New Years Day Swim Time Change!

Just a heads up for everybody out there thinking about a New Years Dip, the usual Sunday swim is moving to 10am for just this week. We'll be back to our usual time the following weekend.

thanks!

Rob D.

Christmas Day 2011

I went out to the beach this morning not knowing if anyone would be by to join me. I ended up getting in the water early to bodysurf a little bit and play with a new camera. About half an hour later I emerged from the 52ish degree water and found an out of town and wetsuitless swimmer looking to take a dip! Holly was visiting from San Francisco and looking for a quick swim so I took her for a shot around the pier. There was some ok surf, but one you got past that it was smooth sailing all the way around. The water was smooth and fairly clear. We took a quick break at the tip of the pier so I could point out the local landmarks and then we made our way back to the beach. All told maybe 1000m tops.

New Years day is next Sunday and we'll have swimmers in the water, make sure you come out for your polar bear dip!

Rob D.

Sunday, December 18,2011

We had a beautiful Sunday for a swim and got to share it with a few out of town guests. We had our regular visitor Susan from the valley on the beach along with Shawn (in no wetsuit!) who was in town from the Sacramento area. Rounding it out was myself, Sylvia and Amy.

The water was fairly calm out past the breakers, but we had some burly sets rolling in at the beach. I measured the water at about 53. We opted for the classic triangle route to give Shawn the full tour and make sure everyone got in about a mile.

The swim was great, no major wind or currents to contend with, although we had a hard time sighting the creek buoy from the pier because the swells were so large. At the finish we treaded lightly to do our best to get back on the beach without getting clobbered by the surf. Once everyone was in I decided to try bodysurf one for fun but that didn't go exactly to plan. The wave broke in a weird way, folded me up like a pretzel and introduced me to the bottom of the ocean... whoops :)

Next Sunday is Christmas, I'm planning to hit the beach (weather permitting) so hopefully I see a few of you out there!

Rob D.

Sunday December 11, 2011

I've had one of the flu's that is going around so I didn't swim today.  For the next two Sundays a lot of people are going to be either traveling or otherwise occupied, so the attendance at the beach will be a bit spotty.  Keep an eye on Rob's website and Facebook page.  


niel   

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Avila was a lot like last week, except for the 100's of motorcycles along Front Street for the Toys for Tots drive.  It was sunny, warm enough, windless, almost surfless. The water was real clean and we had a very low tide.  The water was one degree colder than a week ago at 53 degrees.  It was just Sylvia and I today.   Sylvia was going to follow me in, as it takes her longer to get used to the water.  I headed out, turned left and wound up doing about a mile along the swimming the buoy line.  It was chilly but the swimming conditions were great.  I never connected with Sylvia. When I got out she was sitting in her dry swim suit reading the paper, having kept an eye on me from the beach.  There is no rain in sight so we'll be back next weekend.


niel 

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Niel, Sylvia and Susan James swam today. It was sunny and warm at Avila with no wind. The water was very clean and had a temperature of 54 degrees. Susan and I headed out, turned right. swam to the creek buoy and then to the end of the Avila pier.  Sylvia was body surfing so we came in along the length of the pier to the buoy line and met up with her. We all swam down the buoy line towards Fossil Point to the second buoy, then came back to our starting point and came in.  We were in the water for 36 minutes.
With no breeze it actually got too hot up next to the wall after our swim.  Sylvia and I had lunch and I took a short nap before heading home about 12:30.


niel

Sunday, November 20, 2011

No swimming today.  It rained hard last night and is still raining this morning, leading to concerns about the water quality at Avila Beach.  The predictions are for dry weather up to Thanksgiving, so Rob and I are looking to slip in a mid-day, mid-week swim before the next storm.  Look here or on Rob's facebook page to follow out planing.


niel  

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Avila started out OK and evolved into quite nice today.  At 10:30 it was sunny but with thin high clouds and a slight offshore breeze.  There was also a slight current running form left to right, parallel to the beach.  Rob and I had considered going out to the Fossil Point rock today but a water temperature of 54.5 made us reconsider.  Neither of us had been in water that was below 55 degrees since last spring.  We decided that this was not the best day to do a swim with a turnaround point 3/4's of a mile offshore with no way to shorten the route if someone became uncomfortable.  Amy was swimming with us and was game for some distance so we decided to swim over to the Poly Pier and back to the Avila Pier.  This route can be from 1+ to almost 2 miles depending on decisions made at 2 points along the route so it was a good choice.  Duke and Angela came by as we were getting ready, heading out on a two/three run, (Duke does 2 miles while Angela does 3).   We started on the west side of the Avila Pier and swam down the buoy line to the creek.  At this point we had collected a group of 4+ seals who would follow us for the rest of the swim.  We swam over to the Poly Pier, back to the end of the Avila Pier and in to the beach.  By the time we reached the Avila Pier the clouds had gone, the sun was warm and the offshore breeze had died away.  It was very pleasant on the beach afterwards with a small school of dolphins out off of the end of the pier.
This swim was about 1 -1/4 miles and we were in the water for 46 minutes.


niel

Sunday, November 6, 2011

It was sunny and about 60 degrees at Avila today.  The water was clear and clean with nice transparent waves and a temperature of 56 degrees.  There was a gusty offshore breeze that was blowing towards Pismo Beach that was rippling the surface but not putting up any real chop .  I was the only one swimming today.  I did the triangle counterclockwise without stopping at any of the turns.  I was swimming for 30 minutes.


niel

Cal Poly Pier Open to the Public This Weekend!

Hey everybody, just a not that the Poly Pier is open to be toured this Saturday. They only do this once or twice a year and it's very cool, I highly recommend checking it out. The New Times has more info here and you can see some of my pictures from the last time they did this on my blog over here.

Rob D.

Nothing Wrong With This

Just two days before Halloween and we had a beautiful summer day at Avila Beach for today's swim.  It was sunny, calm, cloudless and warm with an air temperature that started in the 70"s and  headed into hot later in the day.  There was no surge or current in the water and the temperature was in the high 50"s, I'd guess 57 - 58 degrees a glassy surface.  I'm guessing about the temperature because my new calibrated thermometer arrived Saturday and I switched it out without checking it over carefully enough.  At the beach I found out that about 10 degrees worth of the medium had separated and was stuck up at the top.  Bummer!  In any case the lack of a definitive number couldn't detract from such great swimming conditions.  Swimming today were Yvonne, Sylvia, Duke, Amy, Dale and Niel.  Chad and Casey were at the beach but going on a run.  The tide was just before full and with only small waves it was a good day to swim down to Fossil Point.  This swim is a short mile and consists of heading down the buoy line to the left (east) from the pier and continuing past the last buoy parallel to the beach until reaching the rocks of the point.  There is a nice photo of this swim on the opening page of our web site; SwimAvila.com.  We grouped up at the first buoy and again at the last.  Dale decided to turn back at this point and the rest of us swam to the point.  We returned to the pier in one leg and headed in.  It was so comfortable in the water that we spent a lot of time gabbing after regrouping so we wound up in being in the water for 43 minutes while our swimming time was closer to 23.  The sun had warmed up the wall behind our chairs so it felt great to lean against after showering off.


