Thursday, May 29th, 2025

 Another Nice Morning Swim - 

Niel and Jim midway between the Avila and Poly Piers

Avila Beach was sunny, calm and 47°. It was nice to feel the sun on my wetsuit. It was a very low tide so it would be a short swim out to the buoy line.  

I got in at 6:50 and went left down the buoy line.  I was near buoy #4 when Jim motored up to my shoulder so we stopped and talked about last Sunday's rough conditions compared to this mornings glassy with a small swell.  My thermometer, Jim, and I all agreed on a water temperature of 52°.  We looped around the kelp at the reef buoy and headed for the end of the Poly Pier.  

Jim is a much faster swimmer than I so he swims to other places along the route and comes back to where I am. I was half way between the ends of the Avila and Poly Piers when we ran into each other.  I didn't think 'shark' but maybe a playful seal. We had a nice laugh and continued on to the P Pier.  

Jim went directly back to the beach from the end of the P Pier. I swam in to the second crossbars, across to the 4th buoy on the west side and along the buoy line to #1 on the east side.  The water was a bit warmer near the creek mouth  but I wouldn't call it a 'warm spot'.  

At the showers the sun felt nice. 

These are rills. They can form on the sloping wet sand between the dry sand and the water. At a low tide water drains out of the sand and out onto the surface on the slop to the water. The water makes these small culverts and change to a positive form. They look like miniature trees.  

I'll swim with the Saturday group at 7:30 and on Sunday at 11.

niel