January 1, 2017

It looked and felt wintery at Avila Beach today. Clouds were moving in, there was a light breeze out of the SW and the air temperature was in the low 50's which would turn out to be the same as the water temperature.  Swimming today were Niel, Amy, Sydney, Sam, Heidi and John Hampsey. Rob Dumouchel and Allison Baine were in town and joined us on the beach.  We decided to swim on the left side of the pier and would start out parallel to the beach. This would be the coldest swim of the year so far and people would need an opportunity to acclimate or cut their swim short.

Rob, Sydnes, Niel, Sam, Heidi, Amy and John

 The water was quite a shock to my feet so I was guessing a water temperature of 52 or so.

John, Heidi, Amy and Sydney before we started along the beach.
Sam had found the water temperature to be just too uncomfortable. 

Sydney at the end of the first leg parallel to the beach. She was the only one wearing a shorty wetsuit and small goggles and had been swimming with her head up or doing the backstroke because she couldn't keep her face in the water.  

John at the same spot

Amy and Heidi, at the same spot.

Heidi and Sydney were getting cold and returned back along the beach while Niel, John and Amy swam to the end of the pier and came in along the pier to the beach. Amy was getting cold so I doubled back to her several times so I could both keep swimming and keep track of her. 

Sydney and Sam finished up by jumping in with the Avila Beach New Year's Day Polar Bear Swim

   

After everyone had left the beach the sun broke through and made some nice patterns on the water. 

We will be swimming next Sunday unless the tentatively predicted large rainstorm dumps like it might, the creeks rise and dirty up and we stay out to avoid the dirty water.

niel 

Neoprene booties and gloves review by Heidi Bezaire:

Hi Niel,

Well, the gloves and booties I wore were a flop.  While they did keep me toasty warm for the first 5-10 minutes, they they filled up with water and became heavy.  I think the material I chose is too thick (3mm neoprene) and they weighed me down, I was just sloshing around inefficiently.  Good for surfing, not for swimming.  Oh well, it was worth a try.
So, I plan to swim without them next time and, as usual, exit when I’m getting cold and deal with the frozen feet & hands afterwards.  It is much more fun to swim this way than with soggy sponges on my hands and feet. 

Heidi

Sunday, December 18, 2016

We had a beautiful winter day at Avila Beach today. The air temperature was about 55 and the water about 52 - 53. The water was clean and the waves small. There was a mild offshore wind and a small chop moving away from the beach. Swimming today were Niel, John Hampsey, Amy and Johnny.  Before we got in we watched Jon Harmse run the CalPoly tri team through a swim/run/swim workout that looked like something that he picked up from the lifeguards. 

The numbers from the creek on Thursday were around the limit and were followed by a major rain, so I guessed that the west side of the pier near the creek was probably dirty os we stayed on the east side. We swam out to the end of the pier, down to near the end of the beach and back along the beach to the pier. I'd forgotten my Garmin so without a plot I'd guess we covered 1/2 to 2/3 of a mile in 38 minutes. The water temperature estimate was a group agreement based on intensity of the brain freeze, the numbness of feet and hands throughout the swim and that John's hands were cold enough that he could not keep his fingers together. The swimming conditions were very nice except for feeling the cold working in. 

The view along the Avila Pier

Johnny and John

Amy with her new goggles

Niel, down near the end of the beach

Johnny, John and Amy

Next Sunday is Christmas Day so I do not expect anyone will be swimming.  We will be back in the water on Sunday, January 1, 2017.

niel

Sunday, December 11, 2016

Niel, Heidi and Johnny swam today. It was clear and sunny with scattered clouds, no wind, flat seas and 1-2' surf, and very clear water, just about perfect swimming conditions. I estimated the water temperature at 54 to 55 degrees. The creek had posted some pretty clean numbers so we headed down towards the creek mouth and swam the one mile triangle. The water was clear enough that I saw a school of fish swim underneath me near the end of the pier. 

Johnny near the mouth of the creek

Heidi, the same spot

Niel, same spot. It sure was flat this day.

There always used to be people at the end of the pier to say hi to, but the pier has been
closed for a year and a half and won't reopen until after it has been rebuilt, in  2 to 3 years. 

Heid and Johnny at the opposite end of the triangle

Avila looked nice from the ocean.

While we were swimming the fog came in around the point at the port and
wrapped all of the way around to Pismo Beach. 

I what to send out a big Thank You to GH Sports for their support of the Avila Dolphins. Yo have the best people and gear!


niel

Sunday, December 4, 2016

The weather at Avila Beach was sunny, comfortably warm and breezeless.  The water was flat with a good sized swell. The five foot sets had occasional 7 to 8 footers but there were sufficient gaps between the largest waves to allow getting out. The water temperature we 54 to 55 degrees.
Swimming today were Niel, John Hampsey, Johnny, Amy, Sydney, Sam and Heidi.

There were two guy out on boogie boards who were having this kind of luck with the Avila break. They are both in this picture, a red and a blue board.

They did get some short rides.

 Amy, Sydney and  Heidi getting in. Sydney, Sam and Amy didn't get out with the first group. Niel, Johnny, Heidi and John swam to the end of the pier and over to the approximate location of the last buoy on the east side of the pier, and back to the pier. Amy had gotten out and caught up with the group. Note - during the summer there are eight buoys that mark the limits No Boats/Swimming area. The harbor district takes them out in the late fall to prevent them being damaged by the bigger winter surf. So, we were swimming to where a buoy is in the summer.

John at the end of the pier.

Johnny at the end of the pier.

Heidi at the end of the pier. Once past the surf line we had nice swimming conditions. 

