Friday, January 17th, 2025

Tom's Waiting for His Toes to Thaw - 

Cold breeze, blue skies, and choppy water. It was a different kind of winter day at Avila this morning. I arrived at 950 AM. It was about 50° air temperature, but the breeze made it feel colder. The water was choppy and felt like it was under 50°. Despite the chop, the water clarity was excellent and was a beautiful glacier green. Good swimming. 

Thursday, January 16th, 2025

 Another Cold Swim - 

AT 7 it was beautiful, clear and 32° in Avila Beach. There was a strong offshore wind that had already put a chop on the water. The surf was the same and the water temp was 49°-50° but felt colder due to the wind.  

I swam Tom's Fog Route until I felt that it was time to get out.  At the showers the wind got me shivering so my timing in the water was about right. It would be worth some money to have showers in the sun at this time of the year.

I'll swim at 7:30 on Saturday.

niel  

Wednesday, January 15th, 2025

 Tom's Swim Report - 

Beautiful winter morning at Avila. 910 a.m. arrival. Blue skies and sunny. There was a bump on the water and a 3 foot swell with crumbly waves pushing up onto the berm. The air temperature was 43° when I arrived, and the water was below 50°. As always, it was an excellent morning vitamin. 

Tuesday, January 14th, 2025

Cold, Short and Stinky -

Today's conditions were right there with the coldest swims in recent memory. It was beautiful and clear at Avila Beach with an air temperature of 34° at 7:00 and a light offshore breeze. There were 3 foot waves breaking on the beach with an occasional 4+ footer that would break further out. The water temperature was 48°.

I'd planned on doing Tom Lorish's 'fog' route today. The route is swimming the complete buoy line with an out and back around the Avila Pier each time by. 

I swam east down the buoy line and turned back. I had to work to not think about how I was feeling the cold through my wetsuit in ways that meant that I wasn't going to complete my full distance today.  I swam into some water that smelled like sewage. A few strokes of that and I turned for the beach and got out. 

When I got up to my car on Front St. the whole world smelled like sewage and it wasn't me. There was a septic system pumper truck at the Custom House with a hose deployed and its pump roaring. The smell was coming from there and the breeze was carrying it offshore. 

 

The good news is that the smell was not from the water or water from the estuary.

so

I'll be back Thursday for another try. 

niel

Monday, January 13th, 2025

Tom Lorish's Monday Wake Up Swim - 

 

Clear blue skies and cold.  it was 42° air temperature when I arrived at Avila at 9 AM. There was a big high tide and a lot of water pouring over the berm and well up the beach. The water temperature was a high of 50°. There was a bump on the water and a 3 foot wave that was breaking right on the beach. It was a good morning Swim. 

Sunday, January 12th, 2025

 

The Water Was Probably Warmer than Yesterday. - 

At the start the water felt just as cold as Saturday but half way into today's swim I wasn't feeling as cold, so the water could have been up to 50° - 51°, or it was because the air was 20 degrees warmer that yesterday morning.   

There was an offshore breeze when I got in that changed to the familiar afternoon NW wind during the swim and it got choppy out there. 

The surf had laid down a bit, it was not as adventurous getting in and out as it was yesterday.       

Today's route turned out to be the same length as yesterday's, enough to feel like I did a good swim but not enough time to get too cold.  It is a big help to have it sunny was warm when I get out. I saw Tom Lorish after his swim. He swims in a farmer john all year round because he likes the freedom of movement. He is shivering when he gets out. That is more fun that I can stand.    

At the end of the Poly Pier

This week's weather looks to be more of the beautiful days we have been having. I'm planning on swimming at 7 on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday because there is enough light now and next Sunday at 11. 

niel   

Saturday, January 11th, 2025

 Beautiful and Cold - 

It was Niel, Tom Israel and Jodi  this morning.  At 7:30 it was 40° in Avila Beach. It was clear with a bit of an early morning offshore breeze and a nice sunrise. The tide was very high and the wash from the larger waves was running up over the berm. The ocean side of the berm is very steep and rocky and the water gets deep immediately.   Most of the waves were 3 foot and would break on the beach. The 5+ foot sets were breaking further out but none of them had much power.  However, the wash ran up the face of the berm and back down at a high speed and carried a load of rocks with it which was not nice on your feet and ankles.

Tom's Lorish's Friday swim report estimated a sub 50° water temp so we planned a temp dependable route. We started out committed to swimming the left half of the buoy line, around the reef buoy and to the end of the Avila Pier. Where we swam from there would depend on what sounded like a good idea.

The swim out to the buoy was definitly sub 50°. It was very slightly warmer at the end of the pier where I measured a 50° water temp. We decided to swim to the third crossbars on the Poly Pier and do another assessment. At the Poly Pier everyone was as uncomfortable as when were at the start so the shortest route to the beach and swam directly to the 1# buoy on the right side of the Avila Pier.

Tom and a peak of NIel at the #1 buoy at the Avila Pier.

At the Poly Pier Tom had pointed out an Osprey that was perched on the pier to us.  Just after we arrived at the Avila Pier Tom noticed a large bird chasing a smaller one. The smaller bird had something that the larger one wanted.  Tom identified them as a Osprey and a Bald Eagle. The chase lasted several minutes. The big eagle was faster but the osprey could turn sharper and gained some distance at every turn. The eagle eventually gave up the chase.         

