Thursday, October 31st. 2024

 Tom's Swim Report from Wednesday - 

Beautiful conditions at Avila this morning. 51° air temperature when I arrived at 915am. There appeared to be swells coming in from two different directions creating a rocking and rolling ocean swim. my toes tell me the water temperature was 52°. Water quality was excellent as was the swimming. 

The object on the right is not Nesse but a person on a paddle board. 

Niel's Swim Report for Thursday - 

Sunrise at the 4th buoy looking towards Fossil Point 

I got in the water at 7:15 this morning. The air temperature in Avila was 40°. It was calm with high thin clouds. The surf was still 2 to 3 foot with an 4' sneakers. There were 2 or 3 small swells which gave the water some character but the swells were not large enough to mess with my swimming. My thermometer broke a few swims ago so I am relying on the Tom's Toes method of determining the water temperature until the replacement thermometer arrives. I think the water temp this morning was 52°. I wore my newest booties today so how my feet felt weren't part of my estimate. I had a touch of a brain freeze at the start and how cold my arms felt late in the swim put my guess at 52°. The new booties are great, my feet were comfortable for the whole hour and a half. They are Patagonia R3 Split Toe surf booties. The soles have been the weak spot in all of my previous booties, none have stood up to the abrasion from the rocks and debris on the bottom while I am standing in the break zone waiting for a chance to get out. These are warm and look like they will last. 

I did a new/different route; down the east buoy line and over to kelp bed at Fossil Point, the the end of the Avila Pier, to the second crossbars on the Poly Pier, in to the first crossbars and along the shore and the buoys to where I began for 3,461M in 1:27. The new booties cause me feet to float on the surface but I don't have much of a kick so it's not a problem for me.

Last Sunday was the last day for the lifeguards which means that the buoys will be pulled out sometime soon. 

I'll swim at 7:15 on Saturday and hope to be there on Sunday at 11. We are going to Solvang Saturday to hear a favorite singer/songwriter so I'll get to bed late, and then deal the time change, so I might not make it. 

niel   

   

          

Tuesday, October 29th, 2024

 🌟 🌬 44°  🏊😱❆  51°-52°

Got it?

Yesterdays offshore wind continued into this morning and had pushed the water temperature into the basement. The water was nice and clean but I had not been expecting a long face freeze getting in. 

There was one other swimmer out there, a guy with a wetsuit and yellow cap. We passed each other along the buoy line going in opposite directions. He didn't breath on my side so he did not see me and stop. He was still swimming when I was at the showers. 

I'll be back Thursday, Saturday and probably Sunday and I'm bringing my booties. 

niel       

Monday, October 28, 2024

Tom's Swim Report -

Another gorgeous October day at Avila. It was 57° when I arrived at 915 AM. The water was really moving today – between a decent size swell, the tide coming in, and the current pushing and pulling, It was a day of motion!  The water temperature fell about 54° to me.  Beautiful swimming.

Sunday, October 27th, 2024

 I'm Back In the Water -

After six days in Tennessee I was back in the water at Avila Beach.

David and I swam today at 11. The conditions looked great. It was 69°, the water would turn out to be about 55°, it was overcast with high clouds and calm with no wind and a glassy ocean. The surf was 2 foot except for a very occasional 3+ footer. 

We swam over to the second crossbars on the Poly Pier, to the end of the pier, to the end of the Avila Pier to avoid a powerboat, then to the reef and back along the buoy line.   

Niel and David at the end of the Poly Pier

I'll be back to my usual schedule this week: Tue, Thurs, Sat at 7 and Sunday at 11. 

This was my first time in eastern Tennessee. It is all trees and water, The Main and Little Tennessee Rivers and their lakes are everywhere. I saw just a few fishing skiffs and nobody in the water at any of the great looking places to swim. I'll need to ask my friend in Greenback if anyone does open water swimming.

niel     

Tom's Swim Report from 241024

Gorgeous October conditions at Avila this morning. Sunny and clear blue skies. Air temperature was 53° and the water was glassy with a small 3 foot swell.  The water felt about 55° water clarity was good and the swimming was excellent.  

Saturday, October 19th, 2024

Frost On The Pumpkin - 

Jodi, Paula and Niel at the second crossbars on the Poly Pier. That's a bit of something on the camera's lens, but it is not ice.  

At 7 this morning the air temperature in Avila Beach was 43°.  It was sunny and clear with a offshore breeze. I'd measure a water temperature of 52.8°. All of my exposed parts and some that weren't agreed with my thermometer. This was going to be our first swim at this temperature since June 6th, when I last recorded a 53° water temperature. On that day 53° was a nice increase from the 50° and 52° for the previous two swims.       

There was an offshore swell so the water had some character. The water was very clear and clean, so today was some kind of trade from the fog with warmer and plankton loaded water of a week ago.

Today's route was Jodi's choice and it was a nice swim, starting off with the 1000M leg from the beach to the end of the Poly Pier then to the Second Crossbars and the end of the Avila Pier before coming in. 

