Thursday, March 6th, 2025

A Run On Olde Port Beach -

I'm in the full body ache point in my cold and I wasn't loving the idea of swimming, but a run on the beach sounded like something I could do. 

It was a nice morning at Olde Port Beach. The tide was way out, it was not windy and the sun was peaking out. The tide was low so there was a long beach to run on. I enjoy finding the point between dry and wet sand where my feet sink in enough to cushion my steps and give my feet a nice massage. 

The high water line along the beach was full of this mystery yuck.

It was green brown, bubbly and did not look nice. It was most common towards the east end of the beach, where the drainage from Wild Cherry Canyon empties onto the beach. I've seen it here before, also immediately after a heavy rain.     

I had my Blue Water Task Force water sampling kit with me so I collected a sample of the goo and processed it at our lab in the Central Coast Aquarium in Avila Beach. I'll have the results late Friday morning and we'll learn if this stuff is full of bacteria. 

niel  

Wednesday, March 5th, 2025

Gray skies, on and off rain, and flat calm water. That was Avila at 900 a.m.  It was a super low high tide this morning. At the Waters edge looking up to the berm, it was about 10 foot overhead. Amazing to think how much water gets displaced from the tides.  The combined number was 103. The picture was looking out towards Avila Rock. I was tempted to swim out there it looks so calm and nice, but ended up going the other direction to the CPP. The water clarity was incredibly clear and the swimming was beautiful.  In the category of housekeeping, Port Authority hauled all the driftwood away which in my mind is kind of a bummer. I like the driftwood. 

Monday, March 3rd, 2025

 Tom's Monday Morning Swim -  

It was a beautiful morning at Avila when I arrived at 920 AM. Blue skies and scattered clouds with a gusty breeze blowing on shore. The combine number was 105. The water had a bump along with a 4 foot plus wave. It was a good Monday morning swim. 

Tom and Jodi's Saturday Morning Swim

Another version of the Yo-Yo swim route. 

Friday, February 28th, 2025

Big swell, big high tide, and rock 'n' roll swimming. The surf was bigger than it was on Wednesday. 6 foot plus waves with power. There was a crazy amount of driftwood scattered all over the beach. The water was breaking right on the berm and going past just about to the wall. The combined number was 107.  Excellent morning Swim. 

Wednesday, February 26th, 2025

Blue skies, big swell and good swimming. I arrived at Avila at 915 AM to a big high tide and 6 foot waves rolling in.  The combined number was 117 and the swimming was excellent. 

Tuesday, February 25th, 2025

 Running on the Dog Beach - 

I did a run on Olde Port Beach this morning. I have some stubborn tightness in the arch of my right foot and running on the semi soft sand really massages the kinks out, it's free and the environment is beautiful.  

Avila and the OP Beach hadn't heard about the high surf warning. The waves here were one to two foot on a high tide.         

I'll be back for more on Thursday.

niel

Monday, February 24th, 2025

Tom's Monday Morning Swim - 

It was an unusual morning at Avila. I arrived at 845 AM and found mostly blue skies with a little bit of marine layer pretty far out to sea. There was a breeze blowing on shore and the water was very bumpy. Today's combined number was 105. About halfway through my swim the fog rolled in and it was a completely different morning. See pictures below - the blue skies were before I got in and the fog was after.

In the category of not quite stealing but still something feels wrong, I watched a guy get out of his car go down the stairs and grab that big granite rock that's been there and haul it off to his car and drive off.  No doubt saving money for his landscaping. 

Sunday, February 23rd, 2025

When I arrived at the beach it was 70°, clear, sunny and calm. The surf was like yesterday with the largest waves at 4+ feet.  I got in just before 11 and had a nice mile swim. The water felt like yesterday so I'd say 50 - 51°.  I spoke with Tom Lorish after he got out and I was getting in.   

When I got out there were a lot more people on the beach and more coming. I spend some time at the showers talking with Jim (from SF Bay) and by the time we were walking back Front Street was crowded and the beach was packed. I though the president's holiday was last Monday but it looks like Poly is still on break.  

