Saturday, June 20th, 2026

Sunny and 60° Water -

We had a lot of fun today. The water was warm and the swimming was great. 

Avila was 49° and sunny with a light offshore breeze. It was enough to put a small chop on the water. The surf was the same, 2 foot plus but watch out for the sneaky sets of 3 to 4 footers. 

There were three swimmers this morning: Tom, Hillary and Niel. I had measured a water temperature of 60° off of the Avila Pier, Tom decided to go bareback, Hillary and I declined and wore out wetsuits. 

As we waded in there were many happy toes and smiles. We swam over to the end of the Poly Pier, where the water was even warmer, and came back the same way. Changing in the sun is so much nicer, especially for Tom who was starting to feel old at the end of the swim.        

Hillary, Niel and Tom at the end of the Poly Pier  

Tom, Hillary and Niel heading back in along the pier 

This coming week I am planning on swimming on Tuesday and Saturday at 7 and on Thursday at 8.

Stinky Water at the End of the Avila Pier -  

The stinky, discolored water has been missing the last few days and I have some additional thoughts about a possible source. 

The mussels on the pilings at the end of the pier may have been spawning. Except for the nasty smell, Google's description of what occurs when mussels spawn fits pretty well with what we saw. The spawning results in the release of millions to hundreds of millions of sperm and eggs into the water, fertilization occurs in the water and the eggs develop into larvae which drift until they find a favorable place to attach to.

If the funk does not return I'll find this to be a reasonable explanation. Spawning may occur in other parts of the colony so we may see this again.

niel       

Thursday, June 18th, 2026

 The Thursday Swim Report - 

At 7 AM the air temperature was 60, the water was 57°, there was heavy overcast, a small chop out of the SW and 2 to 3 foot surf. 

Should I post something about the water temperature being back up in the upper 50's, or would that just dare the ocean gods to gift us some more sub 55° water?  

I swam a couple of triangles staying further away than usual from the end of the pier. The water seemed pretty clean so I finished with a loop around the pier.  No sign of the brown fund this morning. We'll see if it returns.

The Saturday group will swim at 7. 

niel

Wednesday, June 17th, 2026

 Tom's Wednesday Swim - 

Overcast, slight breeze, and low tide. The water had a dimple bump and a 3+ foot wave. The water temperature was about 55°. The swimming was very nice. 

Tuesday, June 16th, 2026

 The Avoid The Poop Smell Swim - 

First the swim - 

Swimming conditions were great, the water has warmed up a bit to 56° on the east side of the pier and 57° on the west side. There was thick overcast but no fog or wind. The ocean was glassy. The surf was a 4 foot shore break. At 6 AM the tide had been a -2 ft. so we walked out almost all of the way to the buoys.

We swam to the #4 buoy on the left, to the end of the Poly Pier, in along the pier and to the #1 buoy on the west side.  Getting out through the surf required some timing. I was lucky and got out quickly and had to wait a while for Hillary to find a break. We arrived at the #1 buoy on the west side at a lull and were able to swim right in.     

Part of Hillary's flotilla, Niel and Hillary at the end of the Poly Pier.

Niel and Hillary starting down the west side of the Poly Pier. 

The photo taken by Hillary's GoPro that was on the float that she was towing.  

Now about the title of this post. 

For the last 10 days the water around the ocean end of the Avila Pier has had a yellow brown color, a bad smell and millions of somethings in the water. I'm avoiding the area until I know it isn't hazardous.  The discharge pipe from the Avila Beach sewage treatment plant runs under the length of the pier and out into the ocean so this stuff in the water is something to be wary off. 

I've spoken to Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg and she has asked the County's Health Dept to look  into it.  

I'll post here when I learn something. 

I'll swim Thursday ay 7

niel 

Monday, June 15th, 2026

Tom's Monday Swim - 

Heavy overcast and glassy water. That was Avila at 945 AM.  June gloom is in full swing… in the summer crowds are swarming. The water temperature was 53 on the east side and 54 on the west. Water clarity was very good. Good morning Swim. 

Sunday, June 14th, 2026

Tom L's Sunday Swim Report - 

Thick marine layer, glassy water, and loads of people on CP graduation weekend.  Despite the 59° air temperature and overcast, Avila was packed. People on the beach staking out territory for grad day and end of school celebration and people strolling and eating at hula hut and kraken. The water temperature was 54° and there was a 3+ foot straight up and down wave rolling through. It was a good morning Swim. 

