Swim across Netarts Bay, of course! Every year birthdays come and go. For me its in the Fall, which is my favorite time of year for many reasons! A gift, or two, some cake, a celebratory cocktail, and there it lies before you. A plus one to your age. I'm not a huge fan of big celebrations for my own birthday. The birthday of others? The bigger the party the better! But for me celebrating this yearly milestone is better suited for something that reminds me I am not only still alive, but able to do whatever I want [physically.] Last year on my birthday I did a back flip off of the dock into the bay, which turned out to be the launching pad for this idea of reminding myself to live fully not only every year, but every day. 
I had been thinking about what it would be like to swim across Netarts Bay for several months. I didn't initially plan to do it on my birthday, but as the day approached it seemed more and more appropriate. The timing of the slack tide was going to be around 10am and the weather forecast was near perfect -- sun and light winds. I met a client in Pacific City for lunch (thank you, Jeff!) a couple days prior which gave me the perfect opportunity to pick up a thicker wetsuit, gloves and hood from Moment Surf Co. [http://www.momentsurfco.com] before heading back to Netarts, which is what ultimately made my seemingly brilliant idea of swimming across the bay on my birthday possible. My cold water arsenal already included a scuba mask, snorkel, boots and dive fins; with the addition of my new thicker, warmer (5ml) gear the plan solidified. The last important piece to this adventure was having a spotter [in a kayak.] Actually, make that a double kayak, with a great paddler, loaded with body boards, water and a snack for the other side! 
The bay was just as cold as you might imagine (water temperature between 47-49 deg F). But, only my lips and nose were aware of this harsh reality and fortunately within minutes they were both numb. Thanks to my awesome new wetsuit and accessories the rest of my body was oblivious to what my lips and nose were experiencing making the swim possible and in the end successful. I was later getting into the water than I had planned (Real Estate happens when it feels like it and clients come first.) We left Schooner beach around noon, which meant the tide was already on it's way in adding the element of current, and more water in the bay increasing its width. I googled the distance when I returned and estimate it to be just shy of 3/4 of a mile, including drift.
This is where the fins came in handy, though half way across I stood up on a sand bar, took them off and tossed them onto the spotter kayak [paddled by the Duke of this Bay, 'Dusty Trost'] because they were causing quite a bit of anguish to both of my Achilles tendons! Swimming without them felt like I had lead weights on my feet, though I continued to make progress and was able to make it the rest of the way to the spit pain free. We were shore to shore in just under 20 minutes. After a photo opp I jumped on the kayak and we paddled North to the tip of the spit. A quick walk to the open ocean side and we finished up the afternoon with some body boarding. Something worth mentioning: *I do not recommend swimming across the bay without being in good physical condition, being able to swim well or self rescue in an emergency, the appropriate gear for cold water, or a spotter in a kayak.* I am making all of this sound easy, but it should be taken seriously if you decide it might be something fun and exciting to do yourself one day. For me this was definitely a birthday to remember. Living and working right here in Netarts is where it's at! I suppose it may be time to start thinking about what to do next year, though I am pretty certain sometime between now and then it will just come to me. If you have any ideas be sure to send them my way. I am always up for a new adventure!
See you on the beach!
~Wendy
