Sunday, February 26, 2017

Hey, we got to swim today. The weather cleared, the creek is still dirty but our getting in time was just after high tide so all of the poo from the creek would be heading straight out to sea away from the beach, so , we planned a swim on the side of the pier opposite the creek. At high tide I can get an Avila Beach water temperature from the pier, so we knew that the water was 52 degrees. Access to the pier is limited to a short distance from shore because the pier has structural deficiencies that make it unsafe. Unfortunately, the  Port San Luis Harbor Commission which has responsibility for the pier has no plans to have it repaired.

Swimming today were Heidi, Amy, Niel, John and Johnny. Mark Olson joined us on his inflatable SIP.

Amy, Heidi and John wading in.In the background you can see on person on the pier and a light pole.
The barricade is between them. 

Mark ready to pick us up.

Heidi in the foreground then Mark and Johnny.
That is not a surf perch but my toes in the bottom of the picture.

Amy, John, Johnny and Mark. There wasn't much wind or chop but the swell
was rolling under us a long way off shore. 

John at the end of the pier.

 

Johnny, John, Niel, Amy and Heidi

Heidi has been following this swimmers blog about traditional open water swimming and thinks it is well worth reading. Also his photos are very nice.

https://loneswimmer.com/

by Donal Buckley

niel

Sunday, February 19, 2017

There was no swimming at Avila Beach today.

The water quality was iffy and swimming was questionable, and then there was a sewage spill in San Luis Obispo that put thousands of gallons of raw sewage into San Luis Obispo Creek, so, definitly no swimming today.    :-(

niel

Sunday, February 5, 2017

This Sunday was a big change from last weekend, no more warm sun and crowds on the beach. It was overcast, about 50 degrees and felt very wintery. A new storm was coming in so we had a onshore wind, a swell out of the SE and some one foot chop. The waves were 2 - 3'+. The creek had dirtied up this past week so we stayed on the left side of the pier away from the creek mouth.  The water temperature was 52 degrees, but somehow felt better than last week, perhaps because today the air and water temperature were the same. 

Niel, Amy, Heidi, John and Johnny swam a triangle on the left side of the pier. Out along the pier I could really feel the push of the swell towards the beach. The second leg was across the chop, which was messy but fun and the last leg back to the pier we had a nice push from the swell.

Getting in.

John, Heidi and Johnny at the end of the pier. 

Amy, Heidi, John and Johnny (floating on his back) 

niel