Swim Report – September 22, 2019 – Goodbye Summer!

The last swim of summer had some very amusing twists. Direct observation of the L1 area showed ideal conditions – a perfectly calm lake with the water temperature coming in at 63.7F. But Lake Michigan had a nice little surprise for those who dared to explore it below the surface…

To my way of thinking, 60F – 65F is the swimming sweet spot, so I was thrilled that the thermometer reading came in right near the midpoint. And everything was just peachy keen in-swim as long as I stayed close to the surface.

Just below the one meter mark – or at the low point of my swim stroke – the lake temperature plummeted drastically. And while I was quite comfortable in just my jammers and swim cap on the surface, it was a literal cold shock whenever I ventured below this top layer. That being said, the colder thermocline layer beneath me did bring with it a clarity in the water that was absolutely stunning. So the optics were quite amazing during my 1/2 mile swim.

My guess is that some of the heavy winds and rains we’ve had recently have mixed up the colder layers below and that this is a temporary development since the lake doesn’t usually reach the 50F – 55F level until late October. But if it stays this way consistently, it could signal an early Fall Turnover. To which I say , “Bring on the cold water!”