That was the liveliest water we've had since May. Wind went round to the south overnight and the chop was hitting the ledge side-on. Credit to Helen for pulling us in after 25 minutes — I'd happily have stayed out and been wrong about it. The hot squash on the beach afterwards has never tasted better.
Thanks Sam. For anyone newer: that's exactly why we set a time limit before we get in, not once we're in. Everything feels manageable right up until it isn't, and cold + chop stacks up faster than it seems. Flat-calm swims will be back soon enough.