Tuesday, September 30th, 2025

The Tuesday Morning Swim Report - 

There were scattered high clouds and sunshine this morning in Avila Beach.  It was 54° and the surf was up with consistant 4+ foot waves. The buoys were rising an falling on the swells and it would take some timing to get out between the big ones. I would feel the swell passing under me for my entire swim.

It is undeniable, the ocean has begun sliding towards winter conditions.    

The sunrise over Fossil Point from the end of the Avila Pier 

After a very comfortable swim on Sunday in the 61° water this morning the water felt like it was more like 58°, but I  measured a temperature of 60°, so I'm thinking the felt temperature was due to minus one degree for the lack of strong sunshine and minus another degree for an air temperature that was 20° lower than it was at 11 o'clock on Sunday. 

I'll accept the 'colder' water temp for this morning's sunrise. 

There should be more nice sunrises for the 7 o'clock swims on Thursday and Saturday.

niel 

Monday, September 29th, 2025

The Monday Morning Swim Report - 

Thick marine layer, some low fog and glassy water with a big swell. Signs of winter continue to show themselves… The berm on the beach is starting to form and there was a swell producing up to 4 foot +  set waves.  The water felt about 57° to me, which means it was probably 60°. Due to my unexpected weight loss, my internal water temperature gauge seems to be off by about 3°.     It was a lovely Monday morning Swim. 

Sunday, September 28th, 2025

 The Sunday Swim Report - 

There were low clouds but no drizzle in Avila Beach this morning. It was 68° and the water temp was back up to 61°.  From the pier I saw Tom Lorish backstroking his way in through the waves and spoke to him briefly when he was on his way to his car. He was feeling cold and thought that the water temperature had been in the mid upper 50's (57°). 

There was a good swell from the SW. The largest waves were 4+ feet and had some form.  I got in on the west side of the pier to avoid the numerous fishing lines on the east side. For the first time in a while I had to time my entry to the swells. The waves were breaking close to shore and didn't have a lot of power so it wasn't difficult getting out.   

I went west and meandered back and forth between the Poly and Avila Piers until I was at the end of the Poly Pier and then swam the 1000M directly to the base of the Avila Pier. Between the two piers there were areas of plankton bloom/red tide. Yuck. I'd hoped that we were done with that for this season.     

I'm near the end of the Poly Pier. They don't show up in the photo but I could feel each swell passing under me with a bit of a shove towards the beach. 

I plan on swimming Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 7. 

niel  

Saturday, September 27th, 2025

Saturday Morning's Swim - 

I'm back in the water and the swimming conditions are still excellent. Avila Beach was overcast and 61°, the water temperature was 59°, the surf was small with an occasional pair of larger waves. The water is clear and clean.    

Jodi and Niel at the end of the Avila Pier 

Jodi had an idea for a route that took us east along the buoys to #4, to the end of the Avila Pier., to the #4 buoy on the west side, on to the second crossbars on the Poly Pier, back to the end of the Avila Pier and then retracing our route back to #4 on the east side and along the buoys to #1. 

Jodi's route was 2 miles. 

If the water gods follow the plan they had for the last three years we will have another 4 to 6 weeks of today's conditions before the water temperature drops into the 55 to 50 degree range until next spring, so we need to enjoy these nice water temps while they last.

I'll swim tomorrow at 11. 

niel       

Friday, September 26th, 2025

 Tom Lorish Swim's -

Heavy cloud cover, a slight breeze, and glass calm water.  There was Small swell with the odd 3 foot wave rolling in.  The water was clear and about 58°. It was a nice Friday morning swim. 

Wednesday, September 24th, 2025

 Tom Lorish's Swims -

Gorgeous morning at Avila. It cleaned up beautifully after the lightning and thunderstorm last night. Deep blue skies, scattered clouds, and a slight breeze blowing from the west to the east. The water felt about 59 in most spots, with pockets of 60+ degrees. It was a good day to be swimming.  

Monday, September 22nd. 2025

Tom Lorish's Swims - 

Foggy, then clear, and foggy again.  Toes in the water at 9:15 AM. The sun was working hard but couldn't quite burn off the fog. The water was mostly flat with a little bit of a ripple on it. The water temp was at least 60°. It was a good morning Swim. 

Saturday, September 20th, 2025

Jodi, Paula and Tom Israel swam on Saturday morning at 7:30.  They did a  new route using the buoys and the Avila Pier. 

Tom's plot

Jodi's plot

Friday, September 19th, 2025

Tom's Friday Swim Report -

Marine layer, glassy water and a hint of blue skies showing what was to come.  The air had a warm tropical feel to it and the water was at least 60°.  Beautiful conditions, and lovely swimming. 

Wednesday, September 17th, 2025

Tom's Wednesday Swim Report - 

Breezy, a bump on the water and big beautiful clouds. Short Swim for me today as I slowly get back into it and some time off. The water was about 60° and the swimming was nice. 

