With Salish Sea average water temperatures in the summer in the low 50s, you won’t find many people ocean swimming. But last year we went to Desolation Sound, B.C. and discovered seawater that was warm enough to swim in!
Fjords filled with sunken granite slabs, minimal water movement, and extensive sunlight, work together to warm the waters. With summer sea temperatures reaching 80°F, Desolation Sound boasts the West Coast’s warmest Pacific Ocean water North of Mexico.
This year, we are more prepared. We have a kayak and a SUP, and even swimwear.
We won’t be in the warm waters for a month or two, so we are working on our kayak and SUP skills here in the cold San Juan Islands. We are just being extra cautious to not fall in the water.
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It usually goes like this before Sean finally helps me lower the kayak into the water:
Me: I want to go kayaking today.
Sean (whiny voice): But it’s cold outside. And the wind…the WIND! *presses the up arrow on the diesel heater controller*
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Getting down close to the water, I see the small marine life that normally evades me. An orange sea cucumber swinging its branch-like tentacles out to catch plankton and then into its mouth to strip off the goods. Barnacles waiving their feathery appendages like tongues lapping out at the water. There are lots of tiny jellyfish that usually go unnoticed like red-eyed medusa and sea gooseberries. And in the shallows, sea anemones and crabs foraging for their next meal.
I’m looking forward to an up-close view of the Salish Sea’s tiny creatures this year! Sean will come around once it’s a bit warmer.
Tales of Misadventure 