Saturday, January 31st., 2026

Niel's Saturday Swim Report - 

The Central Coast can have some of its best weather in January and today continued the tradition with a clear and cool sunrise with a predicted the high temp of 80°.  At the beach it was 41° at 7AM with an offshore breeze. The water was 56° with 5' sets of waves. Niel, Tom Israel, Jodi and Paula went for a swim.       

Tom, Jodi Paula and Niel at the end of the Poly Pier

We swam out through the surf, met up at the end of the Avila Pier then decided on a route.  We swam to the second crossbars on the Poly Pier, to the end of the pier and finished with a 1000M swim to the beach. A few birds was all there was to see out there.

Warm and sunny weather is predicted for the coming week so I'll swim at 7 on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Jodi is doing a 50K trail run at Fort Ord next Saturday so think happy thoughts about her feet on Saturday morning.  

niel

Friday, January 30th, 2026

Tom's Friday Morning Swim Report - 

Clear blue skies, a very slight breeze and a nice swell rolling through.  There were 4 to 5 foot sets of waves when I got in a 945am. The water was about 55° and very clear. It was an excellent Friday morning Swim. 

Thursday, January 29th, 2026

Niel's Thursday Morning Swim - 

Compared to Tuesday it was warmer and windy this morning. It was 57°, which was up 20°, and there was a strong NE wind. The surf was up to 5 feet, the tide was high and falling and the water temperature was 55° with the wind making it feel colder. 

After I got through the surf I turned left and swam parallel to the beach, thinking that I would do two triangles, take it easy and get the kinks out after Tuesday's swim. As I was rounding the reef buoy I decided swim to the end of the Poly Pier.

It was more bumpy out there than I had realized with the chop not quite breaking over my head and pushing me around.  No matter which leg I was on it was all work and I never felt like I was swimming in the same direction that the ocean was going.       

 

The conditions at the end of the Poly Pier.

I'll swim on Saturday morning at 7 and I'm ready for a more relaxing swim with a bit less drama.

niel

Tuesday, January 27th, 2026

Niel's Tuesday Morning Swim - 

Today was my birthday so I wanted to do a special swim. I didn't think I was ready to do the full birthday distance of 7,600M so I decided to do three triangles which would be about 4,800M.  It was a chilly morning with an air temperature of 34°, clear skies, a light offshore wind putting a ripple on the 54° water, and waves between 2 and 4 feet. The tide was high and going out.  

I began with a clockwise triangle. It was a bit chilly on any exposed skin but I was feeling good and the ripple on the water was a interesting texture that added some character to the swimming.  At the start of the third triangle I was still feeling strong and when I was past the end of the Avila Pier I began thinking about the possibility of doing four triangles and the full birthday swim.  I have swum 5K before without any nutrition so I had not brought any with me.  For 7,600M I would have two 24 oz. bottles of Fluid hydration drink with 6 Gu's added to each bottle to keep me going, so trying 7,600M would be a real stretch, but the idea of doing that distance today was exciting. I decided that when I got to the pier at the end of the third triangle I'd check my distance and if I was at 6,000M and I was still feeling good I'd try for the full distance.  Well, when I was swimming along the 'buoy line' to finish the third triangle I began to feel a bit tired and when I arrived at the pier I had covered 5,400M. I did a honest appraisal of how I was feeling and headed in. 

I'm happy with how this swim worked out.  I did my planned distance and I'm confident that with some nutrition along I could have done 7,600M.

As I was walking out I saw Tom Lorish getting in on the other side of the pier and when he was getting out he saw Duke getting in.  It was a beautiful morning for swimming, and there was plenty of warm sunshine at the showers.  

I'll swim Thursday 7:30 and Saturday morning at 7.

niel    

 

Sunday, January 25th, 2026

Tom Lorish's Sunday Swim Report - 

Sublime conditions at Avila this morning. Following Niel's Saturday Swim I had an wonderful swim around the rock.  Gorgeous conditions: Beautiful high clouds, spots of blue sky showing, crisp Winter air and glassy water with a 3 to 4 foot wave rolling in.  The air temperature was low 50s, and the water temperature was mid 50s. The water clarity was excellent as was the swimming. 

Saturday. January 24th, 2026

Niel' Saturday Swim Report - 

Tom wading in at 7 AM

Saturday served up another great Avila morning with excellent swimming conditions; clear skies, a slight offshore breeze, an air temperature of 49° and a water temp. of 56°. The surf was 3 to 4 foot and the water was nice and clean.

Tom and Niel decided that it was a good day to swim to the Avila Rock. 

Navigation on the way to the rock was easily accomplished by swimming directly into the sun. It was a little bumpy out there. We swam around the rock, past Fossil Point towards the beach, and parallel to the shore to the Avila Pier.

     

It was nice having some sunshine at the showers to help warm us up. 

I'm planning on swimming on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 7. 

Jodi will join us on Saturday for a tapering swim before her 50K CC race at Ft. Ord on 2/7.

niel 

Thursday, January 22nd, 2026

Niel's Thursday Morning Swim Report - 

This morning I swam four crossings between the Avila and Poly Piers. I may have done this route before but I'm not sure. The swimming conditions were wonderful: The sky was full of rain clouds but only a light sprinkle fell. The surf was 2 to 3 feet, there was no wind and the water was smooth. The air temperature was 53° and the water was 58°.  

