Sunday, July 20, 20210

It was beautiful at Avila when I got there this morning; sunny, calm and flat. However before I was done taking the temperature (54) a bit of a breeze out of the West had started up. At 11 it had strengthened to the point of setting up a head high chop with occasional whitecaps that extended inside the buoy line, so it was going to be a real ocean swimming day. Swimming today were Niel, Sylvia, Patrick, Dale, Duke, Chad, Brittany, Matt Farmer (!), and Peter. We went out on the left side of the pier, through the pier and down to the last buoy. This was by far the roughest day that Brittany had been out in so she went short and returned to the beach. Matt (no wetsuit) decided to return back along the buoy line and go in. The rest of us went to the end of the Avila Pier and on to the last buoy on the left, and back along the buoy line to the pier and in. The first leg towards the creek which was directly into the chop was the roughest. Those head high waves are big enough to break over your head making them easy to inhale, but not large enough to lift you so you can breath. The downwind leg from the end of the pier to the last buoy on the left was fun and fast, with opportunities to surf the bigger waves. The last leg back to our starting point was on the leeward side of the pier and was not as rough as the first leg on the windward side because the pier itself deflects some of the wind and the chop gets flattened out when it passes through the pilings. Everyone was smiling once we were back on the beach getting warmed up in the sun, having enjoyed the challenge of a swim with real ocean 'conditions'.

niel

Wednesday Evening, June 16, 2010

It was sunny at Avila with an unusual left to right breeze. The wind was stead enough to have pushed up a small chop. The water was 57. I have only seen seals and shore birds occasionally and there were none in sight tonight. We had eight swimmers; Duke, Rob, Pete, Dana, Dave, Ryan, Joel and Niel. Joel is a member of SLO Tri Club and this was his first swim with us. We went out to the buoy line and left to the last buoy. It was strange swimming into a chop in this direction but it was just big enough to be interesting and not challenging. The water felt much warmer to me compared to recent swims and I was very comfortable. From the last buoy we swam to the end of the Avila Pier. At that point Niel, Rob and Ryan came in parallel to the pier and the rest of the group angled over to the last buoy on the right side of the pier, near the mouth of the creek and from there back along the buoys to the pier and in. The longer swim was about 1.3 miles.

niel

Sunday, June13th, 2010

The conditions at Avila Beach were a bit of a surprise today. It was warm and sunny in San Luis Obispo so I threw a sweatshirt in with my swim stuff as an afterthought. When I got to the beach I was greeted with FOG and a very cool breeze blowing onshore out of the fog bank. I was actually sunny over the beach but there was a wall of fog from the end of the Cal Poly pier to Fossil Point that was just hanging there. The breeze that I mentioned had built up a medium chop that had not yet formed any white caps. The water temperature was 55 with small surf. We had nine swimmers today; Sylvia, Dale, Brittany, Chad, Duke, Dave, Dana, Dale and Marni. My shoulder seems to like resting so I was sitting this one out. Everybody headed down the buoy line to the left and came back and through the pier. Sylvia and Brittany came in and the rest of the group continued on to the last buoy at the creek. At that point Marni, Chad and Dale returned back along the buoy line and Dana, Dave, Duke and Eric headed over to the Cal Poly pier. From there they swam to the end of the Avila pier and came in to the beach along the pier for a total time of about 50 minutes.



Sylvia and Dale were at the Alcatraz swim last Sunday (the day after Rob's Around Alcatraz swim) and were shut out by fog. Bummer! They were on the boats and out at the rock when the race was called because the fog was not lifting and they were moving out of the time window for the tides. Sylvia said that while they were waiting on the boat at the start point that she could not see Alcatraz from the boat. The start of Rob's race the day before was delayed because of fog and the late start cause the swimmers to experience some difficult and potentially dangerous conditions. Canceling the race was a tough but correct call by the organizers because getting into the water outside of the tide window could result in a swimmer getting a tour of the Golden Gate or having an encounter with a container ship. The organizers held a consolation race in and around the Aquatic Park in which both Sylvia and Dale placed first in their age groups.

I'll (and probably Rob) be there on Wednesday.

niel

Wednesday Evening, June 9th, 2010

The temperature was dropping and the fog was rolling in when I left San Luis Obispo for Avila. I got a nice surprise when I pulled up on Front Street. It was sunny and warm with no sign of fog. There was still a good breeze from left to right and a small chop on the water. The waves were only knee high. At 5 there were still a lot of people on the beach and in the water, which is always a good sign. The water temperature measured 57. We are starting to see more fishermen on the pier but there is still not a consistent presence of seals, pelicans or other shore birds that would indicate a lot of bait fish in the water. We had eight swimmers; Dana, Rob, Patrick, Niel, Dave, Lynn, Dani and Steve. Rob and Dave, being radical fundamentalist swimmers, went without the benefit of neoprene. We headed out to the buoy line, turned left and swam to the last buoy. The water felt colder than 57 to me. On the next leg we swam straight into the chop to the end of the Avila Pier. This is part of what I really like about swimming in the ocean. Besides the beautiful scenery and being out in the open, I really enjoy how different the conditions will be. Learning how to work with and around the variations in temperature, current, chop and wind and to have to navigate as well, makes every trip into the water a new experience. From the end of the pier we split into two groups of four, half came in along the pier and the other half continued to the last buoy at the creek. They then came in along the buoy line back to the pier and in. Rob is traveling once again, this time to Maryland, for a 4 mile race in Chesapeake Bay. The rest of us should be at Avila on Sunday.

