Tuesday, March 31st, 2026

Starting To Go Longer -  

The swimming conditions were very nice today so I decided to start pushing out my distance. I also had an idea for a different course. It would be longer than my usual 3,200M but I wasn't sure how long it would be, but figured I try it and quit when I was done having fun. 

The numbers were an air temperature of 58° and a water temperature of 59°. The surf was two foot, there was no wind or chop, just a swell from the SE. The clarity of the water is excellent (for Avila Beach).

My course would be to swim out and back along the east and west buoy lines and to connect the halves by swimming out and around the Avila Pier. A complete loop would start and end at the #1 buoy on the east side. I did two loops in 1:52:46 and 4,628M. Two hours is getting to the far end of my ability without any nutrition so I was starting to feel the distance for the last loop around the pier. 

My plan is to do 4 to 5K swims and to see if I get my distance up to where I'll do my 2026 Birthday Swim. It will be 7,600M this year. 

I have not heard from Dave Van Mouwerik in some time. Dave, if you are reading this Scott Zorning is moving to Cambria in June and would like to connect with you. Scott is also looking for local ocean swimmers to swim with. If anyone knows of people swimming in Cambria or Morro Bay please pass their info along.  Scott is a U.S. Masters Swimming All-American and the current holder of five long-distance open water swimming records.

And if you missed Dr. Chris Lowe's presentation about white sharks at the SLO Library a few months back he will be the April presenter for Science After Dark at the Central Coast Aquarium on April 28th. Tickets are still available from the aquarium's website. 

   

I'll swim Thursday and Saturday at 7.

niel

Monday, March 30th, 2026

Tom's Monday Swim Report - 

Heavy marine Layer, a breeze blowing from west to east, and bumpy water.  915am toes in the water. The air temperature was high 50s and the water temperature was mid 50s. It was a good start of the week Swim.  

Saturday, March 28th, 2025

 The Saturday Swim Report - 

Elmore Leonard says to never start a story with the weather, but it is the first thing on your mind when arriving at the beach to swim, so;

It was foggy in Avila this morning for the first time in a while. The ari temperature was 54° and the water was still up at 59°. The surf was 3 foot with an occasional pair of 4 footers. We have the swim zone buoys now so Jodi, Tom and Niel had several options for routes that would have landmarks that could be seen in the fog.  There was the ghost of a private fishing boat near the buoy at the reef on the east side so we decided to start by swimming out to the end of the Avila Pier, back in along the opposite side of the pier and to the 4th buoy on the west side and to double back the way we had come. At the 4th buoy we could see the Poly Pier clearly so we changed plans and swam to the second crossbars on the P. Pier, out and around the end and back to the second crossbars.  From there we doubled back along our route to the 4th buoy, along the buoys to the Avila Pier and in.           

The fog was never thick enough to be difficult, the swimming was nice and 59° water is makes things pretty casual.  We never saw the fishing boat while we were swimming. 

Pale Kae was launching their boats while we were at the showers.   

Tom, Jodi and a Great Blue Heron checking out 

the Saturday Morning Poly Pier Buffet

Tom, Niel, Jodi and the Fog at the end of the Poly Pier

My schedule next week is Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 7. 

niel

Friday, March 27th, 2026

Tom L's Friday Swim Report - 

High clouds, and some fog rolling in on the horizon… The air temperature was high 60s in the water temperature was high 50s. Flat and calm and the swimming was beautiful. 

Wednesday, March 25th, 2026

Tom's Wednesday Morning Swim - 

Foggy, flat and glassy.  The air temperature was 58° and the water temperature  was 58°. The water clarity remains excellent. It was a good morning Swim. 

Thursday, March 23rd, 2026

 

At the end of the Poly Pier

Swimming The Bumps - 

The wind was blowing strong and steady from the north to northeast this morning. In near the buoy line the chop was small but would be bigger further offshore. The air temp was 64°, the water was 59° and it is still nice and clear. The waves were 2 to 3 feet. 

I had planned on swimming about 4K today. The route I had planned was the loop from the Avila Pier out to the end of the Poly Pier, to the the reef buoy and back with an additional out and back around the Avila Pier added to make the 4K. I couldn't tell how rough was at the end of the Poly Pier. The swim back from the end of the P. Pier would be into or across the chop, so I fugured that from the end of the P. Pier I could either swim my plan, swim back in along the P Pier or swim to the end of the Avila Pier. 

At the end of teh Poly Pier I decided to head towards the end of the Avila Pier. It was good and bumpy but not quite bumpy enough to make me bail and cut things short, so I wound up swimming my original plan. I didn't get my 4K but I felt like I had.

While I was at the showers Duke came by to say hi on his way to the water. It is good to see him at the beach. 

