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 

Sunday, February 15th, 2026

Swimming Without Lane Lines - 

Tom, Eileen, Paula and Niel swam this morning to slip a swim in before a week of rain. We got in at 8:10. It was 51°, cloudy with a swell and wind out of the SE. The surf was peaking at 3+ foot, the tide was high and the water outside was stormy and 57°.   

There wasn't much of a plan other than to get out to the buoy line, get a feel for the conditions and to figure out what we'd do from there. We swam east along the beach, around the reef buoy and to the end of the Avila Pier. 

Niel, Eileen, Paula and Tom 

near the reef buoy.

Danding pilings at the end of the Avila Pier

Look at the second row in from the end.

Paula and Eileen swam part of the second triangle and then headed in. Niel and Tom swam the triangle and then out along the pier to the end, and then retraced our beginning route back to our starting place.  The ocean was laying down a bit during the second half of our swim and the sun came out while we were at the showers. 

1 to 2 inches of rain is predicted for Monday with more to follow during the week, so I do not know when I'll be swimming. Saturday looks like to be the most likely chance.

niel 

Friday, Februray 13th, 2026

Tom Roll's The Dice and Swims on Friday the 13th. 

Gorgeous winter morning at Avila – blue skies, a chilly breeze blowing offshore, and dimple water. When I was at the end of the Avila pier, the harbor patrol pulled up lassoed one of those broken pylons and dragged it off…  the water was clear and 54°. The swimming was excellent. 

Thursday, February 12th, 2026

Tom Lorish's Thursday Morning Swim Report - 

Lovely morning Swim at Avila. Toes in the water at 945 AM. 50° air temperature and 55° water temperature.  There was an asynchronous roll on the water creating a mixed up wave pattern. I had a beautiful swim out to Avila Rock.  On my return, I saw the three pylons torn off the end of the Avila pier - still attached somewhere under the water.  It'll be curious to see how long they stay attached. 

Tuesday, February 10th, 2026

Swimming Before The Storm - 

The surf was down to 3 feet, the air and water were 58°, there was a strong wind out of the SE and it looked bumpy outside of the surf line. I would do two triangles knowing that some of the legs would be harder than others.

I pushed out through the surf and into stormy water conditions. There was a strong push towards the shore. The first lap was tough with chop breaking over my head and twisting me around.  You can see in the plot how the chop and wind pushed me all over the ocean. During the second lap the wilnd dropped, the water smoothed out and I had a nice finish. It was calm at the showers which was nice but before I left Avila the wind came back stronger than before.     

At the end of the Avila Pier

I do not think that we will get enough rain to keep me out of the water Thursday. Im busy Saturday morning so I'll swim at 8 on Sunday.

niel 

Monday, February 9th, 2026

Tom Lorish's Monday Morning Swim Report -

Heavy cloud cover, smooth water and the last of the swell. Most of the energy was gone from the swell of last week, but it was still rolling in producing 3 foot waves. The water was beautiful and about 54°. It was a good start of the week Monday morning Swim. 

Saturday, February 7th, 2026

Surf's Up! -

I could hear the surf when I was stil a block and a half up the hill.  From Front St. the waves looked like 6 foot plus. 

It was just Tom Israel and I this morning. There were scattered high clouds, 46° air and 57° water.      

We agreeded that we'd wait until we were beyond the surf line to decide on a route. Tom timed it better than I did and got out ahead of me. I waited out the next big set, found myself looking up at a 7+ foot face at one point, got under it and caught up with Tom. 

We swam to the end of the Avila Pier, keeping clear of a part of a pier piling that was bobing in the water, and decided to swim to the second crossbars on the Poly Pier and then go to the end of the pier, back to #2 and back to the Yacht Club.   

Tom and Niel at the end of the P Pier. 

When we arrived back at the surf line the tide had turned and while there were still large swells the waves had gone down and getting back in through the surf was much easier than getting out had been.   

Next week I'm planing on swimming on Tuesday and Thursday at 7 and Sunday at maybe 8 or 9.

niel