niel      

Wednesday Evening, October 26, 2011

Rob and I met up for our last evening swim of the season. It was sunny, about 70 degrees and calm. I saw one otter along the buoy line on the east side and one pelican resting on the water inside the surf line. The water temperature was the same as Sunday, about 58 degrees. General agreement that the new replacement thermometer that I have been using seems to be reading high has prompted me to order a more accurate, certified thermometer. In the mean time we will go with the toe test method.
As we were getting ready to get in there was a surprise appearance by the Avila Beach AQUAMAN! Dressed for this final swim of the season he was ready to carve a path through the ocean in search of evildoers, or dolphins in need of instruction on their swimming technique.
In such company Rob and I humbly swam out to the buoy line, hung a left and swam to the end. After a brief reconnaissance of the conditions we headed to the end of the pier. When we paused at the end of the pier the sun was just slipping behind the hills behind Port San Luis. We swam in the shadows along the pier to the beach. As we were drying off a dolphin came in along the buoy line, possibly looking to do some speed work with AQUAMAN.


Rob and I will continue swimming on Sundays at 11, canceling only when storms cause the water quality to deteriorate.


niel

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Avila seemed to be its normal self when I arrived this morning.  It was sunny and calm, with no wind and some fog hanging way off over Pismo Beach.  Sylvia and Rhonda were already here.  The water looked clear and fairly calm, with some small, close packed ripples coming in out of the SE.   I got a water temperature reading of 60 degrees. I always take the temperature on the left side of the pier because the usual NW wind will push the thermometer away from the pilings.  Today I had to drop it in on the right side because the water was moving in the opposite direction.  There was one fisherman on the pier, one seal in the surf line and nothing else to be seen above or in the water.  High tide had been just before 8 AM but the water seemed to be really high, still almost near the high tide line. The significance of this would soon become apparent.  Swimming today were Bill, Amy, Sylvia, Niel, Dale, Duke and Rob.  We decided to do the triangle route counter-clockwise starting on the east side of the pier.  I started straight out from the beach and when I cleared the surf line the push from the waves toward shore didnt' slack off, but got even stronger.  The short swim out to the buoy line felt like I was in a river swimming up stream.  WE gathered up everyone at the buoy line and headed under the pier and towards the last buoy at the mouth of the creek.  This leg was surprisingly rough, with water water trying to get in my mouth no matter which side I breathed on.  The leg to the end of the pier was straight into the chop, which seemed to be building even though there was still no wind.  Duke likened this leg to a round in a Maytag.  It was a lot of work against a current in rough surface conditions. Also, the fog that had been hanging over Pismo Beach had moved in and was warping itself around Fossil Point.  The third leg was across the waves and current which I found to be easier but still a workout, getting bent all over the place by the chop passing underneath.  Half way there the fog moved over the cliff and covered my siting point.  The last leg parallel to the beach seemed easier, with a little push from the left rear quarter.  The swim is about a mile.  We finished in 42 minutes which seemed reasonable considering that it felt like I did enough work for a mile and an half.  By the time we were all out and cleaned up the beach was all fog thick enough so that you could not see the buoy line from the beach.  It was even starting to spit so nobody hung around too long.     


Rob and I are still swimming Wednesday's at 5:30 until it gets too dark.


niel

Wednesday Evening, October 20, 2011

Ryan and I pulled up at the same time and the water looked fabulous so we decided to not wait and to just jump in.  The wind that had been blowing in San Luis Obispo and out on the mesa was not to be found at Avila.  It was sunny and warm and the water was flat and glassy.  The only thing that was off was the color of the water; it was dark as if there was a mild red tide.  We decided to do a repeat of last Sunday's swim so we headed out to the buoy line and turned left.  I got comfortable really fast so I'd estimate the water temperature was 60.  The water was so flat the swimming was great.  From the last buoy we turned to the pier and swam directly into the glare from the setting sun.  On the third leg towards the creek the water warmed up even more and actually felt warm to the touch at times.  We finished off by swimming along the buoys from the creek, under the pier and turning in to the beach where we entered the water.   We were in for 34 minutes.


niel

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Niel, Sylvia, Rob and Duke swam today.  We all did the triangle route clockwise.  The water was 59 degrees with a small ripple that was pushed up by a light breeze out of the SW.  But the time we finished the wind was starting to pick up and shift into the NW.  At 12:30 there were whitecaps in to the surf line.  We had a real nice swim. We saw one seal.  It looks like the baitfish/shark season is over.  The water was comfortable enough that we spent a lot of time at the turning points visiting, taking 44 minutes to cover a mile and having a great time.  Before we swam Chad and Casey took Duke out on a short run and dropped him off before doing the rest of their 8 miles.  They looped back and soaked up some sun with us before we all headed home.


niel  

Wednesday Evening, 12 October 2011

Rob and I swam this evening.  It was hot at Avila with an offshore wind that was veering from NE to NW.  There were some large waves but the biggest sets were spaced well apart so getting out was just going to be a matter of timing.  Low tide had been at 4:44 and the larger waves were beginning to break just inside the buoy line.  There wasn't much out there; a few gulls and one seal.   Rob and I swam out on the east side of the pier to the end with the thought of going to either the poly pier of the end of the buoy line at the creek, depending on what seemed like a good idea once we got there.  I had measured a water temperature of 61 but it felt a lot colder once I got out to the surf line.  At the end of the pier my feet were cold and I could still feel the water moving around in my suit.  Idling at the end of the pier we were rising and falling 4 or 5 feet with the swells.  We agreed to swim to the end of the buoy line at the creek and come back towards the pier.  When I breathed on the side towards the ocean during the leg along the buoy line towards the pier I would be looking way up at the face of the incoming waves.  Our timing was good when we headed in towards the beach and we both got in just ahead of the next big set.


niel 

Sunday, October 9, 2011

I got to Avila about 10:30.  It was beautiful, clear sunny and just a bit cool from the wind off of the fog bank.  The water was calm with very few birds, no seals or bait fish.   I had done the City to the Sea 1/2 earlier and came by to stand in the water for a while.  Chad and Brittany had also done the race and were going to come by but not swim.  Duke and Sylvia were there and getting ready to jump in.  Rob was swimming support on a Catalina Channel crossing attempt.  The water felt very cold on my legs but I stayed in with my top half in the wind and my bottom half in the water until I started feeling chilled.  
Rob, Ryan and I will be back to swim on Wednesday evening at 5:30.


niel

No Posts for a While

I have missed several swims lately.  I was out of town last Sunday.  Rob, Ryan and I skipped Wednesday evening thinking that the creek flow from the rain on Tuesday night and Wednesday had probably made the water at Avila toxic.  I'm doing the City to Sea 1/2 this Sunday morning and Rob will be in the Catalina Channel supporting a swimmer attempting a channel crossing.  The weather should be nice so if anybody swims let me know how it was.  We should be back in the water on Wednesday the 12th. 