I'll be traveling Sunday through Friday. I may swim Saturday and will swim Sunday.

niel 

Friday, October 18th, 2024

 Tom's Happy Toes - 

Clear blue skies, a cool breeze, and beautiful swimming.  Gorgeous morning at Avila. Air temperature was about 63, the water had a wind bump with a bit of a swell and the water clarity was perfect. The water was about 55°. Excellent morning vitamin. 

Thursday, October 17th, 2024

 

It was cool, 54°, at Avila this morning with low clouds and fog but decent visibility for summing. The surf was up a bit with 2 to 3 foot waves with a rare 3+ footer. There was a swell out of the west that was most noticeable the further east I was. The water was 56° and CLEAN everywhere.  

The end of the Avila Pier was easily visible so a couple of triangles would work and let me see what the water quality was like everywhere. There was a 1+ degree increase in the water temperature from the east to the west side of the pier.   

I enjoyed a nice swim, the clean water was a treat, and I'll be back Saturday at 7.

niel

Wednesday, October 16th, 2024

Tom's Wednesday Swim Report

Big high tide, clean water, and the ocean was rocking and rolling.  It was 59° when I arrived at Avila at 9 AM. Heavy marine layer and some fog up hovering over the bluffs.  There was a pretty big wave, and it seemed like a secondary swell coming in from a different direction to give the Ocean a good rock 'n' roll.  The water felt about 58° and it was a lovely morning swim.

Tuesday, October, 15th, 2024

Tom's Monday Fog Report

A little bit of fog, lot of pelicans, and a Swim sans funk.  There was a swell kicking up, and the water temperature felt about 59°.   I stayed on the east side where the water was clear and nice.  It was so nice swimming with funk free.  Hopefully it will stay gone. 

I did not swim today.

I will be swimming on Thursday.

niel

13th October, 2024

 

The Fog Monster That Ate Avila Beach - 

The lovely sunshine on Saturday morning was just a memory today. Today Avila had dense fog until it cleared at 1 and became a pleasant day. 

I started out today by meeting Duke at 9 for coffee and some catching up. He is looking good and moving much better than then a few month sago. It was a great visit with plenty of talk that tended towards injuries and recovery's.  

I got my stuff down to the beach at 10:15, spoke with Tom Lorish about his swim (stuck to the left buoy line, the right side was too dirty), and got in at 11. The surf has been coming up all week and today the largest sets were crowding 5'. The waves were closing out so the few kids with boogie boards were just trying to catch some foam to ride into the beach. 

I waited out the big sets and only had to duck dive one wave to get out. Tom Israel caught up to me at the first buoy. The water was kind'a dirty and 59°. We swam to the 4th buoy and back to #1 and decided to take a look at the end of the Avila pier to see if the other side of the pier was OK. The water conditions at the end of the pier were awful so we took a bearing on the fog and swam back to the 4th buoy.       

    

Tom at the end of the Avila Pier. 

Critics everywhere, all with something to squawk about my swimming.

Tom arrived at #4 100M ahead of me. The fog parted enough to show us the harbor patrol boat to our right, just starting a pass along the buoys, splitting the space between Tom and I. They made sure that there were just two of us and turned seaward to give us plenty of room. 

That had been enough so Tom and I went in when we got back to the first buoy.  

Fog or not, I'll swim Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 7 this coming week. 

niel

 

Saturday, October 12th, 2024

 Sunrise In Avila Beach -

 

6:40 AM

I haven't seen a sunrise in Avila Beach in a while.  Jodi and I got in to swim at 7. It was 48° and calm. The water was 59°, almost flat and the surf had some occasional 3 footers.. Tom had reported red tide everywhere during his last swim so we planned our route and hoped for decent water quality. 

Jodi had a new rash guard like top she was trying over her wetsuit for increased visibility.

The colors must have been attractive because while we were walking in we had a harbor seal cruse the break about 10' from us. . 

Looking for clean water we swam the buoy line, over to the second crossbars, to the reef buoy and to the end of the Avila Pier where we could finally see our feet. The muck was thickest between the buoy line and the second crossbars but objectionable everywhere else. From the end of the Poly Pier is was pushy and bumpy until we were past the end of the Avila Pier. 

Jodi and a heron at the second crossbars.

I'll swim at 11 tomorrow.

niel

Wednesday and Thursday, October 9th and 10th, 2024

Tom's Toes for Wednesday -

Glassy, calm, and funky.  The search for clean water.  I went east and there was funk.  I went west and there was funk.  Out to the end of the Avila pier, funk.  Over to the CPP, more funk. I couldn't get away from it.  Not good. Hopefully it will pass by the time I'm back on Friday.  BTW, heavy marine layer, air temperature was 59, water was 59. 

Niel's Not A Swim Report - 

I got a slow start to a packed day and skipped swimming. The compensation was that we went to the PAC yesterday evening to see 'Alice', a dance production by MOMIX. It was fabulous but got home way past my usual bedtime.   

https://www.momix.com/portfolio-view/alice/

I will swim Saturday at 7 and Sunday at 11.