Niel and Heidi at the 'buoy'.

Amy

niel

Sunday, November 27, 2016

Tom's Birthday Swim

The Conditions: Partially cloudy, a light wind, small waves on an outgoing tide with an occasional chest high set and a water temperature of 55 degrees. There was no sign of last weeks red tide and the water looked nice and clear.

 The Swim:  It was just Tom and I. I assumed that the creek would be dirty after the rain and medding up the water quality on that side of the pier so we stayed on the other side. We swam out, down to the buoy at the reef, back to the end of the pier and in. 

Tom at the reef buoy.

Selfie at the reef buoy. 

Tom at the end of the pier.

Things did not work out this week for Tom's birthday swim (swimming a route that spells TOM) so we'll do it next Sunday. 

niel

Still Big and Red

Conditions were much the same as last Sunday except that the breakers were down to 5 to 6 foot. The water was 59 degrees and dirty from the action of the waves.  Niel, Duke, Chad, Sammy, Sidney and Johnny got in the water. 

Johnny, Niel, Duke, Chad, Sidney, Sammy

We were more successful today and Sammy was the only one who couldn't get out. Sammy is also our youngest swimmer and I'm impressed that she is game to try and get through the surf when it is this rough.  Once we were beyond the surf line we found that there was still a strong red tide. Yuch!  We swam to the end of the pier hoping for clearer water but instead found it to be worse. It looked like there was a blue spot to the west so we headed towards it and did find clean water, but we couldn't' stay there all afternoon so we came on the west side of the pier through the crud.

At the end of the pier

Enjoying the patch of blue water

We covered about .8 of a mile and felt that we deserved credit for a greater distance because of the energy spent getting out and back in. ;-)

Thanks to Sue, Sammy and Sidney's mom. for the photos from the shore. 

niel

Still Big and Red

Conditions were much the same as last Sunday except that the breakers were down to 5 to 6 foot. The water was 59 degrees and dirty from the action of the waves.  Niel, Duke, Chad, Sam, Sidney and Johnny got in the water. 

Johnny, Niel, Duke, Chad, Sidney, Sam

We were more successful today and Sam was the only one who couldn't get out. Sam is also our youngest swimmer and I'm impressed that she is game to try and get through the surf when it is this rough.  Once we were beyond the surf line we found that there was still a strong red tide. Yuch!  We swam to the end of the pier hoping for clearer water but instead found it to be worse. It looked like there was a blue spot to the west so we headed towards it and did find clean water, but we couldn't' stay there all afternoon so we came on the west side of the pier through the crud.

At the end of the pier

Enjoying the patch of blue water

We covered about .8 of a mile and felt that we deserved credit for a greater distance because of the energy spent getting out and back in. ;-)

Thanks to Sue, Sam and Sydney's mom. for the photos from the shore. 

niel

Sunday, November 5, 2016

Whitewater

It was warm and comfortable at Avila Beach. The big swell that was pushing up 13 to 16 foot breakers on the west facing beaches today was producing waves that were overhead +2' in Avila. The tide was 1/2 way to full, the water was 60 degrees and full of silt. There were gaps between the sets when things flattened out but the period between the waves would vary between 15 and 7 seconds. Getting out would be dicey.

Niel, Tom, Sydney, Sammy and Michael waded in while Sylvia waited on the beach. Tom was the only one who made it outside on the first try. Niel and Michael made a second try and Michael made it out.  They swam to the end of the pier and back in and called it good enough. The rest of us watched from the beach. I lost my goggles in the surf, another donation to the water gods.  A pod of dolphins came by outside of the surfline while Tom and Michael were in the water.

The big surf will last until mid-week, sso we should have easier swimming next Sunday.

The lifeguards are done for the season and will be back in mid March.

niel

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Concerns about water quality and stormy conditions kept all of the regular swimmers out of the water. Steve Walker had emailed me. He was going to be in town and was interested in swimming with us. He showed up and ran into Peter Kelly. Pete's story about Steve's swim follows:

Hi Niel,

 Here is what happened yesterday, the 30th

I went down at 11 to see if anyone was swimming. the red tide was in full bloom and the sea was as nasty as it's been all year. Only one lonely soul on the beach, wearing a speedo and carrying a swim bag. He headed toward the lifeguard stand and I met him there. The lifeguard asked if I was going to swim and I said no because of the conditions. The speedo man said he was going to swim and started asking me about distances, like, How far from Whiterock to the pier? I asked him if he was an experienced open ocean swimmer and he replied" English, Irish, and Catalina channels" as well as others. He was attempting Ocean Sevens and only had Molokai and the Japanese Island channel to accomplish that. He said his daughter was going to meet him at four so he was going to swim for about three and a half hours. In he went swimming towards White Rock on the roughest day this year.! 

 I went home and googled him. His name is Steve Walker, he swims with the South End Rowing Club in S.F. He just released a new book, "Where the crazy people Swim". So, after three hours I returned to the life guard stand, he had come in, drank some water, ate a  couple of power bars and continued swimming! When he finished, an hour later. he took a hot shower at the Yacht Club and I snapped this picture! We shot the bull and his daughter came and picked him up. He is on his way to San Pedro for the Catalina Channel Banquet and also the Rough Water Swimming Gala!

 We traced his swim on a chart in the yacht club, a little over eight miles on the Gnarliest day of the year!

 Please forward to all Dolphins,

 Pete Kelley

p.s. The big black dolphin passed in front of the life guard stand, in the surf, 5 minutes before he finished. You can purchase his book on Amazon.

I wish that I had shown up so I could have met him. 

niel