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

It was gray all of the way down to the horizon and all of the way around this evening.  The surf was not large but there was a minus tide at 5:30 PM so the waves were forming up to break just inside of the buoy line.  The water was clean and 61 degrees.  The ocean was very empty with only no birds except for a few gulls and one lonely seal.  There were small wind waves form the south.  Rob and I got in on the west side and swam down to the creek and came back to the pier.  We had planned to stay close to the beach in case the clouds and fog settled in and we lost some visibility   The surge was exposing 3 to 4 feet of mussels and barnacles on the pilings so we declined swimming under the pier and instead went out to the end and around.  Swimming out along the pier into the incoming tide and the south swell took a surprising amount of extra effort.  We rounded the end of the pier, waved to a woman who was crabbing from the end of the pier so she could shoot some video of us and took a wide swing away from the pier into the beach.
We covered less than a mile but it felt great to get and enjoy the favorable swimming conditions. 


niel   

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Avila Beach was a big surprise today.  I was expecting a foggy/gray/overcast day but it was sunny and warm when we got there.  There was a breeze from the SE and some small chop on the water but conditions looked nice.  Sylvia and Yvonne were already out along the buoy line.  I checked the water temperature and got a 61.  The water looked very clear and clean.  There was one seal on the left side of the pier but no sign of bait fish or other 'attractive' activity to make getting in questionable.  Sylvia and Yvonne were just getting out as Kim and I got in.  We swam out to the buoy line and turned left. We went parallel to the beach to the end of the sea wall and came back to the pier.  Kim headed in and I continued under the pier and down to the last buoy at the creek.  Just short of the last buoy the water jumped up in temperature and then started tasting real bad.  The creek gets stagnant for its last 1/2 mile before the ocean and attracts a lot of roosting birds, which seems like a recipe for bad water quality, so I reversed course and headed back to the pier.  The water was clear enough that while I was swimming under the pier to thought that I could see some dark rocks or starfish on the bottom.  By the time I was out and settled down to lunch the wind had died and shifted into its usual direction from the NW and kicked up a bit, with whitecaps forming offshore.


We are still swimming Wednesday evenings at 5:30.


niel    

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Gerry and I swam today.  The early fog burned off before 11 and left it calm and sunny at Avila.  The surf was 1 to 2 foot, the water was very clear, and about 58 degrees (my new thermometer is in transit and will be on duty soon).  There were no signs of any bait fish or birds rafting on the water.  There were three seals playing in the surf.   There were small wind waves, about 6 to 8 inches, moving toward the beach from the SW.  We swam the buoy line end to end and a bit more, probably about 1.25 miles, and were in the water for 40 minutes.  The swimming conditions were very comfortable with the little waves just enough of a ripple to mess with my breathing and make it interestnig.  It was nice and warm and relaxing next to the wall after we got out.




niel

Wednesday Evening, September 14, 2011

Nobody swam this evening.  The wind was dying down and there were no birds or seals so conditions looked pretty nice, but I was the only one who showed so I took the evening off too. Rob was home nursing his back and Ryan was burnt after too many 10 hour days.  My thermometer has broken so I have no water temperature to report.


niel  

Sunday, September 11, 2011

It was gray, overcast and cool at Avila this morning but the upside was that there was no wind, current or swell and just the typical 2 to 3 foot surf.  The water's surface was glassy with a temperature of 58.5.  There was a large group of shearwaters on the water that would move around but they were far off of the end of the pier.  There were no pelicans, one seal and a small pod of dolphins that was cursing the buoy line.  Swimming today were Sylvia, Yvonne, Gerry and Niel.  The conditions were good for a swim down the beach to Fossil Point so we swam out to the buoy line, turned left and swam parallel to the beach until we were just off of the caves in the point, then reversed out course and came back.  The shearwaters had moved off and didn't come back.  The overcast and maybe the 62+ temperature from Wednesday's swim made the water feel colder than 58 but I got comfortable quickly.  
This swim is about a mile. We spent a fair amount of time visiting when we regrouped and spent 45 minutes in the water.


niel

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Warm Wednesday's are back!  The water was 62.5, very clear and carnivore free.  I could see one pelican, a few gulls, one lonely seal and one fisherman no sign of bait fish or feeding activity, unless you count the gulls who were working the goodies that had been left with a group of beach chairs and towels.  There was a steady wind from the East pushing a medium chop and current to the west.  The chop was not whitecapping so swimming conditions looked very good.  Ryan, John and Niel were ready to swim at 5:30.  The tide was high and the surf back to normal so it was a good opportunity to swim all of the way down the beach to Fossil Point.  We went out, turned left at the buoy line and continued along that line past the last buoy until we were just off of the cliff face at the cave on the point.  After a brief break we came back along the same route.  This swim was just short of a mile and we were in the water for 33 minutes.


niel

Monday, September 5, 2011

Today's conditions were a copy of yesterday's; a 57 degree water temperature, very little wind and almost glassy conditions at times, some occasional large waves and hardly any birds, one seal and no bait fish. Rob and I were going to swim to the rock off of Fossil Point if the conditions were this nice but we had not counted on the number of boats and fishermen that were out. They were near the reefs and off of the point and the rock and were moving around as we watched, so we decided not to swim out amongst them and instead swam to the Poly Pier. We went down the buoy line to the creek, over to the second set of cross bracing, to the end of the Avila Pier and in. We were in the water for about 40 minutes and covered approx. 1.25 miles. Jerry Gross got there after we had started so he went out on a run and we contemplating getting in when I left.

Rob and I are going to keep up the Wednesday evening swims until dark and conditions make it a bad idea, so we will be swimming mid-week until I post a quitting date.

niel

Sunday, September 4, 2011

It was gray and overcast at 10:30 but burning off. The water was 56.5 and much clearer than on the previous Wednesday. The big south swell was still providing some 5' waves but the big sets were 10 minutes or more apart so getting in was just a matter of waiting a bit. Getting in the water were Rob, Niel, Casey, Duke, Chad, Amy, Kim, Kamber and Jerry. Rhonda came by to hang on the beach and soak up some sun. Casey is getting ready for the LA Tri so he and Chad stayed on the east side of the pier and practiced entries and exits through the waves. The rest of us went in on the west side and swam the traditional triangle route counterclockwise. The water temperature has dropped below 60 so it took me until I reached the buoy at the creek to get completely comfortable, but then the water felt great. When we finished the sun was out and felt good. Rob and Chad went back out to boogie board and get in some additional play time.

