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. 

Thursday, March 12th, 2026

Niel's Thursday Swim Report - 

It was a beautiful morning in Avila Beach for a swim.  At 7:30 it was sunny and 62° with three too 4 foot surf and a light offshore breeze. The water temperature was 53 degrees with areas that were colder. There was a backwash that would make the incoming waves jump up.

The big news is that the lifeguard towers have been moved from the back of the beach to their summer locations and the swim zone/no boats buoys were being installed.    

I swam out to the end of the Avila Pier, to the second crossbars on the Poly Pier, to the end of that pier and reversed my route back to the beach. 

It was 72° when I got out which made changing at the showers a casual affair.

I'll swim at 7:30 on Saturday.

niel  

Wednesday, March 11th, 2026

Tom L's Wednesday Swim Report - 

Blue skies, glassy flat water, and the buoys are in on the west side. In the picture below if you look closely midway along the pier behind the pylons you can see the boat installing the buoys on the west side.  The air temperature was high 50s and the water temperature was low 50s. It was a good cold water swim.  

Tuesday, March 10th, 2026

Niel's Tuesday Morning Swim Report - 

It was 54° and gloomy in Avila Beach this morning with a thick overcast and the extra darkness from the time change. There were less than the usual number of people with their dogs on the beach. Maybe dogs are like our cat, she knew that it is too early to get up no matter what I was doing. 

In Avila it was calm with glassy water and 2 foot surf, excellent swimming conditions. My thermometer showed me a water temperature of 54°, but it did not feel like the mid 50's to me, but more like 53° with it 1° colder on the east side of the pier.         

I paddled around for two triangles and called it a very good start to my morning. 

I'll be back Thursday and Saturday. I'll get in closer to 7:30 when the light is better.

niel 

Saturday, March 7th, 2026

The Wind is Up, The Water Temperature is Down - 

It was a beautiful morning in Avila Beach and it was going to be a cold swim. It was sunny with think high scattered clouds and a steady offshore breeze. The surf was 1 to 3 foot and soft. The water was 52° with very good visibility and no bacteria.

Paula, Eileen, Niel and Tom were going swimming.   

From the back, Paula, Tom, Eileen and Niel beginning 

to lose the feeling in their toes. 

We swam to the end of the Avila Pier and to where the 4th buoy on the west side would be. Paula and Eileen went back to the pier and got out. Tom and I swam to the first crossbars on the Poly Pier, to the end of the pier, to the end of the Avila Pier and in. 

Tom, Niel and the end of the Poly Pier. 

Wondering how much it will cost to repaint the pier.

Being able to have sunshine and warm(ish) concrete at the showers makes it so much better. 

The Avila Lifeguards were there doing their recertification swim. 

Next week I am planning on swimming on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 7. The sun will not be up as far but the light will be OK for swimming.

niel
    

Friday, March 7th, 2026

Tom L's Friday Morning Swim - 

Blue skies, a gusty breeze blowing offshore, and a clean 3 foot wave rolling in. The air temperature was low 60s and the water temperature was low 50s. The water clarity was excellent. It was a beautiful morning Swim. 

Thursday, March 5th, 2026

Spring Conditions - 

It was a very spring like morning in Avila Beach today. It was sunny and calm, 49°, the water was flat and the surf knee high and the tide low. The overnight offshore wind had pushed the water temperature down to 53° in Avila and 52° along the Poly Pier.  

I swam parallel to the beach to the first crossbars on the Poly Pier, out to the end of the pier and back the way I had come.  It was a lovely morning out there.

Afterwards, the sun felt great when I was at the showers.   

I'll swim with the Saturday group at 7.  

niel

Wednesday, March 4th, 2026

 Tom L's Wednesday Morning Swim Report - 

Offshore cool gusty breeze, high thin clouds, and some blue skies. The air temperature was high 50s and the water temperature was about 53°. The water clarity was amazing. It was a good morning Swim and it was good to see Duke in the water as I was getting out. 

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026

Niel's Tuesday Morning Swim -

Near the reef buoy.

This morning the water temperature was down and the wind was up. The water was 54° - 55° and a strong offshore wind came up during my swim. The waves were small enough that I waded out until I was past the surf and started swimming. The water felt a lot colder than the high 50's of last week. While I was swimming out along the pier I had a bit of an ice cream headache. 

I was planning on swimming out and back along the P. Pier but instead I turned left at the end of the Poly Pier and did the loop around the reef buoy.   Things got different quickly as a strong offshore breeze had come up and I was swimming across a nice one foot chop. The chop and wind pushed me further out so I didn't wind up at the reef buoy but well offshore from it. 

The water is nice and clear, I could easily see the bottom in 6 to 8 feet of water.  

It was about 60° at the showers so even with the wind it was not uncomfortable getting changed.

I'm planning on swimming on Thursday and Saturday mornings at 7.

niel  

Saturday, February 28th, 2026

 Double Vision - 

                        

                                          Jodi                                 Tom

Tom and Jodi swam Saturday morning at 8. They did a new 2.18 mile route that took them from the end of the Avila Pier, around the reef buoy and then over to the 3rd and 2nd crossbars on the Poly Pier. After more than two miles Tom and Jodi somehow managed to clock the same yardage!

I'll swim Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings this week at 7.

niel

Monday, March 2nd, 2026

Tom L's Monday Morning Swim -

Tom said that the paramedics were there 

for their swim certifications and not for him

After a foggy Sunday, Avila was blue skies sunny and warm again. Low 60s air temperature, mid 50s water temperature a slight breeze and beautiful swimming.  9am toes in the water. Excellent Monday morning vitamin. 

Friday, Februsry 27th, 2026

Tom L's Friday Morning Swim - 

A beautiful Friday morning Swim.  A breeze is blowing from the east to west, blue skies and wispy clouds. The air temperature was mid 70s and the water temperature was high 50s. I swam  around the rock. Beautiful day beautiful Swim. 

Thursday, February 26th, 2026

Around the Rock Thursday -

Avila served up a warm and beautiful morning for today.  At 7:30 it was 57° and it would be in the low 70's when I got out. The was a weak offshore breeze, 2 to 3 foot surf and clean 58° water making today a great day to swim out to Avila Rock. There was not anything adventureish about the swimming today, just a great start to the day.

I'll be of town this weeking so my next swim will be on Tuesday. 

niel   

Monday, February 23rd, 2026

Finding My Rythim - 

I have been sitting out because of the high bacteria levels in the water due to the rain and had not been in the water for 8 days. The weather has cleared so today was first my chance to get back in. 

At 7AM it was 40° in Avila with scattered high clouds, no wind, a calm orean and 3 foot waves with an occasional 4 footer. The water temperature was 57°. Eight days is long enough to loose some of my ocean mojo and the water felt more like 55° to me when I was getting in. I got more comfortable as I swam and it felt like 57° for the last half of my swim.

I decided to stay offshore, just in case the water near the shore was still high in bacteria from the creek.       

The sunrise at Fossil Point 

I swam down to Fossil Point, over to the Poly Pier and back to the Avila Pier and in. The water was pretty smooth with some small chop when the wind guested. It was just what I needed to get back into doing this. 

There were some pieces of pier pilings on the beacch but I did not see any debris in the water. There is a large track hoe parked on the beach near where the location for the #2 lifeguard station. I do not know what the Harbor District is planning to use the track hoe for but it would be handy to clear any additional parts of the pier that wind up on the beach. 

I'll swim Thursday and be out of town this weekend. 

This QR code will open a page with the latest local water quality results from the Surfrider Blue Water Task Force. 

niel