Thursday, July 30th, 2026

Sitting Out This Morning - 

I saw the sharky sign as I was walking down the stairs. I usually swim when the sign is up but this morning with the fog I did not feel good about getting in the water. I walked over and checked the bulletin board at guard shack. There was no additional information about a shark sighting. I walked back to my car and came home.

Tom L was planning on swimming mid morning and was going to check with the guards. I'll post what he learns. 

I'll be back on Saturday morning at 7. 

niel

Tuesday, July 28th, 2026

Fog Swim - 

There was not much to see this morning. The fog was in but once I was at the first buoy I could see the second and from the fourth buoy I could almost see the end of the Avila Pier so a couple of triangles was a good route this morning. The air temperature was 54° and the water was 60° to 62°. The water conditions were very nice. With no sun the water did not feel like 60° when I got in and swimming into water that was one to two degrees colder got my attention. The surf was 2 foot plus, the water was clean and there was a one foot swell out of the SW that put gave the water some character. 

It had not yet begun to clear when I was at the showers.  The clouds would need to burn off soon if Avila was going to make it to 84° today.  At that those air and water temperatures swimming in the afternoon would be lovely. 

If it is foggy Thursday morning I'll consider swimming out and back along the Poly Pier. 

niel

July 25th, 2026

The Saturday Group Swim - 

Niel, Eileen and Paula tying off their bottles to the buoy, Tom and Jodi

 

We had wonderful swimming conditions this morning. At 7AM there were thin clouds, no fog with the promise of sunshine. The air temp was 62°, the water was 62°, there was no wind, the water was flat and very clean with a noticeable swell. The surf was 2 to 4 foot. 

The plan was for all of us to swim to the rock and back with additional distance planned for Jodi (her birthday swim), Tom (Catalina Channel Relay on 8/3), Paula (Avila to Pismo on 8/23) and Eileen (Horsetooth Reservoir 10k on 9/13). Me, I'm recovering from a great vacation that included too much sitting and not my usual amount of activity. 

Niel

Jodi

Eileen

6,500M

Paula

6,500M

This coming week I'll swim on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 7.

niel

Friday, July 14th, 2026

Tom Lorish's Morning Swim - 

The conditions were very mellow at Avila this morning… Except for the parking. The parking vultures were going at by 915 AM.  The air temperature was a mellow low 60s, the water was glassy and mellow and the water temperature was a mellow 59°.  It was a lovely mellow Friday morning swim. 

Thursday, July 23rd, 2026

Back In The Water -

I got back in the water this morning after a week on vacation. I was looking forward to getting the kinks out of my shoulders and back from the sitting that came with traveling and a different routine.

The fog was in and was thick, It was 58°, the water was 60 to 61°, the surf was 2 to 3 foot plus and there was no red funk. Tom Lorish told me that the surf was much larger yesterday.

I started out on the left side, swimming buoy to buoy and out to the end of the pier. It seemed like the fog was lifting so I swam towards where the 4th buoy on the west side would be.  I found the buoy, swam to the pier and back to the end of the Avila Pier and came in. When I was at the showers the fog was thinning but had not lifted. 

I'll swim Saturday at 7 with the group.

niel        

   

Tom's Monday Morning Swim -

Foggy, bumpy water, kelp stew, and a dreadful jet ski.  There is only one thing that makes me more uncomfortable in the ocean than seeing a knucklehead jet skier, and that's a drunk knucklehead jet skier. I don't think this guy was drunk, but he was knucklehead and he was out chopping up the water just outside the buoy line. Not what I wanna see on a foggy day or any day here for that matter.  The good news is I haven't seen any of that for a long long time, so hopefully it'll be another long stretch of time before I see another one.  The water felt about 57° and it was a short buoy line swim. 

Saturday, July 18th, 2026

The Saturday Morning Swim - 

Jodi, Clare and Tom Israel swam in 59 to 60 degree water.

Lots of swimmers traveling. 

I'll swim on Thursday morning, the 23rd at 8.

Friday, July 17th, 2026

 Tom's Friday Swim Report - 

Overcast, funk free and a minus high tide. The water was slightly bumpy, and about 59°.  Excellent Friday morning Swim. 