With the surf breaking on the slope of the berm I had to swim into the surf line until I could try and get my feet under me and stand up. I saw Tom ahead of me belly board up the berm on the white water.

Tom and I will swim tomorrow at 11. Wish Tom a Happy 65th Birthday on Sunday. 

niel

Friday, January 10th, 2025

Tom's Toes for Friday the 10th -

It was a cool crisp morning at Avila when I arrived at 915 AM. The air temperature was 48°, clear and sunny. There was a small swell generating 3 foot waves. The water temperature was under 50° and the swimming was good. 

Wednesday, January 8th, 2025

Tom Lorish's Swim Report -

Beautiful day at Avila this morning. I arrived at 91 5 AM to scattered clouds and blue skies. 56° air temperature with a slight breeze. The water temperature was 50°. There was a 3 to 4 foot wave rolling in that had a nice shape. The swimming was excellent. 

Sunday, January 5th, 2025

A Beautiful Day With Cold Water - 

I spoke with Tom Lorish as I arrived at the beach. He'd had a great swim with smaller surf and very clean, 50 °water.  He's swam down to Fossil Point, back to the Avila Pier and in to the buoy line.  He got out when he became too cold.

 

Niel and Stephanie at the 4th buoy near the creek.

 

It was 70° at Avila and there was an offshore wind and some chop on the water.  The 6 foot plus waves were holding up nicely (for Avila) and a solo surfier was catching the lefts near the pier.

Stephanie and Niel got in a bit after 11. Getting out through the waves required timing. The waves didn't have a lot of power so pushing through them was pretty easy. A triangle sounded about right for Stephanie so we turned left at the first buoy and swam around the triangle. Stephanie got out at our starting point and I swam another half triangle and came in along the pier.   

I'm looking forward to some nice swims in the coming week. I'll be back on Tuesday and Thursday at 7, Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 11.     

niel

Saturday, January 4th, 2025

Niel, Jodi and Tom at the 4th buoy

It was sunny and windy at Avila this morning. The wind was offshore and the water had a small chop on it.  The surf was 3 foot plus with the tallest waves in the 6 to 8 foot range. Getting out was going to require some planning. Jodi, Tom Israel and Niel got in at 7:30. Our timing was off and we swam out into some of the larger waves, had a bit of an adventure and grouped up at the first buoy.  

We all thought that the water was pretty cold (I measured 52°) and agreed to swim to the end of the Avila Pier and make a plan once there. We were still cold at the end of the pier so we decided to swim to the end of the Poly Pier and to plan our way back depending on how we were feeling. 

From the end of the P Pier the plan was to swim to the third crossbars, over to the end of the Avila Pier, to the second crossbars and back to the start. Between the third crossbars and the Avila Pier the water was colder so at the end of the Avila Pier we shortened the route and swam to the 4th buoy on the west side and then to where we got in. We swam under the pier and to the second buoy, thinking the surf would be smaller and less consolidated away from the pier. I'm not sure that plan worked but when we headed in our timing was perfect. We had two of the largest waves break just inside of us so we committed to following them in and swam hard for the beach. We made it to the sand without being caught.

The sunshine felt great when we were at the showers. 

 

When we got back to our cars Jodi had some homemade snack mix for us.  

I'll swim tomorrow at 11.

niel

Friday, January 3rd, 2025

Tom's Swim Report -

A beautiful January morning at Avila. I arrived at 930 AM. Air temperature was 55°. Blue skies and scattered clouds. There was a 3 foot plus wave rolling in and bumpy conditions. Water temperature was 52°. As always, it was an excellent morning Swim.

Tuesday, January 2nd., 2025

 

Avila Beach was beautiful this morning, 52°, sunny and calm with 3 to 4 foot waves with some decent shape. There was a single surfer in the water with all of the tubes to himself.  

The water was 53° and developed some bumpiness while I swam.  After this start, I'll be smiling all day.  

niel

Wednesday, January 1st, 2025

 Tom's New Years Day Swim Report - 

It was a beautiful New Year's Day at Avila. Blue skies, sunny, and 55° air temperature when I arrived at 915 AM. Lots of polar bear dippers we're already on the beach and the parking was filling up quickly. There was a slight breeze and a slight bump on the water. The water temperature was about 52°. Excellent way to start off the year. 

Tuesday, December 31st, 2024

 

I got in at 10 this morning. It was a beautiful day at Avila Beach and it was already getting crowded. The temperature was 57°, sunny and pleasant with a "offshore" breeze that was from the east/northeast rather than the usual north.  The big surf was taking a break, with 2 to 3 foot waves and an occasional set of 4 footers breaking on the beach. In the surf zone the beach is all rocks and mussel shells which makes a unfriendly surface for bare feet.

With today's wind direction a couple of triangles is a good route because the conditions were different on each of the eight legs. The wind was from the right side of the plot so the water on the right side of the pier was rougher than that on the left. The visibility was very good and the water tasted clean. My thermometer read 52° - 53°, I thought it was colder getting in but I did get comfortable before I finished my first trip down the buoy line so the low 50's is about right.

I'll be back on Thursday and Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 11.

I do not know what the prediction is for more big waves but the Dog Beach would be 2 feet smaller than Avila so it is always an option. 

niel