Monday, 9/5, Labor Day, we will swim at 11AM.

niel

Wednesday Evening, September 31, 2011

I've been out of town for 10 days so this was my first time in the ocean in almost two weeks. Our string of warm Wednesday's is over, with this evening's below 60 water temperature of 58. There was a steady SW breeze. The chop was not whitecapping but there was a noticeable current from the right to the left along the beach. A big south swell was predicted to create 8' to 10' waves on the south facing beaches between Wednesday and Friday. Wednesday evening we saw occasional 5' sets with long spans of smaller waves between. Here to swim were Bobby, Ryan, Niel and Rob. Rob decided to get his boogie board and catch some of the waves. There was a huge concentration of birds feeding on bait fish on the right side of the pier so we decided to go out on the left side to the end of the pier and swim in the opposite direction to the last buoy and then down to Fossil Point and back. When we got to the end of the pier the birds had moved to a point farther out but to the left of where we were. We didn't hand around and boogied to the last buoy, canceled going to the point and swam back along the buoys to the pier and came in. Low tide was about 6:20 and when we got out the surf had flattened out, much to the disappointment of the surfers and boogy boarders who were in the water looking for the big waves.

Rob and I will be on the beach to swim this Sunday at 11.

niel

Wednesday Evening, August 17, 2011

Ryan and I swam this evening. Rob was off somewhere in the Catalina Channel swimming support for a friend who was attempting his second crossing. It was warn and sunny at Avila. I measured a water temperature of 65, which went along with the large number of people who were still playing in the water. I saw a couple of seals from the pier but no organized flocks of birds. I met Gerry Gross back at the beach. He had finished his swim and was heading home. He said that he had had to wait an hour to get in because of the intensity of the feeding activity that was taking place over near the Poly Pier. Not only was there a huge flock of birds and large numbers of seals and dolphins feeding on bait fish but also several whales were near the Poly Pier about 200m from shore! While we were talking the birds had returned to feed. Gerry said that feeding had been occurring in cycles for several hours in that area so Ryan Na I decided to stay on the east side of the pier where it looked nice and lonely. We swam out to the end of the Avila Pier and angled left to the last buoy. From there we swam parallel to the beach down to Fossil Point, reversed our course and returned along the buoy line to the Avila Pier and came in . We were in the water for 42 minutes and covered about 1-1/4 miles. The water was very comfortable with some very warm spots and one "cold" spot that must have been in the low 60's :). Hey, a sudden 3 or 4 degree drop in the water temperature is still a surprise. Kelp is piling up on the beach and there is a lot of loose pieces in the water, making kind'a trashy swimming conditions. Lot's of tings to hit with your hands and get tangled on your goggles. Yuckie, but the water is so comfortable I can't complain.

For any of you who have not heard Dave VanMouwerik successfully completed a trans-Tahoe crossing on Sunday. He swam the long way, from south to north, a distance of 21.2 miles in 13:51. The water temperature was in the mid 60's. He is the 19th person to have completed this swim. He started at 3AM and finished at 4:44PM. The water became so rough in the afternoon that his paddle boarder could not stay in the water and it took Dave 2 hours to complete the final mile. The dock where he was to land had been closed due to the severe conditions and they had to reopen it to allowed his boat to dock!

The only posting I know of is this clip from the news; http://www.ksby.com/news/mission-complete-slo-man-completes-21-2-mile-swim-across-lake-tahoe/#!prettyPhoto/0/

Let's all give Dave a huge ATT'A BOY! for a amazing accomplishment.

niel

Tuesday Evening, August 16, 2011

Rob and I did a extra swim Tuesday evening. At 6 PM we swam from Avila Beach to Olde Port Beach which is west of Avila towards the port. The occasion was the annual meeting on the beach of a trade group that he belongs to and Rob wanted to make a special entrance from the water. I came along to accompany him and to rack a minor personal first as I have ever been swimming on the West side of the Poly Pier. We started out along the east side of the Avila Pier to the end and turned right towards the second set of cross bracing on the Poly Pier. I didn't get a temperature before we got in but the water felt warm, about 63 to 65 degrees. There was a slight wind and small chop from the East which I didn't notice once we turned towards the Poly Pier. Rob and I both towed our rescue cans behind us as we were going to be on our own on this swim. From the Poly Pier we angled towards the middle of Olde Port Beach. There was a large group of pelicans working a ball of bait fish out among the moored boats off of the beach and we wanted to stay well clear of them. We had watched them while we were leaving a car at Olde Port before driving back to Avila and we never saw any seals or dolphins and it seemed safer without them. We swam parallel to the beach for about about 100m before we came abreast of Rob's friends. He made his entrance and we walked to my car on the bluff and drove to Avila. I dropped Rob at his truck and he headed back to the party. We had covered 2200m in 34 minutes including stops for photos and reconnaissance. Rob is swimming support for a friend's Catalina Channel crossing Wednesday and again on Sunday for a crossing from Anacapa. I'll be at Avila tonight and on Sunday.

niel

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Not much swimming went on at Avila today. It seemed like everybody had a story of recent extremely sharky conditions at Avila or a siting near by, and even thought the conditions looked great only Gerry Gross swam. Dale started it off with a mid-week e-mail about a large shark that crused the stern of an acquaintance's boat while they were fishing off Diablo Canyon. Pete Kelly stopped by while we were discussing Dale's info and recounted how late Saturday afternoon Avila had the most sharky conditions he had ever seen; a ball of bait fish and feeding birds and seals that extended half the length of the buoy line. Gerry Gross showed up to swim and reported that late Friday, after he had gotten out of the water, that a group of 50 to 70 dolphins gathered to feed along the surf line.. Well, at this point Sylvia was had gotten deeply interested in Sunday's paper, Chad, who had done a biathlon Saturday, was just going to do a run, Duke announced that for once he was going to do the unexpected smart thing and say out, Rob was on the fence and I would have liked to swim but considered this a great opportunity to grab some extra time today to spend with my wife. That left Gerry, who swam by himself. The water was 60 degrees and there was only a slight breeze, so I hope he had a great time.

Rob and I will be back Tuesday for his swim into a party of Olde Port Beach and Wednesday for our regulary scheduled evening swim at 5:30.

niel

Wednesday Evening, August 10, 2011

It was another warm Wednesday, and there will be more on that later in this post. It was breezy but sunny and pleasant at Avila. There was enough of a breeze to push up a decent chop out of the SSW. There were no whitecaps but it would be enough to make this a real ocean swim. I measured a water temperature of 62. While I was out on the pier I did not see any bait fish/bird/seal activity. Swimming this evening were Rob, Ryan Kim and Niel. By the time we were ready to get in the water some pelicans had gathered on the west (right) side of the pier so we decided to start on the left side, swim out to the end of the pier and see what things looked like. Our initial plan was to go to the left from the end of the pier to either the last buoy in the line or to Fossil Point before coming back along the buoy line to the pier. The chop was surprisingly bumpy swimming out along the pier, especially as this side was in the lee of the wind and the chop usually is reduced as it passes through the pilings. I found the water to be very comfortable, thinking that my temperature reading might of been low. Ryan and I waited at the end of the pier for Kim and Rob and got pushed steadily to the east by the wind and swell. Kim wanted to go to the last buoy and since she was the least experienced ocean swimmer of the group we decided to stick together, thinking that she could return down the buoy line by herself if the rest of us decided to extend our swim down to the point. Well we didn't. We grouped up at the buoy and everybody swam back along the line to the pier and in to the beach.

