Saturday, June 20th, 2026

Sunny and 60° Water -

We had a lot of fun today. The water was warm and the swimming was great. 

Avila was 49° and sunny with a light offshore breeze. It was enough to put a small chop on the water. The surf was the same, 2 foot plus but watch out for the sneaky sets of 3 to 4 footers. 

There were three swimmers this morning: Tom, Hillary and Niel. I had measured a water temperature of 60° off of the Avila Pier, Tom decided to go bareback, Hillary and I declined and wore out wetsuits. 

As we waded in there were many happy toes and smiles. We swam over to the end of the Poly Pier, where the water was even warmer, and came back the same way. Changing in the sun is so much nicer, especially for Tom who was starting to feel old at the end of the swim.        

Hillary, Niel and Tom at the end of the Poly Pier  

Tom, Hillary and Niel heading back in along the pier 

This coming week I am planning on swimming on Tuesday and Saturday at 7 and on Thursday at 8.

Stinky Water at the End of the Avila Pier -  

The stinky, discolored water has been missing the last few days and I have some additional thoughts about a possible source. 

The mussels on the pilings at the end of the pier may have been spawning. Except for the nasty smell, Google's description of what occurs when mussels spawn fits pretty well with what we saw. The spawning results in the release of millions to hundreds of millions of sperm and eggs into the water, fertilization occurs in the water and the eggs develop into larvae which drift until they find a favorable place to attach to.

If the funk does not return I'll find this to be a reasonable explanation. Spawning may occur in other parts of the colony so we may see this again.

niel