This coming week I'll run on the beach on Tuesday and Thursday and I'll be out of town over the weekend so my next swim will be on 3/4. 

niel

Saturday, February 22nd, 2025

It was a nice morning in Avila Beach, 41°, calm and sunny with thin high clouds.  Cal Fire was there conducting the ocean swimming qualifications for the new recruits.  They are required to make it out, around and back along the Avila Pier in 18 minutes. That is an 850M swim. I'll have to try that and see what my time is.     

Jodi, Niel and Tom Israel did a short swim. Tom had a wedding to go to, and Jodi and Niel were looking for something shorter than our usual, so we swam left down the buoy line, around the buoy at the rock, to the end of the pier, to the #2 buoy and in.  The water was 50 - 51°, so today's swim number was 91.

We all thought that the water felt extra cold and were guessing 49 or so. 

Niel, Jodi and Tom at the 4th buoy.

I'll be back tomorrow to swim at 11.

niel

Friday, February 21st. 2025

Tom's Toes for Friday - 

It was a beautiful morning at Avila when I arrived at 900 AM. Blue skies with clouds scattered around and a slight breeze. The combine number was 106. The water had a bump and a roll with a bit of a swell. Towards the end of my swim I crossed paths with one of Niel's swim buddies, Jim. We introduced ourselves, and found we had mutual friends from around here and up north. It was an excellent Friday morning Swim. 

Thursday, February 20th, 2025

 

The beach is still posted as closed.  The closure notice on the County website is still dated 2/14 with no explanation for why this is necessary a week after the storm event and the sewage spill.

The Pismo Guards were doing their qualification swim this morning so I figured I'd swim with lifeguards and maybe with some bugs. Surfrider will have new numbers for Avila and San Luis Creek posted midday tomorrow at https://bwtf.surfrider.org/explore/34.         

It was beautiful this morning, sunny and warm with an offshore breeze and an air temperature of 68° at 8 o'clock. I swam down to the point and back, keeping away from the creek side of the pier just in case.  The water temperature was 51°- 52°.

If you look closely you can see the Pismo Guards in the background. 

I plan on swimming Saturday and Sunday.

niel 

Wednesday, February 19TH, 2025

Beautiful February morning at Avila. Blue skies, scattered clouds and the number was 112. The air contributing 12 more than the water.  The county water quality signs were still posted on some stairwells, but not others. I think the county folks may have forgot about it and with no funding I don't know how they know one way or the other anyway.  Nevertheless, I swam far east again around Avila rock. Beautiful morning Swim.  

Tom

NOTE: The county's website, SurfSafeSLO, still has Avila posted as closed.

niel 

Tuesday, February 18th, 2025

Sunrise from Olde Port Beach 

I showed up but didn't swim today. At Avila Beach the health department's closure signs are still up and the closure is still posted on their SurfSafeSLO website. I would have done a swim and stayed on the east side of the Avila Pier but the surf in Avila was 6'+.  I am one week into a two week rest for my shoulder and I'd hoped to get in an easy swim this morning. Pushing myself through the waves wasn't part of 'resting' so I drove to the Olde Port Beach.

The waves there were 2 foot. When I began walking in there was a brown sludge on top of the foam that didn't look natural. There is a water treatment plant in Wild Cherry Canyon that will release partially treated effluent into the ocean here in a big rain. 

Nothing had been posted about a sewage release here but I bailed completely at this point.

I'll try for smaller surf on Thursday.

niel    

        

Monday, February 17th, 2025

Tom Lorish Takes The Plunge -

It was a breezy morning at Avila when I arrived at 915 AM. Blue skies streaked with long clouds and a slow moving 4 foot wave rolling in.  Despite the signs telling me otherwise, I figured it had been five days since the city of SLO had gifted Avila 7800 gallons of muck - it was time to get back swimming.  I started my swim at the second buoy on the east side and swam east, far east. Out to Avila rock. It was good to be back in the ocean.