Wednesday, October 8th, 2025

The Wednesday Morning Swim Report - 

Blue skies, a few clouds, and a slight breeze. Toes in the water at 9 AM. There was a slight bump on the water and my toes told me that the temperature was 58°. But, my calibration could easily still be off. It was a good midweek morning swim.

Tom L. 

Tuesday, October 7th, 2025

The Tuesday Morning Swim Report - 

At 6:50 this morning there was heavy overcast in Avila Beach. It was 56°, the visibility was a mile plus and it was spitting and damp. There was no wind. The surf was up a bit to 3 feet. The water temperature was 61° and I'd find pockets of red water out there.  

A Dolphin and a Blue Heron

Swimming from the reef buoy to the Poly Pier was the thought of the moment so I did the loop down the east buoy line to the reef buoy, to the end of the P Pier, in to the second crossbars, back to the #4 buoy on the west side and to my starting point. I had some pelicans strafe me to see if I was chasing up any bait fish. I wasn't so they left me alone. I didn't see any other life out there except a Gray Heron on the #2 crossbars.  

This was a nice swim. I started out somewhat creaky and not motivated but I felt better the more I swam and was ready for the rest of my day when I got out.

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

I've gott'a get in as many swims as I can in the 60 degree days that we have left. By Thanksgiving the water will be 55° or less and it will be my winter wetsuit and booties until May. 

niel   

niel   

Sunday, October 5th, 2025

The Sunday Swim Report - 

Sunday at Avila Beach was a beautiful day but was very changeable. At 11 it was sunny, cloudless and calm with an air temperature in the 70's and a water temperature of 60°. The surf was 2 foot and the water was clear. There had been whales offshore on Saturday so I scanned the horizon looking for more but did not see any whales, birds or baitfish. There were several large buoys of the kind that the yacht club uses to mark corners for a regatta so I elected to stay inside the end of the Avila Pier.          

At the end of the Avila Pier 

 

I swam a 'reverse' Yo-Yo course: out and along the west buoys to #4 at the western end. Then to the end of the Avila Pier and back to #4, the buoy line to #3 and to the end of the Avila Pier and back, and on to the same from #2 and #1. On my first trip to the end of the pier there was a large fog bank coming in over the hills to the west of the port. It wrapped around Avila Beach and over to Fossil Point and then dissipated leaving nothing but sunshine. While this was happening a SE swell picked up. The swell got bumpy and pushy but was milder the closer my route was to the Avila Pier. I had different amounts of chop and push on each of the eight legs of the swim so it was very changeable indeed.

As I was getting out a large bait ball had formed offshore out past the sewer outlet buoy.  Hundreds(?) of pelicans were feeding on what was probably mackerel according to a fisherman.  At one point the feeding extended over an area that was a half of a mile long.  I didn't see any other birds, dolphins or whales in the scrum. 

This coming week I'll be swimming on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 7 and Sunday at 11. 

In case you did not get the email, this Friday and Saturday, 10/10 & 10/11, will be GH Sports Annual sale with everything in the store and online at 20 to 50% off.  

niel

              

Saturday, October 4th, 2025

The Saturday Morning Swim Report -  

Jodi, Eileen and Niel got in at 7 in Avila Beach and swam in flat, glassy, 60° water. The surf had gone down from 4 foot plus to 2 foot. The water was clean. The sunrise was beautiful. 

We swam a short course, Jodi needed get going to cover Saturday at work and Eileen had spent the last week in Kauai swimming in 82° water and wanted to ease back into Central Coast conditions.  We swam a triangle and out and back around the pier for an hour's swim.

I'll swim tomorrow at 11.

niel

Friday, October 3rd, 2025

The Friday Morning Swim Report - 

The swell dropped off, and the fog is gone. The water was glassy and flat and the swimming was good. The water temperature was 60° plus.  The blue herons were staked out at the cross beams of the CPP and there's a lot of sea bird activity out on the Avila pier.  It was a beautiful morning Swim. 

Thursday, October 2nd, 2025

 The Thursday Morning Swim Report - 

This morning Avila Beach was a big sunny hole in the fog and low clouds that had hung over my route to the beach from San Luis Obispo.  At 6:45 it was 53° and calm, the surf was about the same with the largest sets pushing 4 feet plus. The water was glassy but lumpy from the swells. The water temperature was hanging in there at 61° with one very much warmer spot along the Poly Pier.    

A Heron and the sunrise at the Poly Pier. 

I swam out and back along the Poly Pier. My back loosened up on the way out and the swim back seemed like it was shorter. This was a nice swim.     

I found my gap in the swells and got inside the shore break without messing about with the waves.

I'll swim on Saturday at 7 with the group and on Sunday at 11. 

niel    

Wednesday, October 1st, 2025

The Wednesday Morning Swim Report -

Foggy morning at Avila… It was about 60° air temperature and the water had pockets of 58° to 60°.  There were 3 foot waves with the occasional four footer. It was a good morning Swim. 

Tom L.

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