Kris and I stayed for dinner and at about 7 a huge scrum of fish and birds formed at a point about even with the end of the pier and moved back and forth, to alternate sides of the pier, for 20 minutes. It looked like we were too early for the buffet.

The next swim is Sunday at 11.

About Warm Wednesdays. For the last two months the water temperature at Avila Beach has been significantly warmer for our Wednesday evening swims than on the previous or following Sundays. On Wednesday, June 22, the water temperature was 63.5 and has been no lower than 60 and as high as 67 (! on 7/6) on every Wednesday since. On the Sundays starting with 6/19 the water temperature has been in the 50's from 55.5 to one lonely 60 on 7/24. Now I'm not complaining, the Wednesday evening swims have been great, but I don't get it. This is more fluctuation than seems 'normal' and being warmer on every Wednesday evening is just strange. That this has been going on for two months seems to rule out tides or currents and I do not think that the later time of day can be the cause of this much variation. Unfortunately there are no other records for comparison. The water temperature station on the Poly Pier has been inoperative for about a year and historically, the one at the port does not follow the trends at Avila close enough to be useful. So, does anyone have an idea about this? I ready for an explanation that relies on whales farting, residual effects from the Shell oil spill or some secret government testing program.

niel

***Bonus Swim!!! Avila to Olde Port Beach on August 16th***

Next Tuesday the 16th I'm looking for some people interested in doing a point to point swim from the Avila Pier down to Olde Port Beach (the dog beach). A trade group I'm involved with (the SLO Creative and Marketing Alliance) is having its annual beach party down there an I feel like making an unnecessarily dramatic arrival :) On top of being a good swim this might be a fun networking event for you if you're in a creative or marketing field or need to meet some people who are. We'll leave Avila at about 6pm and hit Olde Port Beach probably around 6:45pm. If you're interested in doing the swim or possibly kayaking please let me know so we can come up with a plan in advance for transportation since this is a point to point swim.

Rob D.

rob@robaquatics.com

Sunday, August 7, 2011

AT 10:15 the sun was coming out, there was no wind and the water was 59. About 100M south and west of the end of the Avila Pier there was a big boil of seals proposing back and forth through a ball of fish. Curiously, there were no birds joining in on this buffet. There were several otters feeding on either side of the pier and a group of porpoises headed west from the kelp patch that is between the left buoy line and the rock off of Fossil Point. By the time we were thinking about a route all of the action has stopped but we still decided to stay along the buoy line. This also fit the generally low level of gumption in the group. Sylvia was soaking up the sun, sinking into her chair and didn't swim. She looked very happy. Getting in were Susan James, Niel, Duke, Chad, Kim, Dale and Gerry Gross. We started to the left, went to the last buoy and came back to the pier. At this point people started pealing off. Chad and I made it to the lend of the line at the creek and back to the pier.

Rick and Rhonda rode by and filled us in on their European vacation which included a spot at the last turn at the Tour de France time trial. Matt Farmer also visited for a while.

Rob and I will be back on Wednesday evening.

niel

Wednesday Evening, August 3. 2011

Rob, Ryan and I leaned against the railing above the beach from 5:20 until almost 6, watching the pelicans dive on a mass of bait fish about 200M east of end of the Avila Pier. While we watched and debated swimming conditions v.s. feeding conditions the wind was moving scrum of birds and fish closer to the pier and the shore. I could not see any seals in the mix but nobody was comfortable deciding how much less sharky that made the conditions. Other than that, the water was 63 and choppy, but not whitecapped. Without the birds and the fish it would have been a good evening for a swim. Well, nobody was feeling really pressed to swim and the birds and fish were now moving towards the creek, so we let this opportunity pass. This is the first time we have scrubbed a swim since last winter and that was due to questionable water quality, not critters, so the ocean has been very welcoming.

We'll be back Sunday to swim at 11.

niel

Sunday July 31, 2011

Avila Beach at 10:30 was gray, with solid overcast and calm with a glassy surface on the water. The water looked very clean and the waves were limited to an occasional 2+ footer. I measured a water temperature of 59 but later the swimmers consensus was that it was 57 -58. Sylvia and Yvonne went out early and swam the buoy line. There were out before the rest of us started and said that the water felt cold. I do not know if this was because of the overcast, because a lack of sunshine can really make a difference in how the water feels. The 11 o'clock group all swam the same route; the triangle counterclockwise. Swimming today were Niel, Rob, Duke, Chad, Liz, Ryan, Kimber, Amy, Margaret and Ed. By the time we were finishing the wind was showing up and starting to mess up the surface so our timing was just right. The sun came out as the wind rose so we had a warm and sunny beach to relax on after the swim.

We had several new swimmers today so please let me know if I got any names wrong.

Niel, Rob and Sylvia swam the 38th Santa Cruz Rough Water Swim on Saturday. This is a 1 mile no wetsuit swim around the Santa Cruz Pier. Sylvia tore up the field and finished first in her age group, 70 - 74 in 35.53! Rob finished in 24.05 minutes, 7th in the 30-34's and I put up a 28.11, 12th in the 60 -64's. Rob's GPS had his route at 1600M so the distance was right on. . The race organizers claimed a 58 degree water temperature, and it may have been close to that out at the end of the pier, but closer in to the shore it was more like 56.

niel

more Santa Cruz Rough Water Pictures here!

Wednesday Evening, July 27, 2011

When I got to the beach at 5 there were still a lot of people playing in the water which is always a good sign which held up when I got a water temperature of 63. There was a gusty SW breeze and a choppy surface but no whitecaps. I saw only one pelican, no other sea birds, no seals and about 3 dozen hopeful looking bi-pedal carnivores on the pier. No one was having any luck. Swimming this evening were Ryan, John, Rob and Niel. We decided to start on the right side of the pier and to go down to the last buoy at the creek. If the water was comfortable and the chop manageable we would swim over to the Poly Pier and come back to the Avila Pier. When we grouped up at the creek it was all smiles. The water felt very comfortable and the wind was going down so we heard over to the second set of cross bracing on the Poly Pier. Once there we decided not to swim out along the pier for a ways and to head directly to the end of the Avila Pier. This leg is about .4 mile and with the wind on our rear quarter it was a opportunity to settle into a nice rhythm. From the end of the Avila Pier we aimed for the middle buoy of the three on this side, staying well away from the fishing lines trailing off of the pier. We came back to the first buoy near the pier and in. We covered 2200M in a slow 47 minutes. The water was so comfortable that we found ourselves spending a lot of time at the waypoint,s just laying in the water visiting.