niel

Sunday, June 6th, 2010

It was a day for big hats at Avila Beach today. The wind was offshore and it was very warm on the sand and just about everyone was looking for more shade. It was almost windless, clear and sunny with a water temperature of 56. Today's swimmers were Niel, Duke, Pete, a welcome appearance by Dave Van Mouwerik, Rick Marina and Nancy and Eric. Nancy and Eric are going to swim Alcatraz in September and this is the first time they have been out with us. Nancy and I went short, I'm nursing a sore shoulder and she is getting used to swimming in such a big pool with no lane lines. The rest of the group went out and under the pier and to a new large buoy that is part of the way to the Poly pier. From there they swam to the end of the Avila pier and in, except for Pete who put in some additional distance along the left side of the buoy line. Kris and Angela joined us on the beach.
Sylvia and Dale did the Alcatraz swim today and a lot of our other swimmers were at the Morro Bay Triathlon. Rob Dumouchel did the Around Alcatraz (3.25 Mile) swim for this first time Saturday and is at the 1 - 3 Mile Open Water Championships in Livermore today. At Alcatraz Rob placed 1st (!) in the no wetsuit division and 6th overall. Check out his posting and a bunch of great pictures from his swim at www://robaquatics.com.

I'll be there Wednesday, sore shoulder or not.

niel

Wednesday Evening, June 2nd, 2010

It was an absolutely beautiful summer evening at Avila Beach. The air was much warmer than it was in San Luis Obispo with a light but gusty breeze. The water had shot up to 60 degrees (!) with some small surf. We had 9 swimmers; Steve, Niel, Pete, John, Ryan, Rob, Lynn, Bob and, sorry, but I missed someone. The group did about 1.5 miles, along the buoy line and out around the pier. Bob and I got out got out early (I'm nursing a sore shoulder). Rob saw a dolphin off of the end of the pier. They are always a welcome site and I think that that is the first one of this season. I'll be swimming Sunday but a lot of people with be doing the Morro Bay Triathlon and Rob is doing the Around Alcatraz Swim on Saturday.

niel

Monday, Memorial Day, May 31st, 2010

After yesterday's heat, this morning Avila was wrapped in a solid wall of fog. The fog was hanging off of the beach and was lifting slowly. The water temperature was 55. The water was very clear and there was a slight breeze from the SW. There was also an unusual swell from the SE, but nothing to speak of in the way of surf. Swimming today were Rob, Niel. Samantha, Sylvia, Pete, Dale, Pat and Don. Kris went for a walk and watched our stuff. By 11 the fog had moved offshore far enough to not interfere with our swim. We started on the left of the pier., went left down the buoy line and back to the pier. Niel, Rob, Dale, Don and Pat went longer. Everyone else headed in. The group swam out to the end of the pier, angled to the last buoy at the creek and swam back along the buoy line, under the pier and in. Our swim lasted 40 minutes. Kris and Rick Marina joined us for a pot luck lunch.

Rob and Niel will be back this Wednesday evening to swim at 5:30.

More pictures from today are on the Swim Avila Facebook page

Sunday, May 30th, 2010

We had 8 swimmers today. Susan James, Niel, Sylvia, Dale, Brittany, Chad, John and Don Davis. Gerry Gross came by and visited. No swimming for him while he is resting/rehabbing his shoulder. It was very warm and crowded on the beach. The water was 54..5 with good visibility, nominal surf and no chop. We could of used some of the wind that was blowing everywhere else to cool things off on the sand. We did an easy swim along the buoy line. Brittany and Chad are getting a lot more comfortable in the water so we will consider doing some longer distance next time. We met three other swimmers out along the buoy line who are training for the Alcatraz swim and invited them to join us.

We will also be swimming tomorrow, Memorial Day, at 11 with a pot luck brunch afterwards.

niel

Wednesday Evening, May 26th, 2010

It was overcast and cool this evening, but day's the wind had died, letting the water flatten out and the water temperature was up to balmy 56. We had eight swimmers; Niel, Rob, Dawn, John, Bob, Pat, Lynn and Steve! It is great that we are seeing so many new faces. We swam the buoy line, with people dropping off based on their comfort level with the distance and the temperature. This was Dawn's first ocean swim and we have a number of other swimmers who are new to the ocean. Everybody had a good time and was smiling when we regrouped on the beach.

niel

Sunday, May 23rd, 2010

50 Degrees! The last two days of wind had caused the water temperature to drop to an even 50 degrees on Sunday. The air was clear but cool and the wind was picking up and showing signs of strengthening as the day went on. Some chop was starting to build up but so far there were no white caps in the bay. We had Sylvia, Niel, Brittany, Chad, Duke and Dale on the beach. Rick Marina took a break from his rid to chat. Dale watched our stuff. We did four different swims. Sylvia, who has Alcatraz coming up, went in without a wetsuit and swam her own workout. Chad, Brittany, Niel and Duke swam the left side of the buoy line at which point Brittany went in. We swam under the pier to the buoy at the creek. The chop was building up and making us work hard. At this point Chad headed back along the buoy line while Niel and Duke swam over to the Poly Pier. That leg into the chop was a lot of work. From the Poly Pier we came directly back to the buoy line at the Avila Pier, occasionally getting to surf the bigger waves in the chop, under the pier and in. Duke and I were in the water 50 minutes and swam about 1.5 miles.