Rumors of less fog this weekend............ 

niel

Tuesday, October 8th, 2024

 

Swimming conditions this morning were 53°, FOG, calm, 58° red brown water except for where the water was 57°- and nice and clean.  There were sets of 3'+ surf. I could see between 1 and 3 buoys down the line.    

I swam three peaks (the buoy line with three laps out and around the pier), and had a good swim. 

We have not had more than 2' surf all summer and I've gotten lazy getting in and out. Coming in to the beach this morning I was not watching the waves, stood up and promptly was knocked head over heels by a 3+ footer, so I need to start working on my winter conditions skills. 

I'll be back Thursday for more fog and may have clear conditions this weekend. 

niel  

Monday, October 7th, 2024

Tom's Toes Report

Sunny, sunny, sunny, right up until I turned onto San Miguel heading for Front Street in Avila. Then it was fog.  The water surface was bumpy and there was some murky red funk present. The temperature getting in felt like 57° but I attribute 2° to the fog so it was actually 59°.  Interesting swimming. 

Sunday, October 6th, 2024

 Tom's Sunday Swim Report -

This is what it looked like at 91 5 AM… 

I spoke with Tom between his swim and ours. He had swum the buoy line on both sides and around the pier to make his distance.

Niel's Sunday Swim Report - 

David, Jim and I got in a bit after 1. The air temp was 65° and the water was 59°- 60°. The fog had been opening up and then closing down so we planned on swimming "Tom's Peaks"; the buoy line on both sides connected by going around the Avila Pier.  This would keep a landmark in sight in the event the fog closed in.   

While we swam the fog kept opening up and closing back down. We stuck to the planned route until we arrived a buoy #4 at the west end of the line. We could see the Avila and Poly Pier's clearly so we decided to swim to the #1 crossbars on the Poly Pier, to the 2nd crossbars and back to the end of the Avila Pier.  There were a few hiccups along the way.   On the leg between buoy #4 and the first crossbars the water was really dirty, a dark red brown. Yuck!  The wind was up so it was choppy on the west side of the Avila Pier and more so on the west side of the Poly Pier. The water cleaned up as we swam further offshore. When we made the turn to the Avila Pier at the second crossbars it was sunny and clear but Avila Pier was lost in a fog bank. We took a bearing on the sun and the chop and headed east. Half way across we lost sight of both piers but, not to worry, when the pier became visible we were headed for a point about 100M in from the end of the pier.  We made an adjustment, rounded the end of the pier and came in.             

Niel with Jim and David in the background

I'll swim at 7 on Tue., Thurs., and Saturday and at 11 on Sunday. 

niel

Saturday, October 5th, 2024

Almost Swimming By Touch 

At 7 AM Avila was 59° with thick, variable fog. The water was 59° and appeared clean in the low light. The clouds in the east would become very bright but the sun did not break through.  At its thickest we would still be able to see the next buoy in the line so a swim along the buoys and around the pier would allow us to keep oriented and not find ourselves getting out of the water in Pismo Beach. 

      

Niel with Jodi, Paula and Tom

We had a nice swim with smooth and flat water with no swell. 

I'll swim tomorrow at 11 and hope to see some sun.

niel 

Friday, October 4th, 2025

Tom's Toes Are Happy

Pelican Central and balmy water.  it was blue skies, scattered clouds, and 68° at Avila when I arrived at 9:45 AM.  There were pelicans lined out facing east and west on the Avila pier.  The water had a mixed up swell going and quite bumpy.  The water temperature felt 60° to me, which I believe is the first time I have said that in about a year.  And I haven't gained the weight back so it might've been even warmer.  It was a good morning Swim. 

Thursday, October 3rd, 2024

 

Swimming conditions were wonderful this morning. At 7 the air temp was 56° and it was 65° when I got out. It was calm and very clear. There was a slight offshore breeze. The surf was small, the water was clean and the water was glassy. There was a bit of a swell out at the end of the Poly Pier.  The water temperature along the buoy line was 59°.  

I looped over to the P. Pier, swam in to the #1 crossbars and finished swimming parallel to the beach.   

Tom L. swam later in the morning and enjoyed the same conditions. 

CalFire was there for their qualification swims around the Avila Pier. 

I'll swim Saturday morning at 7, fog or sun, and Sunday at 11.

niel

Monday and Tuesday, September 30th and October 1st, 2024

Tom's Toes for Monday

Fog, fog, fog. It was 60° air temperature, and foggy. The water was glassy with about a 3 foot swell. My toes tell me the water was 57°, so that means it was 58 or 59 since my calibration seems to be off. There was still a little bit of red funk but most of the swim was in nice clear water. Good swimming. 

Niel's Swim Report for Tuesday

I showed up but didn't swim. I'd out thought myself, expecting sunny, warm conditions with an offshore breeze, thinking about a nice relaxing swim to the rock or the Poly Pier. Instead the fog was so thick it would be a braille swim between the buoys or no swim. I just couldn't like what was on offer so I came home. 

I'll be back Thursday ready to swim whatever the ocean has to offer. 

niel