Rob and I are doing the Santa Cruz Roughwater Swim on Saturday. You are all welcome to join us. This is a nice 1 mile around-the-pier swim and an easy day trip from San Luis Obispo. Masters membership required. No wetsuits allowed. Beach entry is $35.

http://www.pacificmasters.org/comp/openwater_meetsheet/11cruzrough.pdf

niel

Sunday, July 24, 2011

The fog and overcast was clearing at 10:30 and it looked like a great day was shaping up at Avila Beach. I got a water temperature of 60 degrees. There was very little wind but a current from the SW was keeping all of the moored boats pointing in the same direction. The water looked pretty flat but that turned out to be deceiving. There were many fishermen on the pier but I did not see anyone pulling anything in. While I was on the pier I saw no sea birds or seals. We had 9 swimmers today and did 4 different swims. Sylvia Yvonne and Ed, who was visiting from the southland, started first and swam about a mile along the buoy line. The rest of us; Rob, Niel, Kamber, Chad, Dale and Duke, started a few minutes later. I am doing the Santa Cruz Roughwater Swim next Saturday so I was committed to going without my usual wetsuit today and doing a mile along the buoy line. I was the first to start swimming, not being interested in prolonging my acclimation, and the rest of the group followed me down the buoy line to the left. I doubled back along the buoy line, almost butting heads with Chad, while the rest of the group headed to the top of the Avila Pier. I swam under the pier and down to the creek and back completed my tour of the buoys in 25 minutes. I got out just ahead of Sylvia's group. When Rob's group reached the buoy at the creek Rob and Duke decided to double back along the way then had come while Dale, Chad and Kamber continues along the buoys back to the pier. That route was about 1.25 miles while Rob and Duke did somewhere between 1.5 and 1.75 miles. Everybody agreed that the water felt colder than 60, except for a warm spot near the mouth of the creek. Rob and I also agreed that while swimming there was more chop and small waves than was apparent by the look of the water.

The beach had warmed up nicely and promoted several post swim naps on the warm sand.

Everyone is welcome to join Rob and I on Wednesday evening when we get in the water at 5:30.

niel

Sunday, July 17. 2011

It was a beautiful swimming day at Avila Beach today. The water was 56 degrees and clear. There was no wind and the surface of the water was about as flat as the ocean gets. There were only a few people fishing from the pier and before the swim I saw no seabirds or seals in the water. We did two swims today. Dale, Amy, Sylvia and Yvonne swam a triangular route starting left down the buoy line, continuing to the end of the Avila Pier, down to the buoy at the creek and back to the pier. Niel, Rob, Duke, Pete and Chad swam out to the end of the Avila Pier and headed over to the Poly Pier on a route that was roughly parallel to the beach. Except for one cold spot this leg was some of the smoothest ocean swimming I have had at Avila. Our route put us at the third set of cross bracing out from the shore on the Poly Pier. We swam parallel to the pier (I swam between the pilings which was cool!) back towards the shore to the second set of cross bracing which is our usual waypoint when we swim over here. From there we continued to the buoy at the creek and along the buoy line to the Avila Pier, under the pier and in to the beach. Rob had 2300M, or 1.4 miles, on his GPS and we were in the water for 55 minutes. The temperature on the beach was just about perfect for napping. Matt Farmer came by and chatted for a while. By 1:30 the wind had still not come up, the swimming conditions still looked great but it was getting hot on the beach and we were down wind from a smoker so we all packed up and got on with our respective Sunday's

niel

**For anyone that might be interested there's a good Masters Swimming open water race coming up in Santa Cruz on the 30th. It's 1 mile around the wharf and a lot of fun, this will be my third year in a row swimming it! You can read more and get the entry information here: http://www.pacificmasters.org/comp/openwater_meetsheet/11cruzrough.pdf Keep in mind that if you aren't a member of USMS you will have to sign up in order to participate in the event! - Rob D.

Wednesday Evening, July13, 2011

It was another warm Wednesday, our fourth in a row when the water temperature was warmer on Wednesday evening than it was on the previous Sunday. This evening the water was an even 60 degrees. Not quite the 65 or 67 of previous Wednesday evenings but still warmer than the 58 we had on Sunday. There was a big change in the conditions this evening as there was a stiff wind blowing out of the SW. The chop was a short foot in height and white-capping all of the way inside of the buoy lines. The only predators in sight were about 3 dozen fishermen on the pier. They were regularly pulling in silver fish about a foot long, possibly smelt. (What do you say Al ?) There were no pelicans, other sea birds or seals to be seen. It was Ryan and I swimming this evening. Given the number of fishing lines that the wind was trailing out far to the east of the pier we decided to go out on the west (towards the port) side. I was thinking of doing a box shaped route; swimming the length of the Avila Pier and then going over to the mid-point of the Poly Pier, back towards shore along the Poly Pier to our usual meeting point at the second set of cross bracing and from there to the creek buoy, along the buoy line to the Avila Pier. When Ryan and I met up at the end of the Avila Pier we found ourselves bobbing around in some pretty rough conditions. The leg to the Poly Pier would be almost directly into the chop and if the wind freshened any amount my original route could become more of an adventure swim than we were looking for. So, we decided to head to Fossil Point and come back along the buoy line. The swim with a following wind and chop was fun, with a couple of chances to surf down the face of a small wave. The leg back to the pier was a good workout with steady water breaking over your head. I found that breathing on alternate sides worked best. I was swallowing the same amount of water no matter which side I breathed on and breathing every third stroke meant fewer opportunities to take on water. This swim was about 1.25 miles and we were in the water for 38 minutes.

niel

Sunday, July 10, 2011

We had a big group and nice conditions at Avila on Sunday. It was sunny and clam with very little wind. The water was 58 and still looking pretty good. There were no sea birds of any kind to be seen, one seal and about a dozen fishermen on the pier. It is common for the people fishing off of the pier to attach a balloon to their line as a float. Today a group were using blue exam gloves instead of balloons so there was a whole series of blue hands waiving from the surface of the water. We started with a good sized group and picked up a couple more on the way. Starting out were Pete, Dale, Sylvia, Niel, Duke, Chad, Kimber and Bobby (from the SLO Tri Club). Just as we were getting in Jorge, who was visiting the area from Vancouver (?), at least Canada, joined us. He swims in lakes and was anxious to get in the ocean. With new people along we did the triangle route clockwise, as that route does not extend out past the end of the pier and would allow a swimmer to pick a shorter route to shore if prudent. Having fun and staying safe is always our first priority. We headed out and swung wide to the left away from the fishing lines from the pier, grouped up at the first buoy and headed down the line the the end. While we were regrouping we met a member of the Cal Poly tri team who was out for a swim on his own. He joined us for the rest of the route. We swam to the end of the pier, on to the end of the right hand buoy line at the creek, back along the buoys to the pier and in to the beach. Post swim beach conditions were perfect for a nap and the pull of the warm sand was too strong for some. Me, I went to Trader Joe's, where I ran into Dale, (are we like salmon, swimming upstream or something?), went home, got started on the ironing and watched the Tour. What a complete train wreck of a day! Crashes in wet conditions are one thing, unfortunate but an accepted risk, but having two leaders taken out bu a TV car is unbelievable.