Next weekend is Memorial Day Weekend. We will swim on Sunday as usual. We will also swim on Monday at 11 and have a pot luck lunch afterwards. Swim long and earn that first piece of cherry pie.

The Martini Swim - We will be doing the Martini route on Sunday, June 27th. This is a 2.4 mile swim. The route is out along the Avila Pier, from the end of the pier to the end of the Poly Pier, from there to Avila Rock, (this leg in itself is .93 of a mile), from there back to the end of the Avila Pier and in. The route is in the shape of a Martini glass, hence the name. We will have kayak support. Rob, Niel and Duke will be going and anyone else who is comfortable at this distance is welcome. If you have not done this distance before I would recommend that you first try 2-1/2 or 3 laps of the buoy line. Since this swim is a circular route route it does not offer any good 'bail out' options. For those that do not care to go long you can group up and do any of the shorter swims


niel

Wednesday Evening, May 19th, 2010

In spite of the wind it was absolutely beautiful at Avila Wednesday evening. At 5:30 the wind had died away, the water had flattened out and it was warm and comfortable on the beach. We had a mix of new and familiar faces; Niel, Rob, Sandy, John. Patrick Farrar (!), Bob and Brent (?, I may have that wrong). I got there too late to get a temperature but the water felt much warmer than last Sunday. We were guessing 55 or 56. We swam the left side of the buoy line, at which point Sandy decided to return along the buoy line a ways while the rest of us went out parallel to the pier to the end, around the end and in along the westward side. The total distance was about a mile.
You can find more info and pictures at Rob's website; robaquatics.com. You can also check the site for updates on how Rob is doing at the Masters Nationals in Atlanta, today through Sunday.

niel

Sunday, May 17th , 2010

You could tell that summer is on the way by today's conditions; it was cool with heavy overcast with perfect swimming conditions. It was windless with the water about as pool like as it can be. The water temperature was 53. We saw one seal and a flock of pelicans, so our summer friends are returning. We now have three of the usual four buoys on the left side of the pier, all four on the right and the jet ski dock is back. There were eight swimmers today, five regulars and three new friends. Sylvia, Rob, Niel, Duke and Dale were the familiar faces. Chad, Brittany and Sandy came to get their first experiences with ocean swimming. We swam out to the buoy line and went left, then doubled back to the pier. Sylvia (no wetsuit) Sandy and Brittany headed in. The rest of us continued on to the last buoy at the creek, then swam to the end of the Avila pier and came in along the pier. We were in the water about 45 minutes. There were all smiles on the beach afterwards so we may have some new regulars.
Rob and I will be there this Wednesday, getting in at 5:30. Everybody is welcome to join us. It is a great way to put your work day behind you.

niel

Wednesday Evening, April 12th, 2010

I was out of town for last Wednesdays' and Sunday's swims and was looking forward to getting in tonight. The swimming conditions were great this evening. The wind was dieing so the chop was laying down, the water was very clear and 53 degrees. Rob (no wetsuit!) and I were joined in the water by Barb and John from the SLO Tri Club. Samantha, also with SLO Tri, watched our stuff. We did the right side of the buoy line at which point John and Barb headed in and Rob and I swam out and around the pier. That made 27 minutes for us. It was a great way to put the day behind you.
See you on Sunday

niel

Wednesday, May 5th 2010

The weather was beautiful and the water was pretty smooth last night, if not a little cold (51 according to the NOAA buoy so probably 52ish at the beach). Along with myself we had about 6 people from the Central Coast Triathlon Club get in and swim the buoy line on the right side of the pier. It was good to see some new faces in the water and hopefully we see them back regularly! Once we got out I saw Pete had also shown up and was swimming the triangle on the left side of the pier. I swam back out for a while but never caught up with him in the water.

Rob D.

Sunday May 2nd, 2010

It must be summer! We had a nice turn out today including Gerry Gross, Duke and Angelia, Dale, Rob, Sylvia and myself. It was foggy at 10:30 but burning off. The water was 53 with nice swimming conditions except for the chill. With the fog just lifting we swam out alaong the pier then down to the end of the buoy line at the creek, and back to the pier for about 23 minutes in the water. Angela had run earlier so she just hung with us on the beach. Gerry had not brought a wetsuit and voted to stay out. By 12 it was beautiful, warm and sunny on the sand.

niel