Tuesday, September 16th, 2025

Tuesday's Swim With Even More Fog - 

At 6:50 this morning the fog was thick enough that I wasn't sure I would swim. I could not see the buoy line from the sidewalk. I decided to get in and see what the visibility was like from the #1 buoy. 

It was very still in the water. The water clean and 60° with no wind, swell or chop.  The surf was 2 foot with a pair of waves in each set that tried to be 3 footers. 

From #1 I could see the pier behind me and a lot of gray but not the second buoy in the line so I decided to swim around the pier. On my way to the end I thought about how many laps around the pier it would take to get my distance in. That sounded boring so I swam in past the #1 buoy on the west side and towards shore until I could see the beach. I swam parallel to the beach and past the mouth of the creek until I got to the kelp bed. From there I could see the first crossbars on the Poly Pier so I swam over to there. I was not liking all of the navigating this was requiring so I swam out to the end of the P Pier and back.  From the first crossbars on the P. Pier I tried to make a straight shot to the buoy line. The suns glow through the fog was very diffused which made navigating less precise so I wandered over the ocean a bit until the Avila Pier came out of the fog. 

I had a great swim. The fog kept my mind in close and it was very meditative.

I will be out of town and will next swim on Thursday of next week. There will be a lot to do that morning before I can swim so I'll get in the water at about 8.

niel       

Sunday, September 14th, 2025

 My Sunday Fog Swim - 

Arriving at 10:30 I found Avila Beach to be all fog. I could just see the buoy line from the beach, from the water I could see from one buoy to the next. It was 60° and the water was 61°. There was a light breeze from the SW to the SE. I encountered funky water at just one spot along the Poly Pier, otherwise it was nice and clean. There were a few pelicans and cormorants, otherwise it was pretty quiet out there. 

Swimming out and back along the Poly Pier seemed more interesting than swimming buoy to buoy to buoy because I'd have the pier to follow.  I swam out and west down the buoy line to #4, estimated the location of the second crossbars in the fog and headed for the Poly Pier.     

I got off course a bit to the right and hit the inshore kelp bed. When I took a look around these two otters checking me out. I jogged left to give then a wide birth and continues to the P Pier.  Half way to the end of the pier I saw sunshine to the west. At the end of the pier I was in a big sunny hole with the fog hanging on the hills to the west and north, holding well offshore and wrapping around to Fossil Point at the east end of Avila Beach.         

The wind was picking up and swinging from the SW to the SE. I retraced my route and got out after 1:15 in the water.

I'll swim Tuesday morning at 7 and then I'll be out of town until I swim again on Thursday 9/25.

niel 

Saturday, September 13th, 2025

 Clockwise Around The Avila Rock - 

This morning in Avila Beach was overcast and gray, calm and 59° with a 60° water temperature. The surf was an occasional 3' and there was a lot of surge along the piling of the pier. There were no flocks of birds over the water. The only concern was the fog trying to push over Point San Luis to the west of Avila Beach.  It could stay as it was until it burned off or come in and fill up the bay.      

We wanted to swim the the Avila Rock but didn't want to get fogged in out there so we began by swimming the east buoy line and on to Fossil Point. The fog hadn't moved so we headed for the rock.  Weaving through the kelp between the point and the rock wasn't too much trouble but as we got the further out towards the rock the swell pushed up until we had a lot of movement in the water.  

Paula, Eileen behind Tom Israel, me and Jodi 

at the Avila Rock 

We swam out and around the south end of the rock and headed towards the end of the Avila Pier. Near the rock we swam into a long stretch of plankton. The water has been unusually free of plankton this summer so this is the first time this year that I've had that yucky taste in my mouth. 

In spite of the conditions being a bit too natural we all had a nice swim. The swell put some movement in the water and made it fun. 

I'll swim tomorrow at 11.

niel     

Thursday, September 11th, 2025

 

Done at 9 o'clock and time to get out. 

A nice short swim today. I have not done this route before: swim buoys #1 to #4 to #1, out along the pier to the end, to #4 and back to #1. Repeat on the other side. 

60° air and water except for the east side of the pier where the water was a degree or two colder. The surf is staying small and the wind is staying down in the early morning.   

There were three other people in the water, a man going bareback by himself and two lifeguards swimming the buoy line and then running back along the beach. 

The group will swim Saturday morning at 7 and I'll swim on Sunday at 11 with whoever else shows up. 

niel

Tuesday, September 9th, 2025

Late Summer In Avila Beach - 

At 6:50 this morning it was sunny and clear in Avila Beach with just a slight breeze from the east. The air and water temperature were 62°.  The surf was 2 feet +/-,  the water was clean and glassy and there were hardly any birds on the water and only a handful of people on the beach.    

The view looking east from the end of the Avila Pier.  

I did the same route that Jodi and I swam on Saturday.  There was a large blob of colder water (59°-60°) on the east side of the pier which provided some variety. 

