At almost 22:00 the sun had already gone down under the horizon and the water continues to break and churn against the shore. We walked along the Sillon watching the water relentlessly cast itself wildly on the Western side of the sand bank. We walked 6.5km down to the far end of the stones and watched the evening change from silver to gold and then dark azure blue.

As the sun sank down, the sea took on that metallic quality that makes it look unreal and unworldly. The tips of the waves tipped with a silver light and the under depths a dark, shady Prussian blue and also black. Maybe this was the time for the night swim I had been promising to do for a long time…

The beach was so different in the fading light. As I walked into the sea it was by no means easy. The waves broke violently on the shore, churning up weed and stones. It seemed to get deep quickly, so I launched into the darkness. The water was really pleasant and beautiful to swim in. The swell bore the body up, but the waves didn’t break too far out, so it was easy to swim. The water below was very dark. The only light was the distance glow of the Suns whispering ends, as it disappeared over the edge of the world.

Getting back onto the shady beach, was different. I swam into the shallows but as I stood up, the drag back from the undertow was quite powerful. I had to hold on the the eroding sand as the powerful waves reclaimed their prisoners. When the moment came, and the next wave broke, I ran up the slope with the water. But the waves also brought in stones and rocks, which rolled over and under my feet. Fortunately the sand was soft and very pliable with the water, so standing on the stones buried them in the shifting surface. Reaching the shore unhurt, I walked home in my suit, enjoying the freedom of the open world.

It was a good experience, but it could have been hurtful and scary. Never under estimate the power of the sea…. Nothing is as it seems…