Sunday, January 31st, 2010

I was in Cayucos celebrating my birthday and missed going to the beach today. The water in Cayucos looked dirty but there were a lot of surfers out. At high tide the waves were hitting the bottom of the pier, 1-1/2 to 2X overhead, so a little muddy water wasn't going to keep them out of the fun. I did get some good pictures. I don't know if the waves were as large or the water was any cleaner at Avila. Did anyone get wet?

niel

Sunday, January 24, 2010

It was a day of brown and black. I was concerned about the water quality due to the runoff from the rain so I rode to Avila adn had lunch on the beach with Sylvia. The ocean was chocolate colored from runoff. While the SLO County Health Department has yet to post any advisories for poor water quality, Sylvia told me that virtually all of the beaches in Santa Barbara county were closed due to polluted runoff so it seemed like a good day to stay out. The tide was very low and a lot of material has been pulled off of the the beach buy the storm surf. Most of the beach sand had a salt and pepper appearance due to the quantity of oil particles that were mixed in with the sand and there were numerous globs of tar that ranged in size from a silver dollar to desert plate. Sylvia and I picked up some non-natural debris from the beach, including some shattered pieces of boat hull. Gerry Gross came buy to check out the surfing conditions. He told me that on Wednesday the surf was cresting out beyond the end of the Avila pier and then reforming and breaking again closer in, which was wilder that he had ever seen it including the years that he lived at Avila. There is more rain predicted, beginning tonight and off and on through next Friday, so it is had to predict if the water will have cleared up by next Sunday.
It is hard to remember now that less than a month ago I was wondering if the string of beautiful Sundays was ever going to end and that we would get some winter weather.

niel

Sunday, January 17th, 2010

It was just starting to spit rain when I got to the beach. The swimming conditions looked OK; the breakers had not pushed up too much yet and it was flat out at the buoy line. The water temperature was 55.5. Sylvia and I watched the ocean for a while and had a chance to speak with Barry Cleavland. Barry swam with us some years ago, was out on a bike ride and was taking a break at the foot of the pier. She had also spoken earlier to Duke and Angela who were out on a walk. Duke is on the disabled list with two broken ribs due to a bike crash. I'll let him tell you the whole story. It began to change from spitting to rain, Barry needed to get back to town and Sylvia and I decided that the two of us didnt create sufficient critical mass to get us in the water. Swimming next Sunday looks questionable. With the amount of rain we are supposed to get in the next 5 days the water quality is likely to be poor from all of the runoff. If it is sunny, I'll always come to just have lunch on the beach.

niel

Sunday, January 10th, 2010

It was another very nice day at Avila Beach. It was warm and sunny with some 6' to 7' sets of waves. The tide was very low so the large waves were starting to break just inside the buoy line. There was a slight left to right wind and current. Sylvia swam out to the buoy and I did the triangle route clockwise. Getting in and out was easy a long as you waited for the breaks in the sets.
Sylvia brought by a great book that a lot of you would be interested in. It is Swimming Anatomy, ' Your illustrated guide for swimming strength, speed and endurance' by Ian Mcleod. It is exercises categorized by stroke and body part with great illustrations.

niel

Sunday, Jamuary 3, 2010

If you were out here from Ohio for the Rose Bowl game, today's weather would make it very hard to go home. It was clear and sunny at Avila with just a slight offshore wind. The air temperature was in the upper 60's and the water was back to a seasonally correct 54.5. I continue to thank the ocean gods for that nice bump up in the water temperature on New Year's Day. There have been some high tides and the wash line is up to the bottom of the stairs. There were some nice waves today but they were spaced out enough that getting in and out was not a problem. Rob and I swam around the pier and Sylvia got wet enough to enjoy the warm sun up next to the wall. Duke and Angela came by on their way out for a run. They are going to do a bike training camp and will be back at the beach in a couple of weeks.
Rob haas posted a selection of the pictures from New Year's Day on the blog at http://swimavila.blogspot.com/


niel

New Years Day Swim Pictures!

Friday, New Year's Day, 2010

We had very nice conditions and a great turnout of our New Years Day swim. It was overcast with an air temperature in the mid-60's that felt quite warm when the sun peaked through. The sea was flat with no wind and small surf. The water temperature was a unseasonable and very welcome 59. The Health Department had posted a water quality warning early in the week but it was cleared on Wednesday. Tom Lorish (wetsuit) swam out from the beach to the end of the pier to escort us back in. Niel, Mat Farmer, Kevin Watkins, and at 72, Sylvia Glenn jumped off of the the end of the pier (no wetsuits). Dale (wetsuit) and Leslie (no wetsuit) went in off of the floating dock at the end of the pier. The support crew who carried our stuff, took the pictures and created the energy to make it possible consisted of; Big Steve and Nan, Duane and Linda, Matt's whole family, Fred Casillas and Tom Mc Neill and Moodie. We had an outstanding pot luck lunch on the beach with more food than we could finish. I had a great time and look forward to seeing everyone at the beach in the coming year. Give me a day or so to get the pictures posted on the website.

