Sunday, May 17th, 2026

Tom Lorish's Sunday Morning Swim - 

Blue skies, thin high clouds, and a pretty big swell. The swell was bringing in four to five foot set waves and there was a breezy chop on the water as well.  The water temperature was 52 in spots and 53 and 54 in other spots. It was a good morning a rough water swimming. 

Saturday, May 16th, 2026

It's Time To Start Sharing The Ocean -  

The harbor seals were back on Tuesday and on Wednesday there was a reputable sighting of a 12' white shark over at the Harford Pier, so the fauna of summer are returning and us swimmers need to begin sharing the ocean with them.

Tom Lorish spoke to a lifeguard today and provided the details of the sighting of the marine wildlife. It is unfortunate that that information is not posted anywhere. 

At 7 AM it was overcast with a bright horizon. The air temp was 49° and I measured a 55° water temp off of the Avila Pier. The surf was up with some 3 to 4 footers in the mix, there was no wind but there was a nice swell on the water.  The swell was a nice addition and gave some character to my swimming.

It was a solo Saturday for me with everyone else either out of town, concerned about big fish or had other things to do.  

One otter and some cormorants were the only marine wildlife I saw.       

Today Garmin served up another one of its weird plots that look like the watch kept losing and reacquiring its sync with the satellite. 

I didn't zig zag around like the trace and the pace plot (below) has me stopping and staring like the seismograph trace of an earthquake.  

This is all a post swim distraction. The swimming was great, the sun had come out by the time I was at the showers and it was a happy way to start my Saturday.

I'm planning on swimming on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 7 next week.

niel   

Friday, May 15th, 2026

Tom's Swim Report - 

Marine layer and high fog, glassy water with a small swell and the landlord is in town.  The air temperature was high 50s and the water temperature was 52 on the east side, and 53 on the west side. I didn't swim in the landlord's food bowl and the landlord let me be. It was a good swim.

Tom

The Beware of Marine Life signs are up at Avila Beach.  I have no additional information 

Niel

Tuesday, May 12th, 2026

Flat Water, Fog and Seals -

For the first time in quite a while, I had a couple of seals for company this morning. A small harbor seal shadowed me for a while when I was near the base of the Poly Pier and another gave me a peak over by the reef buoy. It could have been the same seal. There are not many around in the winter so this may be a sign of the start of summer conditions.

I cropped the photo, it wasn't this close.

Avila Beach was still all gray this morning but by Thursday we should have a sunrise. The air temperature was 51° and the water was up to 55° and the visibility was better than it has been. As a trade off, the water between the two piers smelled fishy.  The surf was two foot with some three plus sets to keep it interesting. There was no wind and the water was glassy.

I swam over to the first crossbars on the Poly Pier out to the end, over to the reef buoy and back along the buoys to #1 and came in. 

The fog was up high so even though the visibility was fine the Poly Pier had their lane lines out. 

I've swum the length of the pier between the pilings and there is a optical illusion that makes it look like you can see the curvature of the earth in the water.    

I'll get in between 8 and 9 on Thursday and at 7 on Saturday. 

 

niel
    

Monday, May 11th, 2026

Tom's Monday Swim Report - 

Thick marine layer and high fog. The water was mostly flat with small bump and the temperature was 52, 53. It was a good Monday morning Swim. 

Saturday, May, 9th, 2026

The Saturday Group Swim Report - 

Paula, Jodi and Niel did a fog swim this morning. It was 52° and very gray.  The visibility was OK, but coming and going. It was calm, I measured a water temperature of 54° off of the Avila Pier, the surf was two foot plus and the water glassy but the clarity had falling off being particularly muddy on the east side of the Avila Pier.  

We did one of the 'fog routes'; buoy to buoy down the line on the east side from #1 to #4, back to #1, around the pier, down and back along the buoys on the west side, around the pier and down and back once more on the east side.

As we swam the fog was lifting and we had some sunshine at the showers.  The water temperature varied, my Garmin recorded water temps of 53° to 55°. I'm in my winter weight wetsuit (3.5/4.5) with booties (we all wore our booties today) so once the initial chill is past I'm comfortable. 

We spoke to a gentleman on the beach who paddleboards in Long Beach. The water temp there is 63° right now. He doesn't wear a wetsuit and when he winds up in the water he thinks it is cold. 

Niel, Jodi and Paula at buoy #1

While we were at #1 buoy the Harbor Patrol did a drive by. 

I'll be swimming at 7 on Tuesday, closer to 8 on Thursday and on Saturday with the Group at 7. 

niel   

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 

Friday, April 17th, 2026

Tom's Friday Morning Swim - 

Clear blue skies, flat water, and a good Friday morning Swim.  The air temperature was low 60s and the water temperature was mid 50s. It was a beautiful Friday morning Swim. 

Wednesday, April 15th, 2026

My 2026 Birthday Swim - 

Five years ago I decided to swim 100M X my age for my birthday. That was a drought year so I was able to do the swim on my birthday; 1/27/21. Since then there has been both too much rain (equals high bacteria in the water at Avila Beach) and water that was too cold (50° +/- ) in January, so I have been doing this swim once the water temperature and quality will allow it. 