Saturday, June 13th, 2026

 We had better visibility this morning than Tom L. did yesterday. It was low clouds or high fog, I could see the end of the Poly Pier from Front Street. It was 55° and the water was 56°. The surf was the same, small with sneaky 3 to 4 footers.  There was no wind and the water was flat. Hillary, Paula, Tom I., Jodi and Niel got in the water at 7 o'clock. 

We stayed away from the funky water at the end of the Avila Pier by doing an Poly Pier loop. Paula did some additional distance along the buoy line after the rest of us got out.        

Jodi, Tom, Hillary, Niel and Paula

at the end of the Poly Pier.

Photo by Hillary

The water within 200M of the end of the Avila Pier has been dirty since last Saturday. It is cloudy, brownish, stinky and full of millions of little things that look like mosquito larvae.  There certainly not that but something, plant or animal, that is about that size and shape that are evenly dispersed through the water and not like anything any of us have seen in the water before.  I'm going to contact the Health Department Monday and ask them to have a look and to test the water. 

Hillary and I will swim Tuesday and Thursday at 7.

niel 

Friday, June 12th, 2026

The Wandering Swimmer Returns -

Tom is back from a water polo tournament in Spain and a swimming vacation in Portugal. Here is what he thinks about our cold water: 

Heavy fog, 3 foot waves and good swimming. Avila was socked in fog this morning. It was a three peaks Swim.  Air temperature was 59 when I got in at 845 AM and the water temperature was 54 on the east side and 55 on the west side. Beautiful morning vitamin. 

Thursday, June 11th, 2026

 

I felt like doing a clockwise Poly Pier Loop this morning. I got in the water at 7:30. Hillary couldn't join me, she had scheduled a meeting with German staff at 5:30AM and was still 'at work' at 7:30. I hope she got to the beach. It was sunny and 59° when I got in. 

The water temperature was up to 55°ish, there was a small swell that made swimming more interesting and we still have our nice 2+ foot sets of waves with the occasional sets of 3 to 4 footers, which I have to remember to watch for when I'm getting in and out. 

The swimming was nice and smooth and the 2 degree bump up in the water temperature from Tuesday's 53° made it more relaxing.

Having it sunny and warm at the showers is a nice bonus.

The Saturday group will swim at 7.

niel 

       

Tuesday, June 9th, 2026

Beautiful Conditions But Cold Toes - 

This morning there was a clear sunny sky in Avila Beach, also no wind and smooth water with a variable swell. The surf was the same mix of 2 foot plus waves with an very occasional set of 4 footers. Hillary and I decided to do the swim we didn't finish when she lost, and then found, her GoPro, which is a Split Yo-Yo, swimming from the end of the pier to the even numbered buoys on the west side and the odd ones on the east side.   

We waded in and were surprised by the 53° water. Spring is really messing with us. The water temperature for my last three swims was 54°, 57° and today's 53°.  I'm not switching to my summer weight wetsuit yet. 

The swimming was nice with the larger swells passing under us near the buoy line.  Hillary did an additional triangle.

On Thursday I'll swim at 8ish, Hillary may join me then or swim earlier depending on her schedule. 

Sadly, my GoPro died this morning. I took some video while we were swimming but when I tried to download the file the camera would not turn on or charge so there will be no photos for a while. 

niel 

Saturday, June 6th, 2026

The Return of the Party Boat -

Hillary has rebuilt the one of it's kind Avila Dolphins Party Boat so her GoPro is back in its original configuration and not only looks great but should be much harder to lose.

The new GoPro party boat with camera, two hula dolls and flags

Today we had Niel, Hillary, Tom Israel, Jodi and Paula in the water. The water temperature was up to 57° with a moderate wind, no chop, a 58° air temperature and heavy overcast. The pushy swell that Hillary and I had on Thursday had grown and was offering up occasional sets of 5 foot waves. 

We couldn't decide on a route so we swam to the end of the pier and would figure it out once we were there. Getting out through the surf required timing and sprinting but was uneventful. 

Hillary, Tom, Paula, Jodi and Niel at the end of the Avila Pier

 

The plot of my swim is kind'a correct. My Garmin was having another bad day with the plot somewhat of a fantasy and the charts of my pace and stroke rate changing between data and a flatline. Jodi and Tom's plots were more accurate than mine. One of us always has funky data from the swim.    

