Friday, May 8th, 2026

Tom's Friday Swim Report - 

Heavy cloud cover, flat and glassy water. Air temperature was high 50s and the water temperature was low 50s. And by low I mean 52 on the east side and spots of 53 on the west.  It was a good morning of cold water swimming. 

Thursday, May 7th, 2026

No Sun, No Waves, No Swell -

I got into the water at 6:50. There was fog this morning with the visibility varying between .5 and 1 mile. It was 53° and calm, with 2 foot surf and glassy 53° to 54° water. It was a degree colder on the east side of the Avila Pier than on the west side.

The only animal life I saw this morning were gulls. 

So I had a nice smooth 2 miles with a bit of sun when I was at the showers. 

When it is foggy the Poly Pier makes a pretty good lane line. 

I'll swim with the Saturday Morning Group at 7. 

niel

Wednesday, March 6th, 2026

Tom's Wednesday Morning Swim Report - 

Clear blue skies and beautiful. The water was flat and glassy and 53, 54°. The water clarity was crystal and it was a good morning Swim. 

Tuesday, May 5th, 2026

Around The Avila Rock - 

The Big Pool was wonderful this morning. I got in at 7. It was sunny and calm with 2 foot surf with an occasional pair of 3+ footers. The morning wind didn't come up so the water stayed glassy for my whole swim. The temperatures were 48° air and 53° water.  There was a minus tide at 7:38 so it was a short swim to the buoy line, a lot of Avila Rock was exposed and I had to swim further than usual away from the rock to avoid the kelp beds that were spread out over a wider area. 

At Avila Rock looking towards the Avila and Poly Piers and Port San Luis

 

Close to the rock cold(er) water from the bottom was being pushed up to the surface so it was a degree or two colder there.

I'll be back for more of this on Thursday and Saturday mornings. 

niel 

Monday, May 4th, 2026

Tom's Monday Swim Report - 

Blue skies, beautiful cloud formations, and the occasional 3 foot wave. The wind picked up during my swim creating a bumpy wind chop.  The air temperature was high 50s and the water temperature was low 50s.  It was another chilly nice Swim. 

Sunday, May 3rd, 2026

Tom L. and Some of the Poly Girl's W.P. Team Go Around the Rock - 

Blue skies and breezy.  The air temperature was high 50s and the water temperature was low 50s.  I had a group of my CP Water Polo girls with me and we swam around the Avila Rock. It was a excellent morning Swim.   

Saturday, March 2nd, 2026

It was just Niel and Jodi swimming today.  The conditions were great with no wind, flat water and 2 foot surf. The air and water temperatures were 55°. There was thick gray overcast so the water felt like 54°+/-. We swam out to the end of the Avila Pier and from there to one of the #4 buoys on each side of the Avila Pier. Two on the west side and one onthe east side made our two miles.  

Jodi and I are working on getting used to the initial chill from the mid 50's water temp.

When we arrived at the #4 buoy on the east side a pod of bottle nosed dolphins was 70M offshore from us heading east. Jodi saw them first and the sight of a fin on the surface got her heart rate up. 

The Arrowhead Route

Three trips from the end of the pier to a #4 buoy equals 3,200M

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

niel

Friday, May 1st, 2026

Tom's May Day Swim Report - 

Heavy marine layer and glassy calm water.  The air temperature was 57° and the water temperature, based on my precision calibrated 3T's (toes, testicles, and teeth) was 53 degrees. It was a chilly but beautiful Swim. 

Thursday, April 30th, 2026

The Ocean Is Playing Games - 

Tom, Duke and I have been swimming at Avila year round for many years, in water with a temperature that ranged from the upper 40's to the mid 60's.  Lately both my 6" and my calibrated 12" thermometers have been reading 55 to 56 degrees while we all think it feels like 53 to 54 degrees. I don't know what is going on. 

Today's swimming conditions were very nice. It was gray and 56 degrees with high fog or low clouds, but the visibility was several miles. There was no wind, the water was flat and the surf was 2 foot.  

I went out on the pier and got a water temperature reading of 55° but the initial chill on my face and hands that lasted to the end far end of the buoy line had me thinking 53°.   

I did a couple of triangles in the opposite direction from Tuesday's swim.

      

Not quite yet another selfie.

I'll be back at 7 on Saturday. 

I'm going to tell Tom, Jodi and Paula that the water temp is 56° and we'll see what they say.  

niel

Wednesday, April 29th, 2026

Tom's Wednesday Morning Swim Report -

Blue skies and calm waters. The air temperature was low 60s and the water temperature was 53, 54. Excellent midweek morning Swim.   

Monday 4/27 and Tuesday 4/28

Tom Lorish's Monday Morning Swim - 

Blue skies, a cold breeze blowing from the southwest, and choppy bumpy water.  It was a cool breezy day at Avila this morning. Rough water swimming. The water temperature was about 53, 54°. Excellent Monday morning vitamin. 

Niel's Tuesday Morning Swim -

I did a couple of nice and easy triangles this morning. It was just what I needed to get the kinks out of my back from the 21 hours of driving I did over the last few days.  (It was a great wedding, so it was well worth it).  At 7 o'clock this morning Avila was sunny with a light breeze, 46°, 2 foot surf, 54° water and nice swimming conditions. After the 6 weeks in March and April when we had water temperatures of 58 to 60 degrees some mental adjustments are required to find happyness in the mid 50's. I'm almost there. I'll be back Thursday morning and I'll be wearing my booties. 

   

niel

 

Friday, April 24th, 2026

Tom's Friday Swim Report -

Blue skies, scattered clouds, a cold breeze blowing from the southwest and bumpy water. It was rough water swimming today. Toes in the water at 845 AM. Air temperature was low 60s and the water was 54, 55°.  It was a good Friday morning vitamin. 

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026

Tom's Wednesday Morning Swim Report -

Blue skies, scattered clouds, and a bump and roll on the water.  Air temperature was low 60s and the water was mid 50s. The water clarity was beautiful. Excellent morning vitamin. 

Monday, April 20th, 2026

Niel's Monday Morning Swim - 

This morning's numbers were; a 43° air temp, 55°- 56° water temp, a slight offshore wind and 2 foot surf.  

I did the loop around the reef buoy and the Poly Pier. The breeze made it a bit bumpy further out and the water was a degree or so warmer between the Avila and Poly Piers that it was on the east side of the Avila Pier. 

Just enough clouds to give the sky some character. 

With the rain predicted for tonight and tomorrow and some traveling I won't be in the water again until next Tuesday. 

niel   

Saturday, April 18th, 2026

Sombody Turned Down the Water Temperature - 

Niel, Eileen, Paula and Tom got in the water a bit after 7.  A air temperature of 42° and a water temp of 55°- 56° made things more chilly, and seasonally correct, than they have been.There was a light offshore wind and thin high clouds. It was just past low tide and the waves were 2 foot.

 We decided to negoiate a route once we met up at the end of the Avila Pier. 

The route woudl be to swim to the sharp end of Fossil Point, out to the Avila Rock, around the rock and to the end of the Avila Pier, then in to the beach.  

Before we arrived at the Avila Rock the wind had died away leaving us will smooth and glassy water for the rest of the swim.  

Niel, Eileen, Tom (the yellow cap in the center of the frame, sitting on the Avila Rock), Paula and a group of cormarants that were keeping an eye on Tom to make sure he didn't make a move on their spot at the peak of the rock. 

This was a very nice way to start a Saturday.

I'll swim again on Tuesday morning unless the rain arrives early.

niel