I slam down my brakes and veer a sharp left, my tires skidding over a bubbling soup of asphalt cooking in the afternoon sun. I maintain control and switch to my clutch, rapidly shifting though the gears as I accelerate on. An outraged pedestrian and a stream of expletives chase me into the carpark. But I’ve got no time to slow down. I’ve been stuck inside working all day, fans blasting to ward off the tormenting heat of the sun, my thoughts distracted by one thing and one thing only. I need a swim.
The handbrake up, ignition switched off, and the seatbelt
unbuckled: before I know it, I’m out of the car and fleeing on foot. Dancing to
stop the singe of the sand, I move to the rhythm called to by my heart’s desire.
Before me stretch the cool waters of Basin Beach, flowing past North Mona Vale
Headland and into the vast Pacific Ocean. They beckon a relief from the day. But
I’m not there yet. Waves breaking on a seaweed-lined shore present one final
hurdle.
On your mark, get set, go. Knee to my chest, I lunge
forward, driving through in a fluid and continuous motion. But my back foot
fails to clear the crest of the wave, flipping me into oblivion, plunging me deep
into the sea.
Shrouded in darkness, I disappear from the world. No
problems, nor stress, below the surface I merely exist…
…until the sunlight peeks through and calls me back.
I emerge reawakened, refreshed, satiated, triumphant -
liberated from the day’s torrid heat. Free as a bird, I glide through the ocean
blue, basking in my indulgence.
But the day’s not content to concede such a loss; it’s set on
making me suffer. With a scathing cackle, it threatens to ruin my treat, thunder
announcing dark clouds from the north. Like the waves below, they roll towards
me across a silver sky.
They push me towards Mona Vale Beach, where I seek a desperate
attempt at refuge. I escape over the wide rock platform that splits the two beaches
- algae forests of purple, green, yellow, and red squished between my toes. Behind
me, mist rises off the ocean in anticipation of the coming storm.
 |
| Mona Vale Beach |
I submerge myself at Mona Vale under the last remnants of sunshine, the clouds encircling like sharks on their prey. Until, with a burst of speed, they strike, exploding the sky in an avalanche of rain that merges with the sea. The waves respond with force and throw me to the shore.
Soaked sand leads me back to find my car within an empty carpark. Inside and the heavy rain patters against my windshield, warping vision of lightning striking sporadically on the horizon. I turn on the radio, lean back in my seat, and enjoy the show, waiting for the storm to pass. A fitting end to a scorching day.
Total beaches: 72/170
Mona Vale Beach
