Wednesday, March 28, 2012

This was the first Wednesday evening swim of 2012 with John, Rob and Niel getting the water. The water temperature was a more typical 54.5, sort of, but more on that later. There was no wind and the water was clean but there was a strong current running parallel to the shore from west to east. There were sets with 5 to 6 foot faces separated by smaller waves so getting out was going to take some timing. With the recent rain and concerns about water quality none of us had been in the water in a while. Rob was feeling a bit out of practice at getting acclimated to the cold and was not sure how long it would take him to get his chill going or how long he wanted to stay in, so we planned a shortish swim and he started wading in while John and I were still getting suited up. John and I waded in and waited for a break in the surf. The large surf hurried up Rob's getting wet and we all arrived at the buoy line at the same time. It was low tide and with the surge from the surf this was not a day to swim under the pier so we were going to stay on the east side of the pier. We swan directly out to the end of the pier and then towards the last buoy on the east side. As I was swimming out I was thinking how much more comfortable 54.5 degrees was than the 50 to 52 we had been swimming in since December. It was cold but my face and feet didn't feel frozen and I didn't have an ice cream headache. Then about 100M before the end of the pier the water temperature took a 2 to 3 degree drop. When we grouped up at the end of the pier a 'wow' was about all anybody said before we got moving. The big swell meant that we had to use a landmark on the cliff to keep our line to the buoy. The swim back along the line to the pier required some extra work to push into the current. Getting in to the beach was also a matter of timing. We had moved inside of the buoy line to wait out the large sets with John about 40M farther in then Rob and I. I thought that the sets were laying down when two jumbo sized waves rolled in. Rob and I swam out to get out of the break zone while John had to go under and hug the bottom. That turned out to be the thrill of the evening. We had an easy swim in in the lull that followed. After all of the flat water we have had since December this was the most real ocean swimming experience for us in months.
This was a short swim but with the conditions we were in the water for 29 minutes.


There might be some rain of Saturday so watch Rob's blog or the Central Coast Open Water Google Group for a final decision on Sunday's swim.


Rob has Friday's off for a while so if anyone wants to get in a TGIF swim he's your buddy.


niel

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Too much rain last night = poor water quality so no swimming today.  Rob and I are planning on swimming on Wednesday at 5:30.  There is a 20% change of rain predicted.   Watch the blog for updates.


niel  

Sunday, March 18, 2012

There was no swim today.  Rob and I felt certain that the runoff from the weekends rain would have degraded the water quality at Avila so we stayed out.  We did take a field trip to the 'new' beach near the Dinosaur Park that Rob has been scouting as a possible swim spot.  There are rocks on both the right and left ends of this small beach so today, with its minus tide, was a good time to plan a route in and out from the beach.  Once out we could swim parallel to the coast to either the north or south and double back, for a total of one or two miles. The surf was a mess but a clear channel was visible.  This beach is open directly to the dominant swell and wind so it will be a good spot only on a calm day.  If it checks out we will be able to have a bit of an adventure swim in our own backyard. 
Neither Rob and I are able to make this Wednesday's swim, but plan on being at Avila next Sunday.


niel

Sunday, March 11, 2012

We finally had some different weather but it ended up with nobody swimming today.  It was gray overhead and cool and damp on the sand, with even some occasional spitting mist coming down. The water was still flat, clean and almost surfless.  The water and the air were both 49 degrees.  Rob and I were the only ones to show and he is still trying to rid himself of a very determined virus that has applied for resident status in his body.  With only myself to get in the water with the gray and the cold I didn't make it.  Rob and I visited for an hour and moved on to other Sunday activities.
Rob has scouted a beach south of the Dinosaur Caves Park that looks like a possible spot for a swim.  We will scout it out and maybe schedule a swim there.
With the change of time Wednesday evening swims are now possible.  It will be wet, cold and gray the week but with the new weather pattern we may see a rise in the water temperature!  Watch Rob's blog and this post for when we begin the Wednesday evening swims.


niel    

Sunday, March 4, 2012

There were a lot of people on the beach today but only a few swimmers.  It was warm, almost hot and calm with no surf but the water was again 50 degrees.  There were several large dolphins swimming along the buoy line on the east side of the pier and two pelicans diving for snacks. Sylvia decided to sit on the beach with the Sunday paper so Ed and I were the only other ones there to get in the water.  We swam to the last buoy on the left, came back and crossed under the pier and went two buoys on the right side before turning back to the pier.  While we were out there a breeze from the East picked up enough to set up a small chop.  There were some colder spots that made sure that I never got adjusted to the temperature.  Afterwards we warmed up against the wall.


niel