Sunday, July 18, 2010

Weather you chose to call it high fog or low clouds, it was very gray at Avila Sunday morning. The clouds were high enough for the visibility to be unobstructed, I could see bird rock off of Shell Beach, so the gray was going to be more of a mood thing than actually interfering with our ability to swim. There was very little wind and just enough of a ripple on the water to keep it from being glassy. Two foot surf, a water temperature of 59 and no sea birds or seals in sight. There was a lot of loose kelp in the water. Samantha from the Central Coast Tri Club was here with two new ocean swimmers. She worked with them along the buoy line, helping them get comfortable in this big pool. Our group was Sylvia, Niel, Peter, Duke, Dale, Rick and Eric. Big Steve is watching our stuff and requiring his toe test skills. There was some boat traffic around so we did not stray too far from the area around the Avila pier. We swam the buoy line clockwise, out to the end of the Avila Pier, to the buoy at the creek and back along the buoys to the pier. The warmer water temperature sure takes the edge off that that comes with 55 degrees and under and makes it very comfortable to be out in the water.
Rob was in Indiana this past weekend and completed his first 10K swim in the Morse Reservoir in Noblesville, Ind. With a water temperature in the mid 80's and an air temperature in the 90's I think that this swim should count as a double. You can check out his post about the race at robaquatics.com. The additional effort required to compete in water that warm with that much sun on your back makes dehydration (while swimming!) a real issue. Rob, you need to get some of your competitors from the mid west and Atlantic states out here for some miles in water that is a good 25 degrees colder. It would even up the odd for you.

niel