Tuesday, November 30th, 2021

 The numbers: air temp 54°, water temp 55°, strong, gusty offshore winds, sunny and clear, nice water quality except over at the CP Pier where it was some kind of dirty. Duke and I swam together, just a nice distance to get the cobwebs blown out before work. At the start the water felt cold for 55° but was OK by the time we were at the CP Pier so 55° was about right. 

About that wind. The leg out along the CP Pier between crossbars two and three was a headbanger, plenty of chop and work required, which seemed odd considering the wind was off shore. At the third crossbars we found that the wind was now onshore. Duke said that this was going to be a nice break from swimming into the chop. By my third stroke I was thinking 'what was Duke smoking? This is worse!' But we had a good leg to the end of the pier and came in. 

I saw Tom as I was going in and he was heading out.   

Caught in the glare from the Avila Pier while I was taking the water temp. was the barge with the derrick that was pulling out the swim buoys.  The west side buoys were already gone and those on the east side had been pulled out by the time we finished.

We now have to find out routes along the beach by approximation.  

Duke and Niel at the second crossbars.

I'll be back at 8:30 ish on Thursday.

niel

Sunday, November 28th, 2021

 The Best Summer Day in November

We had a great group and perfect conditions today. It was clear and still with an air temp of 66° at 10:30 and 75° at 1PM. The water was 56° and glassy. Swimming were Jackie, who swims at paul Nelson aht this would be her first ocean swim, Niel, Duke, Leslie, Theresa, Ted from Santa Barbara, Jason from Paul Nelson and Roshana back for a second swim before returning to the bay area.     

Tom and Sue swam earlier, going out and around Avila Rock for the second time this weekend.    

Ted and Jackie making it out to the first buoy.

Theresa, Leslie and Duke at the first buoy

Duke and Jackie. 

She was really having fun and was deservedly proud of having reached the second buoy.

She went in and will be back Saturday morning.   

Theresa, Roshana, Duke's head, Leslie and Jason at the fourth buoy on the west side.

Afterwards it was so nice and comfortable on the beach Duke and I both took naps.  

Duke and I will be back at 8 on Tuesday, at 8:45 (or as soon as I can get there after my 7AM meeting) on Thursday, 8 on Saturday and 11 on Sunday.  

My friend Cynthia brought this article to my attention. It is about a man and his family who never liked swimming until they move to Australia and discover ocean swimming.  

https://nyti.ms/3FN67QI

 

niel

Saturday, November 27th, 2021

 

Saturday morning was clear and calm at Avila Beach, a beautiful fall morning. The air temp was 38° but the sun already felt nice. There was no wind but a group of swells from the SW to the SE made a messy but easily swimmable surface. There was an occasional 3+ foot wave. The water temperature was 55°but the low air temperature made it feel colder. 

It was a very busy swimming day at Avila. I saw two women, one possibly Paula, getting in as I was walking out along the pier and another two women who I did not recognise getting in as I walked back. Tom and Sue got in about 9 and swam out around the Avila Rock. At the same time there were two more swimmers en route to the end of the Cal Poly Pier. A lot of people besides me must have gone for that second piece of pie! 

Niel, Roshana, Stephanie, Jodi and Leslie getting in. 

We started down the buoy line and then swam to the end of the Avila Pier. From there we decided to go to the second crossbars on the Cal Poly Pier, to the last buoy in the line on the west side of the Avila Pier, return to the end of the pier and come in.   

Roshana, Stephanie and Jodi at the second crossbars.

Leslie at the same spot.

A decision is made to go to the last buoy on the west side of the Avila Pier.

Dukie and I will swim at 11 on Sunday.

Gear Report - Jodi has a new wetsuit from Synergy. It is a tri suit but I don't know which model. She is not happy with the lack of warmth and is going to look at the Orca Openwater RS1 Thermal.  

niel

Thursday, November 25th, 2021

 A Happy Thanksgiving Swim

At 7:30 Avila was bright and sunny and already getting crowded. Avila was starting to fill with tourists on Tuesday and it looked like it would be a happening place today. The air temp was 35° and would be 63° in 90 minutes. The water was 55°, clean and between the light offshore breeze and the various swells was generally bumpy with 1 foot surf. A white shark had been spotted over near the Cal Poly Pier early in the week but the warning signs were no longer up.

We decided to swim to the end of the pier, to the end of the CP pier, in to the second crossbars and then to do whatever felt right. 

Niel, Leslie and Jodi gettin in. 

Leslie, Jodi and Niel at the end of the Cal Poly Pier.

I'll be back at 8 on Saturday and at 11 on Sunday to work off that second piece of pie!

niel

Tuesday, November 23rd. 2011

 It Is Nice To Be Back

It was not too bad for November at Avila Beach this morning, looking very nice for the tourists that were already filling up the town. It was clear and cool, 41° at 8AM, calm, with flat, clear 56° water and knee high surf. The water swam one or two degrees colder than 56, especially on the west side of the Avila Pier. 

Duke nad I got in at 8:10 and swam a couple of triangles. Duke had a busy morning and got out a bit shorter than I did.

Duke and Niel at the end of the Avila Pier.

Tom on his way out while I was heading in.