niel

Wednesday Evening July 6,, 2011

67! That was about all anyone needed to know about Avila Beach last night. It was high tide and some very warm water had been pushed into the bay. there was a steady breeze out of the SE that was holding up a small chop and a strong current going in the same direction. The water was clean looking and there were no pelicans, fishermen or other feeding species in evidence. Rob, Niel and Ryan were swimming. We decided to do a big triangle swim; we started down the buoy line to the left and went all of the way to Fossil Point, came back to the end of the Avila Pier and then to the end of the buoy line at the creek. We finished up by coming back along the buoy line and under the pier. The water temperature was very even with some spots that were even warmer. We tended to spend a lot of time at the turning points just hanging out and enjoying ourselves. This swim was 2,350m and we are in the water for 52 minutes. The makes three Wednesday evenings in a row where we had water temperatures in the 60's, and temps back in the mid 50's on the following Sunday. Don't ask me to explain it, but I'll sure be back next Wednesday eveining.

niel

Wednesday Evening, June 29, 2011

There is something going on with Wednesday evenings. Last Wednesday we have amazingly warm 63.5 degree water. Sunday the ocean was back to its seasonal 55.5. This evening it was back up to 60! It was sunny and warm, breezy, blowing from the west, but not as windy as it had been in San Luis Obispo or on the coast. The water had small wind waves and some small chop from the SW but there were no whitecaps. Niel, John and Rob were joined by Kim and Lynne, both of whom had been regulars but had not been swimming with us in a while. We decided to do a counterclockwise triangle, starting on the right side of the pier. The swimming was a little bumpy but not bad and the water felt comfortable. At the end of the second leg at the end of the pier, Kim wanted to head in so we all swam in parallel to the pier to the first buoy in the line, dropped her off and continued down the buoy line to the last bouy and doubled back to the first buoy. While we were at the last buoy I notices a raft of sea birds about 150m farther out. There were some pelicans diving with them and several gray dolphins swimming back and forth through the birds. Seeing dolphins is always a nice thing but we reflected on our being close by at snack time so we got in gear and hustled our way back towards the pier. There were no birds or dolphins to be seen when we were getting out. We swam about 2000m and with all of the visiting we did at the turning points we were in the water for 44 minutes.

niel

Sunday, June 26, 2011

It was sunny, calm and comfortably warm at Avila this morning. The water was almost as clear as last Wednesday and a more seasonable 55.5 degrees. Sylvia and Yvonne went out early and were still swimming when the 11:00 group started. Swimming at 11 were Niel, Rob, Duke, Jerry, Kamber (who was a regular with us last summer and is back), Berto (a tir buddy of Duke's and his first time with us), Dale, Amy (who is a local triathlete but new to us) and her brother Bill, who was visiting from LA and is is also a triathlete. The plan was to do 1+ laps of the triangle route which would allow people to do the distance of their choice. Avila put on a great show for us by having a pod of gray dolphins met us as we swam out to the buoy line. They came within about 10m of our group and swam back and forth along the buoy line as we were working our way down to the last buoy on the left of the pier. We continued to the top of the Avila Pier, on to the buoy at the creek and from there back to the pier. At this point everyone headed in except for Niel, Rob and Bill who decided to go a additional 1/2 lap. We swam back to the last buoy on the left of the pier, to the top of the Avila Pier and in along the west side of the pier to the beach. The main group did about 1-1/4 miles, while the long route was 2800m, about 1-3/4 miles. I had us in the water for 64 minutes, but we spent a lot of of time reforming the group at the turning points.

Rob and I are going to swim Wednesday evening at 5:30. Next Sunday, the 3rd, Rob will be in Monterrey and I will be in Eureka. I wont be back until the 6th but Rob will be back for the 4th. Somebody should organize a Fourth-of-July swim and pot luck.

niel

Wednesday Evening, June 22, 2011

When I arrived at Avila Wednesday evening I thought that maybe I was here on the wrong day. The town was packed with people like it is on Fridays for the farmers market. But school is now out and it has been hot in other parts of the state, so I guess the summer crowds have finally arrived. It was pleasant and sunny, but not hot and even with the mild temperature there were a lot of people in the water. All of those people just bobbing around in the waves started a nice train of thought that was confirmed when I pulled up the thermometer and saw 63.5! I did a double take, confirmed that I was not reading 10 degrees too high, and started making plans for a very nice long swim. The Port, Diablo and Santa Maria buoys were all reading in the upper 50's at this time so I have no idea why Avila was 5 degrees warmer than everywhere else, but I'm more than glad to enjoy the gift. The tide was coming in, there was a slight breeze out of the SE and only an occasional wave over 2'. Rob had been in that morning and said that the water had felt warmer than last Sunday, but not in the 60's. Rob, Ryan and I swam out to the buoy line on the left side of the pier, turned right and went under the pier and down to the last buoy at the creek. From there we went over to the second set of cross bracing on the Poly Pier, back to the end of the Avila Pier, to the second buoy on the left side of the pier and back along the buoy line to the pier and in. This was 2.3K and we were in the water for 50 minutes. The only place that the water felt cool/cold was in the white water at the shore. Everywhere else it felt great, from pleasantly cool to way warm. Some summers we have never seen a water temperature in the 60's so this was an unexpected treat. I expect that the water will be back to a more normal temperature on Sunday.

niel

Sunday, June 19, 2011

It was gray, overcast and cool with a thick deck of clouds at Avila this morning. There was no wind and the ocean surface was either glassy or slightly rippled. The water was 55.5 and clear. We has a lone otter working the surf line who must of been finding some small clams or crabs to eat. There was no surf to speak of, just one wave large enough to get Rob completely wet and get him motivated as we were wading in. Sylvia and Yvonne went out early and did a long turn around the pier. Niel, Chad and Rob went out at 11 and swam down to the point and back. Without any sun the water felt colder than expected going out but became comfortable quickly. We swam 1.3K M in about 23 minutes. The sun broke through as we were finishing and by the time we had settled in our chairs it was sunny and warm on the beach.