We swam over to the Poly Pier, in to the #3 crossbars, back to the end of the Avila Pier, to the #4 buoy on the west side, to the end of the pier for a third time and in to the beach.  Google maps measured our route at 3,800M +/-.

Coming in was a bit of an event with the group approaching the beach just when the largest waves of the morning arrived. There were some rides in the washing machine on the way to the beach but it was fun and no gear was lost.

Our apres swim at Hillary's van with 

fresh brewed coffee and snacks. 

Hillary and I will swim at 7 on Tuesday. I swim at closer to 8 on Thursday and with the group swim at 7 on Saturday. 

niel

    

Thursday, June 4th, 2026

Thursday Morning Yo-Yo and Treasure Hunt - 

It was a beautiful sunny morning in Avila Beach. Hillary and I decided to swim a Yo-Yo. The water temp has dropped to 54°-  since Saturday's 57° with it colder on the east side of the Avila Pier. We would do our swim on whichever side seemed to be warmer. The air temp was 51° and it was calm with a small swell on the water.  That swell turned out to have a punch larger than its one foot size. Swimming into the swell we could feel ourselves being pushed back by each wave.           

Hillary is towing her orange floatie where she keeps her Go Pro camera.

  At the end of the Avila Pier we decided to swim on the west side and headed for the #4 buoy.  When we returned to the end of the pier we decided to do the odd numbered buoys on the east side and swam to #3 on that side.   Back at the end of the Avila Pier Hillary took some video of an otter and we swam to the #2 buoy on the west side. I caught up with Hillary back at the end of the Avila Pier and found much sadness. Hillary had her orange floatie but no Go Pro camera. 

The camera floats so we figured that we might find it along our route to the #2 buoy so we split up and swam in, stopping to see if we'd get lucky and see the camera.  Hillary found her camera floating near the pier about half way in to the buoy line.  That put a nice spin on the mornings swim. 

We'll swim on Saturday at 7.

niel

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2026

June Gloom Swimming - 

The heavy overcast at the beach can now be referred to as June Gloom, brought to us by the high temperatures in the Central Valley that pull moist air from the ocean in over the land where it condenses into clouds. The numbers are about the same: 56° air, water 54° to 55° depending on which side of the Avila Pier I was on, and a breeze that came up at about 8 and started lumping up the water's surface. 

My swim began by heading to the Poly Pier, swimming out and back and over to the end of the Avila Pier where I found colder water, and on over to and around the reef buoy and back along the buoy line to #1 and in.

It was a nice swim. 

How about this? While I was at the showers I has a  surprise ride-by by Duke.

Good to see him and keep the shiny side up Buddy.   

I'll be back at 7 on Thursday. 

niel

Saturday, May 30th, 2026

Niel, Tom and Hillary swam around the Avila Rock this AM. At 7 Avila Beach was sunny, 49°, clear and calm. The surf was 2 to 3 foot and the water was 57°. 

The rain on Thursday had dirtied up San Luis Creek a bit so we headed away from the creek and swam to Avila Rock. 

Niel, Hillary and Tom at the end of the Avila Pier. 

The tide was very low and the kelp was spread out over a wide area so we swam well to the south of the Avila Rock. Instead of returning the way we had come we looped around the rock and swam through the kelp to Fossil Point and back along the buoy line.  We gave the otters that were hanging in the kelp plenty of room.  

Hillary Niel and Tom at the Avila Rock. 

When we got back to the #1 buoy Hillary did an additional triangle while Tom and I headed in. 

We had an after the swim party at Hillary's van. She brewed coffee from fresh ground beans to go with the the chocolate chip protein muffins I'd made.

I will swim on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 7 this coming  week.

niel    

Tuesday, May 26th, 2026

Niel's Tuesday Morning Swim - 

It was a damp, gray morning in Avila. Almost spitty. No wind, 2 to 4 foot surf, 58° air and flat, 56°  water. It felt more like 54° getting in but I evened out OK. 

I didn't feel motovated to go exploring so I did two triangles, had a good swim and had a hint of sun at the showers.  

I hope to be in the water between 8 and 9 on Thursday. I have Blue Water Task Force volunteers to train before swimming. If it gets too late I will either swim short or skip swimming.

I'll will be ready to swim at 7 on Saturday.

niel