I am going to swim at 8 on Thursday morning. Duke and Tom will be out of town. Anyone who wants to feel justified when you go for that second piece of pie is welcome to join me.

niel

Thursday, November 18th, 2021

There was no hole in the clouds over Avila this morning. It was a solid ceiling of grey with of visibility of 3/4 mile. At 9 AM the air temperature was 55° and the water 57°. The water was nice and clean and the surf was 2 to 3 foot. There were several different swells so the surface was a bit lumpy and pushy. There was no sign of Duke or his car. I saw Tom wading in ahead of me as I was getting changed. I saw Hillary coming in through the surf after I had gotten out so we went to the showers together. I think that she said that she had seen Tom over at the Cal Poly Pier.      

I had an urge for some distance and was hoping to do a first full lap of the Cal Poly Pier. I'd looked at swimming all of the way to the base of the pier several times but there had always been people fishing from the rocks. Today the conditions were good and there was no one there so I swam in and made my touch on the rocks before returning to the end of the pier.

 I seem to remember that there was a narrow beach at the base of these rocks but I could see no bottom this morning so I could swim right up to the rocks and hang there in the swell.

There is almost no kelp on this side of the pier compared to the other side which is pretty solid with weed, so with a mild swell access is easy.          

Back at the end of the CP Pier.

A blurry shot of Hillary getting out with her Avila Dolphins party boat which includes her GoPro camera, the Tube Ducky water thermometer and both a shark and wahine hula dancers.

I'm going to be MIA again this weekend but I'll be back on Tuesday at 8AM.

niel 

Tuesday, November 16th, 2021

A Wonderful Welcome Back Day

I've been out of town and had not been in the water in a week and Avila put up a very nice day for my first swim. We had the Avila Hole which is more typical of summer, where there is a fogbank all around the horizon with Avila Beach in a sunny hole. There were high clouds and a very light breeze. The air temperature at 8AM was 55° and the water was 57°.  Duke had a 8 AM phone call and would arrive late so I swam on my own. 

Looking down the buoy line towards a fogged in Shell Beach 

I did a loop around the buoy lines and the Cal Poly Pier.

At the end of the CP Pier

I almost ran into Tom as I was swimming in and he was heading out.

Duke's car was next to mine and I saw him out near the end of the Avila Pier. 

I'll be back Thursday at about 8:30 for some more of this.

niel

 

Thursday, November 11th, 2021

Tom was the only swimmer today. He texted it was clear and sunny, the water was about 55 degrees and clear and a bit breezy.

niel

Tuesday, November 9th, 2021

 

It was either light rain, heavy mist or just totally dripping this morning. It wasn't really rainiing but everything was wet and getting wetter. The air temperature was 54° and the water was 56°. The surf was 2+ foot and there was a triple SE swell that made for variable swimming conditions.  I was on my own this morning.  Duke likes to put on his wetsuit at home before the short drive down the hill to Avila, but this morning the zipper gought caught in the couch and he couldn't get untangled in time to jump in with me.  I swam a couple of triangles with four lengths of the pier thrown in. 

The water was nice and clean but I was colder than I should have been, which was either a mental thing or having had just a salad with no protein and just some oil and vinegar for dinner last night.

My next swim will be next Tuesday so Duke is in charge until then.

niel

Sunday, November 7th, 2021

Sunday morning at 10:30 was bright and sunny, 67° with a steady offshore wind. The water was nice and clean and 57°. There was a 6.4' high tide at 10:44, so high that the buoy on the reef was under water, the beach was small and the swim out to the buoy line was extra long. The lifeguard towers have been pulled up to their winter locations and the swim buoys may be pulled out at any time. 

I got a photo of Tom walking back to his car after his swim. 

He must have gotten in at about 9:30. 

There were sets of nice swells that the tide was helping and the wind was holding up

making some of the most rideable waves you'll see at Avila Beach.

Maria and Heidi had swum before and were warming back up when I got there. Leslie, Niel and David would swim the triangles. Leslie had forgotten her wetsuit so she went bareback.

Tough girl! She did 1,700M and went in at the turnaround point. David and I doubled back on our route for a two mile swim. We both thought that it felt colder than the measured temp.

Unfortunately I had left the belt that I wear to hang my camera on at home and couldn't bring the camera along in the water so I couldn't get a photo of Leslie out there gloriously with no wetsuit.     

 I'll swim Tuesday morning at 8.

niel

Saturday, November 6th, 2021

 

Sorry, your pool can't compare to my ocean. What a great place to swim.

Avila Beach was 47° at 7:30 heading up to a noon temperature of 70°, in November.

The water temperature was 56° and felt colder at the end of the Cal Poly Pier.

The water was nice and clean with surface conditions what were messy but great for swimming. From the Avila Pier I saw three different swells. One from the west (? bouncing off of Fossil Point? I have no idea how this was happening), the second from the SE and a third from the SW. The SW swell was the largest but none of these were big. The ocean did not look chalgening from the beach but once in the water there was a lot of movement to deal with.   

At 8 it was Leslie and I. We decided to do a loop that would have options to drop off if we got cold or whimpy. 

Leslie and Niel at the end of the Cal Poly Pier

Stephanie had gotten in after us. We met up as we were getting out.

And Tom getting in.

I'll swim tomorrow at 11. Duke will be out of town. Leslie is planning on being there.

niel

Thursday, November 4th, 2021

 Another day when the beach was all Tom's. He says the swell was up and the tide high. The water was about 57° with excellent swimming.

I will be there at 8 on Saturday.

niel  

Tuesday, November 2nd, 2021

I was beached due to a stomach bug and Duke chose to ride so Tom was the only swimmer this morning. He texted that the surf was up but not as big as last week and that conditions were beautiful. 

niel