We now have three buoys on each side of the pier, plus the single one our at the reef on the east side, so we again have a boat free swimming area defined near the beach. I'm giving Rob credit for the return of the buoys. About a week ago he sent a letter and a video to the harbor master that he shot after our Wednesday evening swim. It shoes a guy on a jet ski jumping waves in front of the yacht club. Glad we were already out of the water!

niel

Wednesday Evening, June 15, 2011

I had a meeting Wednesday evening and Rob was feeling recovering from his 8.2 mile race on Saturday so neither of us made it to Avila this evening. Did anyone else swim?

niel

Sunday, June 12, 2011

It was beautiful at Avila Beach today with excellent swimming conditions. It was sunny and comfortably warm with only a light breeze that was too weak to put any chop on the water. The water was 56 with very small surf. Swimming today were Sylvia, Niel, Susan James, Pete, Rebecca and Jerry Gross. Susan is from Bakersfield and swims with us when she is over here. Rebecca is from Fresno and this was her first swim with us. They are both going to do the Alcatraz Shark Fest later this month. Sylvia and Jerry swam the buoy line. The rest of us headed out to the end of the pier, turned right and swam over to the second set of crossbars on the Poly Pier, came back towards the mouth of the creek to the the last of the now 3 (!) buoys in the line and along the buoy line, under the pier and in. This was about 1.3 miles and we were in the water for 44 minutes. The wind never picked up so I stayed until past 1 enjoying the beautiful weather.

niel

Wednesday Evening, June 8, 2011

Rob, Ryan and I swam Wednesday evening. There was a stiff wind out of the WSW that had pushed up a choppy sea that was whitecapping in to the surf line. The windwaves were about 1' and 6' to 8' apart. I measured a water temperature of 55, but it would feel colder. Not knowing just how changeling the water conditions would prove to be we decided to swim straight out to the end of the pier, do an assessment, turn to either the Poly Pier or the creek and then come back parallel to the beach to the pier. Since we were swimming out on the downwind side of the pilings I was surprised at how much I was getting slapped around, so I began expecting 'real' conditions when we came out from behind the pier. We grouped up at the end of the pier, confirmed for a family on the pier that the water was cold, and headed for the creek. This leg was perpendicular to the direction of the chop and was quite bumpy. It took me a while to find a stroke and breathing tempo that let me breath easily so I could get some power into my stroke. The leg back to the pier was downwind and kind'a fun. We covered 1.46K in 24 minutes. I was sore in my shoulders, back and legs the next morning for all of the bending the chop put me through.

Rob is doing an 8.12 mile open water race in the Great Salt Lake tomorrow. Wish him luck!

niel

Sunday, June 5, 2011

It rained .75"+ at our house in the last 12 hours and I figured that the chances of dirty creek water contaminating our swimming routes was high enough that neither Rob or I tried to swim today.

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

It was just me and Ryan in the water on Wednesday night. I didn't bring a thermometer but the nearest buoy was running 49 degrees that evening, getting in the water that didn't feel too far off. It was definitely not warm! Ryan and I opted for a shorter swim and just did half a triangle on the right hand side of the pier. Out at the phantom creek buoy we saw the outrigger boats getting ready to launch from the beach and a seal sneaked behind us surfacing just long enough to check us out. There was a healthy current running left to right but it didn't really give us much trouble until we swam back down the length of the pier. It got a little bumpy and a little harder to swim through at that angle. We spent about 24 minutes in the water and swam around 1200m.

Earlier in the week I mentioned a night swim this coming Saturday, it doesn't look like the weather is going to cooperate. I'm going call off this weekend and to try and reschedule it for later in the month. I'll make sure to announce it here so everybody knows when it's happening!

Rob D.

Monday, May 30. 2011

Rob and I got in a swim today. The conditions were much more favorable than yesterday. The wind was back to a normal summer pattern, with only a very light variable breeze at 10:30 and flat water. The water temperature was 50.5. Ouch! I wasn't sure if the lack of strong winds today would make the water feel any 'warmer' than yesterday's 51 but we had flat water and sunshine. We decided to do a modified triangle route. We started down at the creek and swam to the end of the Avila Pier, then to the last buoy on the east side of the pier and back along the buoy line to the pier and in. We were in the the water for 24 minutes and covered about 1400M. It was nice and warm on the beach afterwards with the breeze picking up between 12 and 1 PM.

We will be swimming again on Wednesday at 5:30.

niel

****

In other news... I'm working on putting together a night swim on Saturday June 4th for my birthday. The plan is to get in around 9pm and swim maybe a mile depending on who is there and the conditions. I have 2 confirmed out of towners (from orange county and santa cruz) and possibly a few more. If you want to come out and swim let me know via email at rob@robaquatics.com and I'll make sure to keep you up to date on whatever the latest news is! As a side note... I'm also looking for people willing to paddle in a kayak or on a surfboard to help corral swimmers and keep track of everybody.

thanks!

Rob D.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Our long swim did not happen today as planned. The wind was stiff enough that Chad decided that it was not prudent to take out their boat and I agreed. Today's winds were predicted to gust to 40mph, which didn't sound like a good day do our planned route which would have taken us 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile off shore. At 10:30 I went out on the pier to take the temperature. The water was already white capped half way inside the length of the pier and there were occasional sets of 3' - 4' waves. The water temperature was 51. I saw a couple of seals out by the buoy line, the first of this season. Niel, Chad and Damion were decided to get in and do a swim close to the beach. We got in down at the creek and swam down wind parallel to the shore, under the pier and along the beach on the east side of the pier to the end of the seawall. We turned back and swam to and under the pier again and to the first buoy on the west side. At that point we turned in. We were in the water for 23 minutes. I was still feeling OK but my hands and feet were numb and I just wanted to get dry. Thanks to Damion's father for volunteering to kayak today.

niel

Wednesday Evening, May 25, 2011

Swimming tonight were Rob, Niel, Ryan, John and Damion. John is from Palm Springs and swims with us when he is in town. Damion lives in Shell Beach and wants to resharpen his open water skills. The water temperature was 55 and it was blowing hard from the SW. The wind was pushing wind waves that were 1'+, about 10' apart and just starting to break. It looked like real open water swimming conditions! We decided to do the traditional triangle route counter-clockwise. We went in on the west side of the pier and grouped up at the buoy. The swim down to the creek was an adventure in different stroke and breathing variations, trying to find which combination worked best. At the creek everyone was up for more so we headed to the end of the Avila Pier. The direction of this leg was perpendicular to the wind and had us swimming parallel with the faces of the waves. The third leg to the last buoy on the east side of the pier was downwind, and the one where I swallowed the most water. Something about having the waves pick me up from behind made it hard to get in sync. The last leg back towards the pier was the easiest. We were headed into the wind but in the shadow of the pier. The chop is reduced by having to pass through the pilings so the water got flatter the closer we were to the pier. Rob measured 1600M and I had a total time in the water of 35 minutes.

Sunday, the 29th, we will swim long, to the Fossil Point rock or the end of the Poly Pier, 1.5 or 1.4 miles, if the wind lays down Saturday night as predicted and we have a support kayak. If the conditions are not favorable or we do not have support we will work out something appropriate closer to shore. The swim starts at 11 and there will be a pot luck lunch after the swim.

Monday, Memorial Day, I want to go longer and do a lap of the Martini Swim which is 2.4 miles. This is dependent on Rob returning form Long Beach on Sunday afternoon with his kayak. If we do not have a bot or it is too blown out, again, we'll figure out something. It is BYOlunch on Monday.

niel