Conditions have been favorable so I set out this morning to do 7,600M+.        

I had a good swim. The water was 57° when I got in and came up to 59° once the sun warmed things up.

The wind came up during the middle of the swim but fortunately it died down for the last 2,000M.

My plan was to do four big triangles. After the 4th triangle I was short some distance so I swam over to the 3rd buoy and back to #1. That just barley go me to my goal so I decided to buy some insurance by swimming to the end of the Avila Pier and back, which put me well over my number.       

Done, at the #1 buoy

This was a tough swim. I didn't have any equipment issues but I had felt really good last week and swam 6,000M last Thursday, leaving me not completely recovered by today.

I spoke to Tom Lorish at the end of the Avila Pier and met up with Duke at the showers. 

 

I'll swim with the group on Saturday at 7. 

niel 

Monday, April 13th, 2026

A Short Swim - 

What a change from Saturday. We had an inch or rain over the weekend and with the storm moving out this morning the air temperature was down to 43° and the water was 58°. There was an offshore wind and the water felt a lot colder than it had on Saturday, until I figure out that I had not made up the collar of my wetsuit correctly.  Eliminating the extra water moving around my arms and shoulders made things more comfortable.   

Another beautiful morning, a nice swim and to home for breakfast and getting into my To Do List for the construction documents on two projects.   

Hummmm, why do I live here? 

I'll swim at 7 on Wednesday.

niel

Sunday, April 12th, 2026

Tom's  Sunday Morning Swim Report -

Beautiful morning after the rain.  Super clear, a mix of clouds and blue sky, and a slight breeze. It was 59 air temperature and 58 water temperature. It was a beautiful Sunday morning Swim. 

Saturday, April 11th, 2026

We had an odd mix of conditions today. It was 57° with rain showers and low storm clouds, the ocean's surface was like a washing machine and the wind was out of the SE and was pushing the chop and swells onto the beach. Along with the waves and chop the wind had pushed a large number of velella velella, the small purple wind sailors, onto the beach.  I measured a surprisingly warm water temperature of 60° off of the pier.

Velella velella and kelp at the high tide line. 

Niel, Jodi and Tom Israel got in at 7, swam out to the #1 buoy and turned left.  It was plenty bouncy swimming across the chop and to the end of the Avila Pier.   

                          
From the end of the Avila Pier, to the third crossbars on the Poly Pier, in along the pier to the second crossbars where we split up with Jodi and Tom going to the end of the Avila Pier before going in and me going to the #1 buoy where we began. 

Niel, Jodi and Tom at the end of the Avila Pier

I'm swimming on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday next week at 7.

niel



  

Friday, April 10th, 2026

Tom's Friday Morning Swim - 

Rainy day Swim. The water was bumpy but still clear. The temperature was about 55°. It's been a while since I've had a swim in the rain. 

Thursday, April 9th, 2026

 Wandering Around In The Fog - 

It was foggy in Avila this morning. I could see most of the Avila Pier but the buoys were blending into the gray and the glare. My planned route would have been about 4,500M but would not be a good route in limited visibility so I had to come up with a new one as I was walking to the water.

Two triangles is about 3,200M so adding a third would make the route about 4,800M.

I was finding the buoys but I was wandering around a lot. I don't check my watch during a swim. On the third triangle I felt more tired than I thought I should have. When I finished and took a look my watch said I'd done 5,870M.

It looks like I have the distance in me so I'll do my birthday swim on Wednesday of next week.

I'll swim on Saturday at 7 with the group and a do 3,200M swim on Monday.

No photos today. There were some but they were of a tired looking guy with prune like skin.

niel               

Wednesday, April 8th, 2026

Tom's Swim Report - 

Clear blue skies, a mellow breeze blowing on shore, and a slight drop in water temperature. My toes tell me the water was about 56, 57. The air temperature was high 60s. Another beautiful spring day.  The swimming was excellent.   

Tuesday, April 7th, 2026

Niel's Tuesday Morning Swim Report - 

Another beautiful morning in Avila Beach. It was 49°, clear and sunny with a light breeze that was weakening and a water temperature of 58° +/-. The waves were small with pairs of sneaky 3+ footers. The tide was very low. 

My plan for this morning was to do about 5K. I added a half triangle to last Thursday's route and it worked out just right. 

The water temperature varied a degree or more, generally warmer along the Poly Pier and colder near the Avila Pier. There was a little wind and chop at the start that died and left me with glassy water for the second half of the swim. 

At the base of the Poly Pier

I'll definitly be back for more of these conditions on Thursday before the rain (!) on Friday and Saturday.

niel

Monday, April 6th, 2026

Tom L's Monday Morning Swim Report - 

Beautiful conditions at Avila this morning. Blue skies with high thin clouds, flat and glassy water, and a minus low tide.  It was a perfect day for going around the rock. With the minus low tide, there was more exposed rock than I can remember seeing. It was gorgeous out there. Excellent Monday morning vitamin.