Thursdy Morning Swim Report

Tom's Report -

Sunny and blue, a slight breeze, and no funk water. Gorgeous morning at Avila. The air temperature was low 70s and the water temperature was high 50s. Conditions were excellent all around and the swimming was very nice. 

Tuesday, July 14th, 2026

The Tuesday Morning Swim Report -

Jim was in town so it was a twosome this morning. It was beautiful in Avila; 60°, sunny and  calm with a flat and glassy ocean with 2' surf. The red tide was in near the shore on both sides of the Avila Pier with some spots that were almost clean. The water was nice between the 4th buoy on the left side and Fossil Point.  Between there and the Poly Pier is was very nice as long as I was outside of the end of the Avila Pier, closer to shore anywhere between Fossil Point and the Poly Pier the water funked up. 

On the upside the water was warm, 59° - 60° on the east side of the Avila Pier and 60°- 61° between the Avila and Poly Piers. As we were gettin gin there was a pod of dolphins well offshore heading towards Fossil Point.  

We swam down the buoy line and over to Fossil Point. The leg from the point to the Poly Pier is about 1,400M. Jim's shoulder suggested that he go when we neared the Avila Pier.   

Niel and Jim at Fossil Point

I was midway in along the Poly Pier when I took this photo of the Avila Pier and the clouds on the headlands. 

And a heron checking out the layout of the morning brunch.

From the second crossbars back to the buoy line I kept to the right and jogged around a anchored sail boat.  As I was swimming along the buoys towards the Avila Pier something that was swimming parallel to me came up on my right.  I first thought that it might be a dolphin but it was an otter, backstroking past me.   What a showoff!  I reached for my camera but that was too much attention, it rolled over and dived. 

I'm leaving on vacation so my next swim at Avila will be on Thursday the 23rd. 

niel

Sunday, July 12th, 2026

Tom's Sunday Swim -

Partly blue skies, a slight breeze and a bump on the water.  The air temperature was low 60s and the water temperature was high 50s, although the water felt colder to me. It was a good Sunday morning Swim. 

BTW, I will be swimming on different days for the foreseeable future, no more report from me on Mondays and Wednesdays.  I will be swimming Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. Or that's the plan anyway. 

Saturday, July 11th, 2026

The Saturday Morning Swim - 

Avery, Jodi, Paula, Hillary and Niel enjoyed a great swim this morning in the best conditions we have had this summer. It was overcast and clam with glassy water with a one foot long period SW swell that made the swimming more interesting. The air temp was 57°, the water was 60°- 61° and the surf was 2 foot. We swam between the Avila and Cal Poly Piers and had plankton free water except for a bit of funk neat the Poly Pier.

We added some extra to the route that I swam on Thursday and covered 3,800M.       

Niel, Paula, Avery, Hillary and Jodi at the end of the P. Pier

The sun came out for the last part of our swim and make it extra nice. 

I'll be back Tuesday morning at 7 and then I'll be out of town until the 23rd.

niel

Friday. July 10th, 2026

Tom's Friday Swim Report - 

Heavy overcast, bumpy mixed up water, and a gusty breeze. Felt like storm conditions.  The water temperature was 55, 56 degrees and the swimming was good but a bit of a slog. 

Thursday, July 9th, 2026

The Thursday Morning Swim Report - 

My plan for today's swim was to stay between the two piers, where on Tuesday the water was free of red funk and warmer. The ocean is never the same twice so today the water temperature was the same at 59° but the water changed from clean to red towards the Poly Pier. 

There was a small SW swell when I was out beyond the end of the Avila Pier that added some character to the water. 

When I arrived at Avila Beach it was overcast, before I got in the overcast had changed to fog that rose back up and left me with good visibility. 

On Saturday if someone has brought their psychic swim cap I'll let them choose the funk free route.

Saturday at 7.

niel  

Wednesday, July 8th, 2026

Tom's Wednesday Morning Swim Report - 

Blue skies and the sun burning off the marine layer.  Splotches of red funk in the water and temperatures ranging from 55-57 degrees.  There was also what looked like pollen in the water… a lot of it, but it was under the water.  Not sure if that was a different variety of funk or it really was pollen…  another mystery of the ocean. It was a good swim.