saturday, August 01, 2009

Life At The Beach

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For the past two weeks, somehow, my hiking shoes has been neglected. In fact, even my camera. It was only yesterday and today that somehow I brought my camera with me to take pictures before jumping into the water. Life these days has been mostly a beach somehow.
North Torrey Pines State Beach, San Diego
Beach is not just simply lying out on the sand to get sun tanned, or it is simply not about drinking salty water when playing with the water. There's more to beach than simply those actually. In fact, I wrote a post before about "Life is More Than Just A Beach At Torrey Pines". However, unlike that post where I combined both hiking and beach at Torrey Pines, this time, it will just simply be beach.....beach...beach....

Sometimes, beach goers have so much fun that they don't pay attention to the passersby. These passersby are not people, but rather, friendly marine animals.
Dolphins Passing By, North Torrey Pines State Beach, San Diego
See those dolphins swimming so close to the the beachgoers? This is one of the moments where being with the ocean makes it truly joyful, it is just like encountering a wild animal in the trail. 
Dolphins Swimming Along
( you can click on the image to enlarge)
However, having no formal trail, in exchange of hiking shoes, boogie board come into play. I could not count anymore how many exciting rides there have been, all I know, it is fun to be one with the wave. I don't surf, I simply boogie board. What is boogie boarding?
Boy Riding the Wave with his Boogie Board

Boogie boarding is a form of riding the waves using a body board which is shorter but wider than a surfboard. Boogie boarders lie belly down on their boards or in drop knee position as they ride the waves to bring them to shore. There is no easier way to ride the crest of the waves than a boogie board. 
Boogie Boarder Pushed by the Wave
The very step in boogie boarding is lying belly down on body board and positioning oneself beyond the breaking waves. As the wave approaches, boogie boarders kick their feet trying to harness the forces of nature so that the waves propel them rather than breaking behind them. This is to give them a very fast ride to the shore. The very fast ride brought by the wave is so much fun, and for someone like me who is afraid of the roller coaster, this is my acceptable ride. 
Boogie Boarders Going Back Out To The Deep To Catch More Waves
After reaching the shore, boogie boarders have to go back out to the water by walking and swimming to be able to catch more waves to ride that will bring them back to shore again. There is a lot of exercise involved in boogie boarding as well, it actually exercises the feet ( walking and kicking ), the arms (swimming) and the body (twisting to navigate the ride to avoid colliding with others).
Wave Crashing on the Boarder
Boogie boarding sometimes mean to tumble in water when the timing to catch the wave is not right, and the wave break on the boarder or behind the boarder.
Another joyful moment in being with the ocean is to swim with the fishes (sorry, no picture since I do not have underwater camera). It is like being inside an aquarium where you really literally swim with the fishes, their skin sparkle in the water. I guess these are some of the free things in life that we enjoy here in San Diego, we do not really have to leave the city to experience clear water where we can see fishes and experience kelp bed when we swim. A lot of times, we do not even have to go to the deep to see fishes. If one would just take a close look at the water on the shore, they would actually see some fishes swimming.
Fishes Close to Shore
( you can click on the image to enlarge)
That is why a lot of the kids sometimes are just happy staying closer to the shore because of this treat. Aside from building sand castle, they get to see fishes. Sometimes, they get surprise when a big fish is carried close to the shore by a wave, and they would jump with joy. This joy is shared by sea birds on shore, waiting for their food to be brought by the waves.
Marbled Goodwit
Marching Marbled Goodwit
Marbled goodwit are some of the birds that are frequently seen at Torrey Pines. Together with the sea gulls, the pelicans, snowy egret, blue heron, etc, they are easily spotted on the shore, sometimes swimming and diving to catch fish. When the tides are low, we go to some rocky spots in the beach to look for some tidepool creatures. 
Mussels
Green Crab and Anemone
Crab
Anemone and Snail
This has so far been my life at the beach.....
♥♥
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22 comments:

  1. What a great way to spend the weekend...at the beach :) The board surfing seemed so fun...but I don't think I dare try. Abit scared of swimming in the ocean.