Twice I had a flock of seagulls straff me. I guess the gulls were checking to see if I was stirring up something for breakfast.  At the showers I saw a few birds diving on bait fish between the piers, I have not seen that activity in more than a month. 

It was nice to not have the wind blowing while I was changing.  There is a lot of bamboo on the beach that must have come from someplace up the creek.

I'll swim Saturday at 7 AM with the group.

niel 

Tuesday, January 20th, 2026

Niel's Tuesday Morning Swim Report - 

It was sunny in Avila with thin high clouds and a steady offshore wind. The numbers were 39° and 57° but the water felt colder than that to me.  The surf was 3 to 4 foot. The largest ones were forming a nice short left near the pier.

      

I did a counterclockwise tour of the Poly Pier and the Reef Buoy. The wind chop made leg from the P. Pier to the Reef interesting.   No drama getting in or out. 

I'll swim at 7 on Thursday and Saturday.

niel

Saturday, January 17th, 2026

Niel's Saturday Morning Swim Report -

Niel, Paula and Eileen

We got in the water at 7.  The air temperature was 40°, the water was 56°, there was a light offshore wind, the surf was 4'+ and the water was nice and clean. We were all interested in something shorter than usual this morning so we did a triangle and got on with our days obligations.

I'm planning on swimming this coming week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 7. 

niel

Friday, January 15th, 2026

 Tom's Friday Swim Report -

Clear blue skies, slight breeze blowing offshore, and four foot + waves. The air temperature was high 50s and the water temperature was about 54°. The conditions and the swimming were excellent. 

Thursday, January 15th, 2026

Niel's Thursday Morning Swim -

Today's conditions were an air temperature of 41°, the water was 57°, the waves were 4 foot and soft, it was high tide and the ocean was lumpy. The water is clean with good visibility.

I got in at 7 and swam a couple of triangles. The bump on the water was big enough to make each leg a different kind of swim.

The shore has taken on its winter configuration; the berm is steep and the bottom is a series of trenches and plateaus.  When I was almost out of the water I was in a three foot deep hole just short of the sand. I could have crawled out but I waited for a wave to pick me up and push me over the lip and onto my knees in 6 inches of water.

The group will swim at 7 on Saturday.

niel          

Wednesday, January 14th, 2026

Tom's Wednesday Morning Swim Report - 

The beautiful winter days continue… Blue skies, low 50s air temperature, and a slight breeze blowing offshore. There was a 2 to 3 foot wave with a clean left peeling off next to the pier.  The water temperature was mid 50s. Good morning swim. 

Tuesday, January 13th, 2025

Niel's Tuesday Morning Swim Report - 

I swam a variation of the loop that touches at the reef buoy, the end of the Poly Pier, and the second crossbars on the P. Pier.  I added the end of the Avila Pier to my swim from the end of the P. Pier to the second crossbars. This would make the route longer than its usual 3,200M but I didn't know by how much. It turned out to be an additional 900M for 4,159M.

At 7 AM it was clear and brightening with the sun about to show above the hills behind Pismo Beach. There was an offshore wind that put some character on the water, the surf was 4 to 5 foot when I got in and 2 to 3 foot when I got out. The air was 53° and the water 56° to 57°.  When I got out the air temp was 71°.  Other than the choppy surface on the water it was very quiet out there. 

The choppy conditions provided some nice instructions for me about my swimming form. Twice my lower back bagan to feel tweeky and I found that the chop had caused my posture to become floppy and unpole like, getting myself back into a pole like posture made things right.     

This was a great ocean swim. 

I'll be back at 7 on Thursday.

niel 

Monday, January 12th, 2026

 Tom's Monday Morning Swim Report - 

Another gorgeous winter day at Avila.  Blue skies and thin wispy clouds, smooth water with a decent size swell kicking up 5 foot set waves.  The air temperature was low 50s and the water temperature was mid high 50s. Beautiful Monday morning vitamin. 

Saturday, January 10th, 2026

Niel's Saturday Morning Swim Report -

Tom taking before photos

January is when the Central Coast gets it clear and cold days. This morning in Avila Beach the air temperature was 33°, the water was 58° to 59° and there was talk between Niel, Jodi, Tom and Paula about the advantages of putting on your wetsuit at home (Jodi and Niel) instead of changing at the beach (Tom and Paula). We were all hoping that we'd feel warmer in the water.  The ocean was pretty flat, there was an offshore wind and the surf was 1 to 3 foot. Water samples collected athe the SL Creek Mouth and at the beach by the Blue Water Task Force on Thursday tested at low levels for bacteria so the water had cleaned up since the last rainstorm and we would not need to worry about bringing something extra home.

Getting in, the water felt comfortable. We grouped up about where the buoy line would be and waited for a Harbor Patrol boat to cruise down the beach towards us and to head out to sea before continuing to the end of the pier. 

Niel, Tom, Paula and Jodi meeting the sunrise the the 'buoy line'. 

We decided to swim to the end of the Poly Pier and to come in along the pier.  At the second crossbars we swam to the end of the Avila Pier and came in to the beach from there. 

The area around the showers was all in shadow. The concrete was the same temperature as the air and not kind to bare feet so changing was done as quickly as possible.

Tom's birthday is Monday so there were brownies after the swim. Tom will be 66, but there was only one candle in the package of two so he may get to negotiate a do over next year. 

I'll swim Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday next week.

niel