First 5 Humboldt and HealthSPORT invite caregivers with young children to sign up for the second annual Little Swimmers Fun Day on Saturday May 2nd at the Arcata HealthSPORT Pool. The event is free, but registration is required as space is limited. Sign up at healthsport.com/watersafetyday to reserve a spot. This free event provides a […]
swimming
Posted inLife + Outdoors
It Took a While, But I Learned to Paddle
On a recent cloudy morning, I carried my inflatable stand-up paddleboard a block and a half from our Old Town apartment to the C Street dock. Setting it gently on the water, I started on my knees, stood up and took off. Suddenly I was gliding through the silvery water as though I’d paddled yesterday. […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Lagoon Challenge
It was a cotton cloak type of fog, reducing visibility to 30 or 40 feet. Donna and I swam this stretch in bathing suits, “skinning it,” without the protection of wetsuits. Ariana looked at us skeptically as she pulled her well-worn neoprene over her long limbs and we eyed each other warily from 10 feet […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Swimming with Otters at Big Lagoon
Blue skies, eagles, osprey, otters — those are the attractions that compel Humboldt caterer Lauren Sarabia to drive up to Big Lagoon and swim three mornings a week. Although as a kid she played in pools in Los Angeles, she didn’t become an open water swimmer until five years ago, when a friend invited her […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Alone in the Fog
I could feel bubbles of panic on the edges of my mind but I forced myself to concentrate on my breaststroke. Arms parting, arms parting. Focus. I knew if I started worrying about hypothermia, exhaustion or the cramping in my right leg, panic would cause me to shake or flail. Focus. Focus. Ten years ago, […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
The Phoenix Approach
It’s a bummer: My body at 67 is not what it was at 20, 30 or even 40. I’ve had to give up five or six physical activities, and each time I let go, adapting to the new reality is bittersweet. For instance, I started jogging in college and ran consistently into my early 60s, […]
Posted inNews
Ocean Swimmer Dies
A 21-year-old from Tulare died yesterday afternoon after being rescued from the ocean off of Samoa Beach, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. Matthew Bryant Garcia had gone swimming with a friend, and disappeared in the surf, says the release. A passerby called 911 at about 4:30 p.m. In two minutes rescuers were on […]