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  2. It is out of my imagination to swim beside some dolphins, so amazing.
    The crab looks pretty, but does not have a fiddler-shape claw.

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  3. Glad you brought your camera! Love these scenes and lookin like your having a great time.

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  4. i'd say life is a beach... had fun with your beach adventure, there are just so many surprises around... i love the birds, the dophins, and the green crab the most!

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  5. An awesome way to spend the weekend! Swimming beside the dolphin must be such an amazing feeling!

    Love how you take time out to look at the creatures of the sea..

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  6. This is amazing so clear n unpolluted the waters... with the birds, fish n even dolphins... wonderful experience

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  7. Your pictures are awesome, I love the green crab. I think I could handle boogie boarding, of course that means I would have to get in the water, with all them critters. I might need a lot of encouraging to do that. I do love the ocean, despite my neglect to get in the water. I love to listen to all the sounds, and the peace of it all.

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  8. you are in paradise ms beth... and you are swimming with the dolphins

    hail goddess Beth :-)

    its a rule, you should bring your camera always. lol

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  9. Wonderful beach for terrific fun!

    Beach is beautiful and your photos are even better:)

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  10. Boogie boarding looks like so much fun. It must be awesome to see dolphins while you're in the water! The water looks so beautiful and clear and I love the tide pool creatures.

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  11. Oooh!!! I'm so envy of you betchai! You managed to captured dolphins! Such a gorgeous lovely creature!
    Love you tiny crab too! :)

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  12. You sure make great use of your camera, thanks for the post and the beautiful images. My daughter and husband just got back from Cuba where they swam with the dolphins, very cool.

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  13. The photos are glorious Betchai, I especially like the green crab, very cool. I know how much you enjoy the beach and I do as well so I agree that there's much more to it then lying in the sand. Seeing dolphins is always fun and although I have never done boogie boarding, it seems like so much fun :) Thanks for sharing this my friend.

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  14. Hi Beth, i love the first photo so much! i do not need to mention why he he he....gosh, how i'd love to join you in chasing the waves...save me if i drown he he he....

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  15. I'm amazed by the rich marine life in that part of the world,Betchai. And you are so lucky to capture some of the most awesome proofs of nature's wonders.I'll be so ecstatic to see dolphins swimming beside me, it'll feel surreal for sure!I haven't even seen one yet,poor me.

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  16. That crab looks intriguing. I love going to the tidepools to search for interesting sealife. You saw quite a collection. My sister-in-law recently learned to boogie board & surf in her 40's. Now she'll only go to vacations where she can get in the water.

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  17. Nice. I like the photos of the green crab. Do you surf boarding?

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  18. beautiful day at the beach, bethsky! the dolphins were my fave surprise!!!!

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  19. Very nice photos, I love the beach, Next year Sa Diego beach for sure.

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  20. i can never go wrong with a beach escapade for a great relaxation! everything you said, these are the experiences i look forward to whenever we hit the water or simply laze on the sandy shore. Very nice set of photos!

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  21. never tried boogie board....i'm half impaired without my glasses =)

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  22. awesome post, beth!! viewing your beautiful nature pictures and reading about boogie boarding and tide pooling brought a smile to my face:) we may live so far from the ocean here in WV, but through your eyes, and through your words, it's as if for a moment i was transported to the beach:) i love how you described boogie boarding. i long to catch the waves with you someday, beth. also, your pictures and description of tide pooling made me remember days in my childhood when my dad (who taught marine biology at one point) would take us to the beach on low tide days and my brother and i would marvel at the sea urchins, crabs, star fishes, fishes and other sea creatures left in pockets of water as the tide went out. thanks for directing me to this beautiful blog site of yours. i had a ball reading your post and viewing all the photos!! hugs to you, beth!

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THANK YOU SO MUCH!!