Thursday is predicted to have temperatures in the low 70's and less wind. The conditions will be whatever they are but if the water temperature stays in the upper 50's I'll not be complaining. 

I'll be in the water at about 7:30 on Thursday. 

niel

Monday, March 23rd, 2026

Tom's Monday Morning Swim Rep[ort - 

Blue skies, sunny and warm. Air temperature was 70° when I arrived at 915 AM.  The water was super clear and high 50s. Excellent Monday morning vitamin. 

Saturday, March 21st. 2026

60 Degree Water -

A week of hot weather had pushed the water temperature up to 60°. The visibility was very good, out at the buoy line I could see the ripples in the sand.  The waves were 2 foot except for two 4 footers that slipped in while we were wading out. There was a light offshore breeze and thin high clouds. 

Jodi suggested that we swim a Oy-Oy route today. That is a Yo-Yo route backwards.  It started from the end of the Avila Pier, went to the 4th buoy on the east side, to the 3rd buoy and back to the end of the pier. Then to the #2 buoy, to the #1 buoy, back to the end of the pier and finishes by swimming to the 3rd buoy on the west side, to the 2nd buoy and back to the end of the pier.     

Eileen, Avery, Niel, Paula and Jodi

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

niel

Tom's Friday Swim Report - 

 Blue skies and a little hazy on the horizon, high 60s air temperature and high 50s of water temperature. The water clarity wasn't quite what it was on Wednesday, but it was still on the far end of the clarity continuum. Another sublime swimming day at Avila. 

Thursday, March 19th, 2026

Better Than Summer - 

Summer swimming conditions in Avila Beach are not often better than it has been this week in March. This morning it was another clear and still day with with an air temperature of 57°, 2 foot surf and glassy 57° (!) water. The water has also been unusually clean with visability as good as it gets in Avila Beach.  

I followed Tom's bubbles from yesterday by swimming out to the Avila Rock. I returned by swimming to the 4th buoy on the east side of the pier, along the buoys to #1 and in to the beach. 
Changing in the warm sunshine makes the swimming even better. 

I'll be joining the group swim on Saturday morning at 7.

niel 

Wednesday, March 18th, 2026

Tom's Wednesday Swim Report - 

Blue skies and super Clear water. Air temperature was mid 60s and the water temperature was mid 50s. The water clarity was sublime – I could see the bottom of the ocean out past the buoy line. It was a perfect day for swimming around the rock, so I did.  

Tuesday, March 17th, 2026

A East Side Yo-Yo -

When I got in the water at 7 Avila Beach was clear, 51°, with a light offshore breeze, 2 foot waves and flat, glassy 55° water. When I was at the showers at 8:40 it was 72° and warming up nicely. 

I swam a Yo-Yo route on the east side. 

The water was very clean. This is a look down the anchor chain for the #1 buoy on the east side. It seemed like I could almost see the bottom. 

I'm looking forward to my Thursday and Saturday swims.

niel

Sunday, March 15th, 2026

 Tom's Sunday Swim Report - 

Blue skies with thin high clouds. A breeze blowing off shore and small waves rolling in. The air temperature was mid 60s and the water temperature was no 50s. The swimming was excellent. 

Saturday, March 14th, 2026

 Niel, Jodi and Tom got in the water at 7:40 this morning. It was going to be a warm day at the beach. The air temp was 61° when we got in and 74° when we got out. It was clear and sunny with no clouds. At 7:30 the parking along Front St. was full and there were more than the usual number of people on the beach. There was a light offshore breeze that strengthened while we were in the water. The water was clean with no sign of the weird funk Tom Lorish ran into yesterday. I measured a water temperature of 53° off of the Avila Pier. 

Jodi suggested that we do a yo-yo swim in recognition of the return of the swim zone buoys. We chose to swim on the west side of the pier because we would not be swimming towards the sun as much. The wind came up and the legs toward the beach became more difficult to push into the current and chop. We all agreed that the water didn't look like it would be as difficult to swim in as it was.

An hour and a half of that and we were ready to get out. 

This was the first swim for Jodi's new Dakine front zip wetsuit and she gave it a thumbs up for being comfortable and warm.

I'll swim Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings next week at 7:30. Maybe the hot weather in the coming week will push up the water temperature a bit.

niel 

      

  

Friday, March 13th, 2026

Tom T's Friday Morning Swim - 

Beautiful morning at Avila. Low 60s air temperature, low 50s water temperature. Blue skies and high clouds. The water was glassy with a 3 foot swell rolling in. It was around the rock Friday.  There was some nasty splotches of mystery funk along the buoy line on the east side. I have never seen anything like it and hope to never see anything like it again. Despite the funk, once I got past it the water was clear and beautiful all the way around the rock. Good Friday morning vitamin.