Sunday, January 26, 2020

Everyone swam the same route today; out to the end of the Avila Pier, over to the second cross bracing on the Cal Poly Pier and back to the beginning.

The water was warmer that last Sunday today, I measured 55 degrees off of the Avila Pier but it swam colder. The general opinion was about 53 - 54, with some colder spots. The water was very clean and there were 3' waves with an occasional 4+. There was no wind and a flat sea.

The first group was Tom, Teresa and Niel. The second group was John, Jonny, Amy, Maria and Heidi.  Everyone swam 1.3 miles. 

It was clearing in Avila at 10:30 on its was to 

a partly cloudy but comfortable afternoon. 

On the beach; Maria, Heidi, John, Amy, Jonny and Teresa. 

Tom was already wading in. 

Niel at the end of the Avila Pier

Aquaman Tom

Teresa at the Cal Poly Pier

Tom at the Cal Poly Pier, pointing the way home. 

Niel and Teresa at the Cal Poly Pier. 

It was Niel's birthday on Monday. Kris made him a chocolate bundt cake and

Heidi had brought hot chocolate with espresso! 

Everyone enjoyed a great post swim smack.

niel

Sunday, January 19, 2020

 Conditions Even More Wintery Than Last Week

At 10:30 Avila was overcast with beautiful clouds and with what looked like a volcano erupting over Guadalupe. This photo is looking SE so the sun is to the right of the camera. Strange.

Heid got this picture looking south towards the Guadalupe Dunes at about the same time. 

As for those wintery conditions- the air temperature was about 50 degrees and calm. I measured a water temperature from the pier of 51.5. In the water Heidi's thermometer watch measured between 51 and 48 degrees. Swimming today were NIel. Heidi 1, Phil, Tom, Stephanie and her friend Heidi 2 from Santa Barbara, Tim, Dave, Teresa, John and Jonny.

Tom, Phil, Tim, Dave, Teresa, Niel and Heidi swam to the end of the pier, to the mouth of SLO Creek and back to the end of the pier. Tom, Niel and Heidi went in. We swam a mile. Tim, Dave, Phil and Teresa went to the reef buoy, back parallel to the shore and in for 1.3 miles. John and JOnny went to the end of the pier, 1/3 of the way to the creek, back to the end of the pier and in.

Niel's route

Tom, Tim and Dave starting to loose the feeling in their toes.

Tim, Phil, Tom, Dave and Teresa at the end of the Avial Pier for the first time. 

Jonny arriving at the end of the Avila Pier for the first time.

Tom has gone in. Phil, Tim, Dave and Teresa are lining up on the reef buoy.

John at the end of the Avila Pier.

Jonny at the same spot.

It doesn't usually get much colder than today's condition at Avila, but our lowest temperatures occur in the spring when we have constant offshore winds, so I have no idea what the rest of the winter months will be like.

niel 

Sunday, January 12, 2020

 Winter Swimming Conditions On the Central Coast 

The air temperature was 56 degrees, the water 52 - 53 and looked nice and clean. It was sunny with a strong offshore breeze that was making a current and small wind chop towards the ocean. The waves were 3 to 4 ft. plus with some lulls between the larger sets that would make getting out easily a matter of timing.

We had a nice group today with some faces we have not seen in a while; Duke was back from knee surgery at Thanksgiving, Hillary dropped in after a year away and Teresa was back after a bit of a break. The rest of the group was Niel, Heidi, Jonny, Tom and David. We decided to plan a shortish swim with the option for people to go longer if they had not gotten cold yet. 

We decided to include the reef buoy in today's route since there was a king high tide at 10 AM and there would not be much kelp on the surface around the buoy.  We swam out to the end of the pier, over to the reef buoy, back to the pier on a roughly parallel line with the beach and in.  

 At today's water temperatures I wear a 3mm surf suit, a neoprene cap and large goggles and getting out to the end of the pier is a matter of waiting for my face to numb up enough so I don't feel the cold. The big goggles keep me from getting a ice cream headache but anything exposed skin is screaming for the first few minutes.

Teresa, David, Tom, giving directions to the reef buoy, Duke, Hillary, Jonny and Heidi at the end of the Avila Pier.

Jonny wanted a picture of everyone seeing how high they could get out of the water. 

 Some of these people played water polo. 

Me at the reef buoy.

Hillary, Duke, Teresa and David trying to look casual at the reef buoy.

Looking west towards the port from the reef buoy;

Jonny, David, Teresa, Hillary, Duke and Heidi.

The predictions are for a bit of rain mid week but conditions on Sunday should be like today.

niel

Sunday, January 5, 2020

For the first swim of the new year the air temperature was in the high 50's, clear and sunny  with a steady offshore breeze. I measured a water temperature of 54 degrees off of the Avila Pier. The surf was mostly 2 to 3 foot with an occasional set of 5 feet. 

Group 1 was Tom, Tim and Niel who did a counterclockwise triangle for a mile swim. The water was the same temperature as last week but felt better because it was sunny. I took me the swim out, under the pier and most of the way to the creek to get evened out with the temperature and things to get numb enough that I didn't feel cold. 

Tom and Tim getting in.

Group 2 was Laurin, Johny, Amy and John. They swam out to the reef buoy, to the end of the Avila Pier, past the big white mooring buoy that is 100 M west of the pier and in to the beach for about 8 tenths of a mile.

There is currently the possibility of showers late next week but the chance of swimming next Sunday look good. 

niel