Snorkeling! Or not...

Last Tuesday I went snorkeling.

That sounds a bit crazy doesn’t it? Probably because it’s slightly out of season, but that afternoon was 85 degrees and sunny outside, so I thought that it would be fine...

Boy was I wrong!

I've never been in Lake Michigan, however, I've heard stories about the water being very cold. Still, nothing could have prepared me for what I experienced that Tuesday.

So how did this all start?

I received an email a couple weeks ago from Play in the City reader “MJ” (or Matt) considering a snorkeling expedition. It sounded like fun, so I volunteered Eric and me to go along. Neither Eric nor I have any snorkeling equipment but fortunately Joe, a friend of Matt, was bringing extra gear and all we had to do was show up.

I left work early, got home and found the old one-piece swimsuit I wore back in high school, and then drove a quick few miles over to Atwater Park (normally we would have biked, but we were running late as usual).

I never met Matt before last Tuesday, so I wasn’t sure who I was looking for until I saw two guys at the edge of the water adjusting their masks and stepping into flippers.

We made brief introductions, suited up and headed into the choppy water. Like I said, I’ve always heard how chilly Lake Michigan is but this was the first time I’ve swam (or attempted to swim) in it.

It was FREEEEEEZING! It took but a few minutes for my body to turn numb as I stood waist-deep in the ice-cold water.

Joe, Eric and I exchanged nervous looks and discussed the possibility of getting hypothermia. Eventually we decided to stay back, which I think was the best decision. We ended up wading in the water for a while and chitchatting until we could no longer feel our legs, so we decided to head back onto the shore.

Matt, on the other hand, was a real trooper. He began his journey out to a harbor patrol boat waiting by one of the buoys nearly 50 meters from the beach. One of Matt's friends was on the boat and had offered to pick us up and drive us back to shore. I can’t imagine swimming underneath that water, but Matt made it out to the police boat and later admitted that he was nearly hypothermic by the time he got there. “My feet were white and navy blue. How foolish.”

It was one crazy adventure even though I didn’t technically go through with it. But the best part was that Matt and Joe both proved to be really cool guys, although a little crazy (I kid! I kid!). I’m glad to have finally met some PITC readers and to have taken my first dip in Lake Michigan; however, next time I think I’ll go swimming in July when the water is more tolerable.

Thanks for the invite, Matt!

Comments

[mjonthemove]

No problem. Let's not do that ever again. Maybe something else, your Lakefront tour sounded sweet, but not snorkeling in 60° waters.

[Amanda]

So are you guys going to Polar Bear this January then? Sounds like you might be prepared for it!

[suzieq]

You both sound pretty brave though...

[Karen]

Brave? I don't know about that, Suzie. At least I wasn't. I wimped out after only 5 minutes of being in the water! That's pretty pathetic actually.

[Danny from Milwaukee]

I've only really swam in Michigan on January 1st. That's one big cold lake.

[Karen]

Amanda- I can't speak for Matt, but I've been thinking about going Polar Bearing for years and every January 1 has passed without me freezing my butt off in Lake Michigan. After my snorkeling experience I'm thinking twice...again.

Danny- I'll have to get some tips from you if I decided to take the Polar Bear plunge this January.

[Danny from Milwaukee]

"Danny- I'll have to get some tips from you if I decided to take the Polar Bear plunge this January."

Drink a lot.

[Karen]

Note: Buy a flask.