niel

Sunday, December 20th, 2009

Thin clouds and a weak sun, but the air was 60 and the water 55. Very calm and glassy with some nice small waves. A few rafts of birds and our one seal were the only things out on the water. Sylvia waded and I swam. I unzipped my wetsuit for the swim in from the buoy line thinking that I should be preparing myself for swimming on New Years Day. Kevin Watkins came by on his way to ride some waves. Kris and I will be traveling next Sunday but I will be at Avila to swim at Noon on 01/01/10, weather, water conditions and water quality permitting. Have a wonderful and safe holiday!

niel

Sunday December 13th, 2009

We were downtown yesterday and by the way the creek was roaring along I felt certian that the water at Avila would be muddy and not too clean today, so I passed on going to the beach until next weekend.

niel

Sunday, December 6th, 2009

There were about 300 Harley-Davidson motorcycles in Avila this morning, and it was not what you might think. They all looked like hardware store managers and school teachers. Anyway, it was either sunny or cloudy form one moment to the next, the air temperature was 50 and the water temperature was the same as last week at 54. It was flat with no wind, a few small waves and no chop. I counted about 3 pelicans, a dozen other birds and no other sea life. Sylvia and Rob were at the Masters meet in Long Beach. I'm getting over a cold and thought that a swim would feel good so I swam by myself. I stayed in closer to shore so that i could bail out if my energy faded. I swam the buoy line and felt much better for having gone in.

niel

Sunday, November 29, 2009

This has been a fall to enjoy and remember, unless you happen to be a plant. Our warm sunny and dry weather continues to provide beautiful weather at Avila on Sundays. Wonderful for swimming but very dry for this time of the year. It was very clear and calm at Avila with not much sign of wind chop, even far across the bay towards Point Sal. There were only a few birds and no other signs of sea life. There were five kids boogie boarding near the pier. The water was 54 and a little cloudy from the big swell earlier in the week. Rob and I swam, Sylvia enjoyed the beach and spoke to Matt Farmer while we were out in the water. It was wonderfully warm and comfortable up next to the wall afterwards.

Sylvia and Rob will be in Long Beach next weekend for a 3 day Masters meet. I'll be at Avila unless it rains.

niel

Sunday November 22nd, 2009

Sunny, warm and a slight offshore breeze. Flat conditions with a water temperature of 55. One seal and 6 pelicans. Nothing else was in or around the water. Sylvia and Rob were at a swim meet. Dale and Al are in Florida. No one else showed and I decided not to swim by myself.

niel

Sunday, November 15th, 2009

It was sunny, calm, 70 degrees with beautiful swimming conditions at Avila today. The big surf is long gone. The water was 56. We had one seal cruising the surf line (where's Jackie?) and one small dolphin doing the same after we swam. Sylvia, Rob, Dale and I got in. My lower back is sore so I just cruised and worked at loosening up.
Next weekend Rob and Sylvia will be at a Masters meet and Dale will be in Florida, swimming in warm water. It it does not rain too much late in the week and muddy things up I'll be swimming, or just enjoying the beach.
On my way to the showers I spoke with a gentleman who wanted to know if it was typical to have this kind of weather here at this time of year. He had on a NORTH DAKOTA FOOTBALL T-shirt. I don't think that he could get over how nice the weather was and I could not help think about what it would be like playing football in North Dakota today (clear with a high of 49 and a low of 21) and realizing that there the outdoor pool season ends on Labor Day.

Sunday, 8 November 09

The Internet surf predictions did not have it quite right. The big swells that were to put up large waves on the west facing beaches were predicted to create only a 2' to 3' surf at Avila. At 10:30 there were sets with faces taller than I am. A strong offshore breeze gave them some shape but they were closing out so there was not much chance for a good ride. It was warm, very sunny and almost sweaty up near the wall. Sylvia and I decided to hang on the beach for a while and see if the waves would lie down some with teh tide change and by 11:30 things were looking welcoming enough that we got in. The water temperature was 57. Sylvia played in the waves and I swam the triangle. I has a first time experience of rounding the end of the pier and finding a wind chop coming straight off of the beach. I finished my swim just as a big set of waves came in so I idled at the buoy line until they laid down and came on in. Sylvia said that today was the most fun she has had in the ocean in a long time, and this is November!

There was a great article in the San Francisco Chronicle this week about the results of a long study of the migration behavior of the Pacific Great White Shark. You can find it at sfgate.com and search for 'Great White Shark Study'

Sunday November 1st, 2009

Today at Avila it was like one of those beer commercials; warm, sunny and calm with beautiful water. All we needed was some palm trees next to us and it would of been just l;ike on TV. We had slight offshore conditions, no wind, very small waves, no chop or swell and no birds or seals to be seen in or above the water. Rob and Sylvia said that their toe test read 60 to 61. The thermometer said 56. I didn't want to ruin their good mindset so I kept the reading to myself and just agreed that it looked great. Rob, Sylvia, Dale, Duke and I swam. Sylvia did her own thing for about 50 minutes. The rest of us swam the triangle route in about 31 minutes. It was lovely and warm on the beach afterwards.
It is supposed to be in the 80's all week so we may have more of the same next Sunday.

niel