Thursday, August 27th, 2026

Tropical Conditions - 

On my way to Avila Beach I saw lightning in the clouds over Pismo Beach and outside of the car it felt like thunderstorm weather. At 8 when I was getting ready to get in there was light rain. The air temp was 70°, there was a gusty wind, and the ocean had a small swell running. The water temp was 62°. The clouds looked stormy but there was no lighting or thunder so I got in.

   

I swam a couple of triangles. The swell was out of the SE so each direction had different conditions.

When I was heading to my car I saw Tom Lorish, standing in the rain, getting ready to get in. 

I'm swimming with the group on Saturday morning at 7.

niel 

Tuesday, August 25th, 2026

Is Swimming Art or Just Fun?

I was hoping that there would be some art in today's plot. I'd hoped that the plot would look more like an arrow. It's OK but could use a tweak. I swam from the beach to the end of the Poly Pier, which at 1,064M it is a favorite, starting a swim with a long leg to sort myself out and set the tone for the swim, then to the end of the Avila Pier, to the third crossbars on the P. Pier and back to the beach.  Going to the second crossbars nextime would square up the arrowhead and make this route about 4K.      

Summer swimming conditions continue; in the east towards Shell Beach the sun was trying to break through the overcast, at 7 o'clock it was 56°, the water was 62°, and this photo taken at the end of the Poly Pier tells the rest of the story. 

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

niel 

Sunday, August 23rd, 2026

Avila to Pismo, Pier to Pier Swim - 

Eileen, Paula, Tom, Jodi, Avery and Hillary swam from the Avila Pier to the Pismo Pier. They got in at about 7AM and finished in 3:42  to 4:08.  The water temp was 60° - 62°, the water was flat, there was no wind but patchy fog that was dense at times. 

Avery, Eileen, Paula, Tom, Jodi, Hillary

Jodi

Avery

Hillary

Paula

Tom

Eileen

There was a well earned post swim carb loading at Old West Cinnamon Rolls.

Congratulations to all of you!  

niel 

Saturday, August 22nd, 2026

Back to the 60's -

A nice surprise today. The water temp was up to 63° after a flirtation with 59° on Thursday so I had a very relaxing and enjoyable swim. Out beyond the end of the Avila Pier there was a small swell but there was flat, clean water everywhere.

As I was walking to the water I met Chris, who was here for the day from LA. He swims in a pool and the ocean and wanted to get in and swim at Avila Beach. I suggested that he would enjoy swimming the buoy line. He liked the idea, I didn't see him after I got out.  I swam over and back to the Poly Pier from the end of the Avila Pier hitting the end of the p. pier, the mooring and the third and second crossbars.      

While I was at the showers Duke rode by and stopped to chat. Then Phil Toriello joined us and he filled us in on his recent participation in a lifeguard competition in Florida. His experience included placing in the top 3 in his age group in some of the events and a major GI meltdown. Pro Tip: when in Florida don't drink the energy drink that is provided by the local race organizers.

All together, a very nice start to my Saturday.

At the showers.

This coming week will swim at 7 on Tuesday, 8 on Thursday and 7 on Saturday. 

niel
 

Thursday, August 20th, 2026

Back to the 50's -

No, not Happy Days, the water temperature this morning was 59°, still very nice but it could be just an early hint of fall......... will the water go back up to 60°+? I'd expect it to but this may be the beginning of a Yo-Yoing water temperature until we have the fall drop. 

The waves were up to 3 foot and there there was a small swell on the water, otherwise the water was clean with very nice swimming.   

At the second crossbars on the Poly Pier with a heron 

on a crossbar looking for breakfast. 

I think that I will be the only one swimming Saturday morning at 7, everyone else is swimming 10K Sunday morning from Avila to Pismo, and then a post swim cinnamon roll carb loading.

niel   

Tuesday, August 18th, 2026

Sunshine! - 

I was surprised this morning to have the same swimming conditions as I've had the past month but without the overcast and a sunrise to brighten up my swim.

The numbers were 61° and 61°, calm, flat clean water, 2 foot waves. There were a lot more seabirds around except there were no pelicans.  The sharkyness signs were covered.  It was a very nice swim this morning. 

I'll be back on Saturday at 7. I'll probably be by myself as just about everybody will be swimming from Avila to Pismo on Sunday.

niel    

 

Saturday, August 15th, 2026

A Pre Pier to Pier Tune Up - 

Jodi

Avery

Tom

Jodi, Avery and Tom did a tune-up swim today before next Sunday's Pier to Pier 10K Swim from Avila Beach to Pismo Beach. They will be joined by Paula, Hillary.

The swimming conditions are stable with overcast skies, no wind and flat water that is 60 to 62 degrees. 

They all swam the same double Yo-Yo this morning. The 800 yard spread between their plots is a Garmin mystery, perhaps Tom is starting his watch while he is still driving to the beach.  😄

I'm giving my shoulder a rest and will not do the 10K. I'll will swim this coming Thursday and Saturday at 7. 

niel 

  

Thursday, August 13th, 2026

An Easy Thursday Morning -  

This morning was just like Tuesday and many before; overcast, calm, 60°, 62° flat and clean water with 2 foot surf.  I'll be trying to remember these mornings in January when the water is 51° and stormy. 

I swam something familiar and easy today. The only question is which way to go around the sailboat that has been anchored near the end of the Avila Pier. I did see some pelicans. They have not been around for 6 weeks or so. 

We should have a nice group for the Saturday morning swim at 7.

niel 

Tuesday, August 11th, 2026

Four Fingers - 

I had this idea about swimming a plot that looked like a glove by swimming to and back from points along the Poly Pier. I made the four fingers and decided that the thumb, which would have been to the western #4  buoy and back, would be left for a later day. The conditions were excellent with a 60° air temperature, a 63° water temperature, thick overcast but no fog, no wind, a smooth glassy surface and nice clean water. 

