It still takes me about 40 min to get to Veterans park and about an hour or so to Leo Corillo. Depending on traffic.
And yes my time in watter is getting better, but that is after a year and half since I moved down here from Seattle, when I did not have anyone to train with at all.
Compared to 2-3 times a week in Seattle plus some pool time as well.
The float line attached to the board is a good idea anyway, since if you spear a bigger fish you may need to leave the spear behind while you go up to breath. That way you are not tempted to fight the fish and black out on the way up. And also get a mesh bag for the fish and let it float in the water. So it doesn't start cooking in the sun. Or have some kind of cover on top of the board. You will need to secure the fish anyway for swim back to the shore thru the surf.

Vaclav