I could get spoiled with conditions like this, but they won't last. In the last 4 years the water temperature has dropped into the mid 50's between Halloween and Thanksgiving and then slid to the bottom of the 50's and stayed there until April.     

I'll swim on Thursday at 7:30 to 8 and on Saturday at 7.

niel 

Sunday, September 7th, 2025

I was the only one swimming today. I got in at about 10:50. The water looked nice, the wind was coming up and the surf was down to 2 foot. It didn't look too bumpy out there. It was 70° on the beach and the water was 60°.

There was a huge raft of birds a good ways out past the end of the Avila Pier. As I was getting ready they began a feeding frenzy and drifted towards the Avila Rock.  By the time I was walking in the Avila Rock was in the middle of the scrum.  I thought if I swam around the reef buoy and headed towards the Poly Pier I would stay out of the bird action. After I had passed the Avila Pier the cormorants found me and for most of the way to the Poly Pier they were circling around me thinking I was going to scare up something for them.         

The chop worsened as I got closer to the P Pier so I focused on how it would be riding the push from the chop on my way in along the pier. 

At the end of the Poly Pier.

The push was nice but the chop was building up and coming in along the buoy line it was still bumpy. 

This coming week I'll swim on Tuesday at 7, Thursday at 7:30 to 8 , Saturday at 7 and Sunday at 11. 

The water temperature will drop 5 to 8 degrees between Halloween and Thanksgiving so I want to get in all of the time in the water that I can before it is back to winter conditions. 

 

niel

Saturday, September 6th, 2025

A Saturday Swim With A Surprise - 

Swimming conditions are pretty consistant; at 7AM it was overcast, 61° and calm. The ocean was 62°, glassy and the surf was 2 foot with some set at 3'+.

It was Jodi and Niel this morning. 

Jodi proposed a new route: Starting at the #1 buoy on the east side we would swim the buoy line to #4 and then back to #1, then to the end of the Avila Pier, to the 4th buoy and back along the buoys to #1, then under the pier and repeat on the west side.  Finishing back at the first buoy I had 3300M.  I'll do this route again.

The surprise was that as I was starting to head to the beach Jodi told me that 'since it was only another 2000' she was going to do her birthday swim. I headed in and waited for her on the beach. She swam 5708 yards in 1:54 for the year of her 57th birthday. 

On the beach she looked happy and like she could have done more. I asked her how she felt about going two hours without any nutrition and she said the she just felt like going for it today so that was it.  

    

Plot of Niel and Jodi's swim

Niel and Jodi at the end of the Avila Pier

Jodi walking out after 2 hours in the water. 

I'll swim tomorrow at 11.

niel

Thursday, September 4th, 2025

It was grey and overcast this morning. It was 58° and clam with a flat ocean and 2 foot +/- surf. All typical for a late summer morning in Avila Beach.  The water temperature was 60° but it felt coldish after a week of temperatures of 62° to 64°.  How easily we get used to warmer water. 

I swam a couple of triangles. My shoulders felt loose and I felt good the whole way. 

I have Tom Israel to thank for my loose shoulders. He has been loosening up before a swim by holding a length of rope in both hands, more than shoulder width apart, and doing paddling and windmill motions and I've picked it up. I don't push the movements. I think of different ways to move that will work my neck, shoulders and lats.  It takes less than a minute. I'm using a length of an aluminum pole because with something stiff I can easily change the spacing between my hands.

I'll swim Saturday at 7 and Sunday at 11. 

niel

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2025

 Tom Lorish's Wednesday Morning Swim Report - 

More of the same… Blue skies, little bit of a bump on the water, the occasional 3 foot wave, and 60° water. It was a nice midweek morning Swim. 

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2025

The conditions at 6:45 this morning were heavy gray spitting overcast, 61°, no wind, 2 foot surf with the occasional sneaky 3 footer and a water temperature of 64° +/-.   

I swam along the west buoy line thinking about just paddling around for a short swim.  At the 4th buoy I decided to go over to the second crossbars on the Poly Pier and then to come back to the end of the Avila Pier.  At the crossbars I decided to swim to the end of the P Pier.  I stopped there for a photo and was buzzed by a group of pelicans.  I started swimming for the end of the Avila Pier and rethought that and swam to and around the reef buoy and along the line of buoys to be back to my starting point.      

Buzzed by pelicans

I'll swim Thursday and Saturday mornings at 7 and at 11 on Sunday.

niel

Monday, September 1st, 2025

Tom's Labor Day Swim - 

Clear skies, 70° plus air temperature, dimple water, and a 3 foot wave rolling in every now and then. Beautiful first day of September at Avila. Toes in the water at 9 AM. The water temperature was a degree or 2/60 and the swimming was excellent as it has been all week and long weekend. In the "remember when" category, remember when Labor Day weekend was the end of tourist season?