I towed a 24 oz. bottle of maltodextrin and electrolytes and worked on it at each return to the Avila Pier.  In order the legs were to the end of the Poly Pier, to the second crossbars, to the mooring tripod thing and to the third crossbars. I was trying to leave the shortest legs for last.     

My plot weirded out again. 6,396M is about the correct distance and the swim stats were complete for the entire swim. Google suggested switching the data recording setting from Smart to Every Second, so I'll see if that helps.

At the Second Crossbars

At the mooring thingy. 

On my last trip back to the Avila Pier I crossed paths with three members of the Poly Water Polo Club on their way to the Poly Pier. They are training for an Alcatraz swim and the upcoming season. 

Walking up the beach I saw Tom Lorish as he was getting in and spoke to him for a bit. 

I'll b be back on Thursday at 8. I want to enjoy these conditions while they last. 

niel   

Sunday, August 9th, 2026

Tom's Sunday Swim Report - 

Marine Layer, people flocking in, glassy water and good swimming.  Typical August Sunday at Avila.  The air temperature was over 60 as was the water temperature.

Tom is just back from the Atlantic coast of Florida and the Trippel 90: 90° air, 90° water and 90% humidity.  Tom says that our 62° water is very refreshing.   niel  

Saturday. August 8th, 2026

The Saturday Swim Report - 

Today's Conditions were a 60° air temperature, a 62° water temperature , no wind, very clean water with great visibility, 1 to 2 foot surf, thick overcast, no fog and now swell for a smooth surface. 

NIel, Jodi and Paula decided to Yo-Yo between the end of the Avila Pier and the 4th buoys on each side. At our first stop at the 4th buoy on the east side we met Jennifer from Bakersfield, who joined us. We swam to each of the 4th buoys twice. The last time at the west side we came in along the buoy line and got out. 

Jodi's Route

Garmin's plot of my route was the wackiest one that I've ever seen.The time is correct but the distance is way short of the almost 4000M I swam the the plot is hilarious. 

It has me swimming through downtown Avila, out past the end of the Poly Pier and one loop way offshore. There were big gaps in the data for my pace, heart rate and stroke count. The watch was not staying connected to the GPS system. I did a complete full reboot of the watch and I'll see what it does on Tuesday.      

This coming week I'll swim at 7 on Tuesday, 8 on Thursday and at 7 on Saturday. 

niel

Thursday, August 6th, 2026

Niel's Thursday Morning Swim - 

The conditions this morning were perfect for swimming; the air and water temperatures were 61°, there was no wind and the water was clean, glassy and smooth. The surf was 1 foot+ and I had the entire Big Pool to myself, there were no crowds, no lane lines no chlorine and no turns.   

I swam down the west buoy line, decided to swim to the end of the Avila Pier, then over and back to the second crossbars on the Poly Pier and then over and back to the third crossbars. That put me at 2 miles and I came in. 

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

niel

Tuesday, August 4th, 2026

Sharks Can't Read - 

The shark signs were back up this morning. I do not have any reliable information about how or why the shark warnings are posted, so I'm with Tom L., sharks are always here in some numbers so I'll keep swimming, be aware and cautious and do more research. 

The conditions at Avila Beach are pretty stable making for great swimming; there is heavy overcast in the mornings with good visibility, occasional fog, clean and glassy water, no wind, one to two foot surf and a water temperature of around 60°.   

This morning the water was 59° near the Avila Pier and 61° near the Poly Pier. I swam along and around the ends of both piers. 

Tom Israel participated in a six person relay crossing of the Catalina Channel this morning. They began last night at about 10PM and swam from Camp Emerald Bay on Catalina Island to Portuguese Bend. Their time was 10:48:57. The water was about 70° and calm. 

There should be a photo of the team and crew here but Blogspot is still being selective about which photos it will add to a post. 😠

I'll swim Thursday and Saturday at 7

niel

Monday, August 3rd, 2026

Tom's Monday Swim Report - 

Marine layer, glassy warm water, and beautiful swimming. That was Avila at 945 AM this morning.  The air temperature was low 60s and the water temperature was low 60s as well. It was a beautiful morning Swim. 

PS. The shark signs were no longer posted. Does that mean the sharks are no longer there? Of course not, they're always out there. They live there. 

Sorry, but I couldn't include Tom's photo in today's post.  Google has done some 'upgrades' to Blogspot and now a photo uploads but doesn't appear in the blog.  I assume that they will get this sorted soon.    niel   

Saturday, August 1st, 2026

All Foggy, Half Sharky - 

Paula, Jodi and Niel at the Avila Pier

Paula, Jodi and Niel got in the water a bit after 7. The swimming conditions were excellent; the air temp was 55°, the water temp was 62°!, there was thick overcast with visibility of 1/4 to 1/2 mile, no wind, 2 to 3 foot surf and a one foot SW swell. There are four of the wildlife/shark warning signs between the stairs we take down to the beach and the showers. Two of them were folded up (no warning) and two were unfolded, showing the 'Beware of Wildlife' warning. So I guess that it was a half sharky day.  

We decided that the appropriate level of caution given a half sharky warning was to not swim to the end of the Poly Pier, which makes no sense but what are you going to do? Our route took us around the reef buoy, to the end of the Avila Pier, to the third crossbars on the Poly Pier, in along the pier to the second crossbars, stayed to the right of the kelp beds and the otters at the base of the Poly Pier, came in to the buoy line and at the pier decided to add a bit more by swimming around the pier before getting out.

There was no sun when we got out so we hurried through our showers and headed off to the rest of our days. 

This coming week I'm planning on swimming at 7 on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

niel