Wednesday Evening, September 13, 2017

Heidi, Hillary, Maria and Niel swam a very bumpy and fun mile.

The water was 64 degrees but rough. There was a steady wind out of the SW, one foot chop, wind swells and a strong current.  

We got in at 5:30. Maria and Heidi at the start. The water felt warmer than 64 to me.

Maria, Hillary and Heidi at the creek mouth

We swam just over a mile with different conditions on each leg. A lot of work for a short swim but fun and a open water experience.

niel

Sunday, September 10, 2017

We had a great day for a swim. Nobody felt particularly inspired so we did the triangle clockwise. The weather was cool with broken overcast and humid with a wind and swell out of the SE. The water temperature was 63 degrees. We did have a pod of large porpoises near the beach the entire time that we were swimming. 

Today's swimmers were Sylvia, Niel, Steve (who is attempting a crossing of the Anacapa Channel this weekend), Heidi, Amy, Tom, DUke, Sydney, Sam, Kyley, John and a special hello from Allan Freeman, former Dolphin, who was in town visiting.

Kyley, John and Heidi

Steve, Sydney, Sam, Duke and Kyley

AT the last buoy near Fossil Point, everyone is 

watching the porpoise near the beach.

We'll swim at 5:30 this Wednesday evening

niel

Wednesday Evening, September 7th, 2017

Wednesday's swim report is by Heidi

Swimming tonight were Hillary, Maria and Heidi.  It was sunny and air temp around 72 F. There were swells from the south and a strong current and steady breeze out of the west, creating some chop.  The Port reported a water temp of 62 F but it felt a little warmer.  We decided to go head on against the current first, so entered the water on the west side of the pier, swam to the first then to the fourth buoy.  From there we swam to an anchored boat.  It was a bumpy and fun ride on this side of the pier.  

Then we had a nice smooth push to the end of the pier and to the fourth buoy on the east side.  Back to the pier along the buoy line and we finished our one mile swim as daylight was fading.

Cheer on Maria and Hillary as they tackle the Santa Cruz triathlon this weekend.  They won’t swim with us Sunday but the three of us gals plan to swim again next Wednesday, toes in the water at 5:30 instead of 6, due to the shortening days.

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Local open water swimming legend Dave Van Mouwerik successfully swam Lake Tahoe the 'short' way on 8/28. His report follows: 

Hey,

Just a heads  up  that  the  swim  went  well.

A couple hours in  darkness, then sunrise,  then  about four more hours.

 

Had a great crew that performed  well:
Tom Linthicum  the boat pilot

Cathy Harrington the observer

Gill  Hulse who observed the observer

Mark  Holmes  the kayaker

 

Uneventful swim,  no  winds,  flat water,  69 degree water temp

5 hrs 51 minutes; 10.5 miles

The Viking swim  is  a natural  route,  from  Cave Rock Landing  to  Vikingsholm-in-Emerald-Bay

 

Pictures:
1. pre-sunrise, kayak with  glowsticks,

2. Dave and Mark angling  towards Emerald Bay

Dave

 

 

 

Dave Van Mouwerik

805-550-8028

davevm@att.net

 

What a great spot to swim.

Dave also has a successful south shore to north shore crossing, a distance of over 20 miles.

niel

Monday, September 4, 2017

Labor Day Swim -

Avila Beach was a very different place than it was yesterday. Tropical moisture had moved in overnight with rain showers and thunderstorms. At 10 AM Avila Beach was overcast, humid and much cooler than Sunday. The water temperature had dropped 5 degrees to 61 F and there was a quarter of the number of people on the beach. 

Today's swimmers were Maria, Niel, Heidi, Craig, Sarah, Jonny and Pete. Craig was the only one who went without a wetsuit. We decided to do the triangle with a option to go over to the Cal Poly Pier. At the buoy at the creek Jonny and Craig headed back along the buoys while Niel, Heidi, Maria and Sarah swam over to the Cal Poly Pier. Pete had gotten in after we started and caught us up on our way back. 

  

Jonny, Sarah, Craig and Heidi at the start

Jonny, Sarah and Heidi.

The clouds were kind'a spooky looking. 

We could see rain over near Pismo but no thunder or lighting. 

Heidi and Craig

Sarah, Maria and Heidi back at our starting place. 

We will swim Wednesday evening. In the water at 6.

niel

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Sunday was hot, sunny and very crowded with superb swimming conditions. I measured a water temperature of 66 degrees F / 18.889 C. The highest water temperature at Avila that that I know of was 67 degrees so this was very warm. The ocean was clean and flat with an occasional 2 to 3' wave and no wind. 

We had 17 swimmers today.  John, Karen, Bob, Barbara, Emerson, Duke and Chad went with wetsuits while Niel, Steve, Paula, Heidi, Amy, Jonny, Maria, Saga, his friend and Peter went bareback.
I didn't spend much time taking pictures. I took only a group photo that turned out all green and this one of me at the start to document that I was in the water without a wetsuit. The water felt great and so much more tactile than with the wetsuit, but I didn't feel that I could linger with other swimmers because I didn't know if I would get cold.

There will be a Labor Day swim tomorrow, in the water at 10 with a pot luck afterwards. 

niel

Wednesday Evening, August 30, 2017

John, Niel, Heidi and Hilary swam in water that was flat, clean and 65.5 F / 18.611 C. There was a bist ball out past the end of the pier on the east side so we started on the west. When we grouped up at the end of the pier the birds had cleared off so we completed our swim on the east side. 

Hilary, John and Heidi

Niel

Hilary, John and Heidi

We'll swim at 11 as usual on Sunday and at 10 on Monday with a pot luck brunch to follow.

niel

Sunday,August 27, 2017

We enjoyed our run of great swimming conditions today with a water temperature of 62 degree F/ 16.66 degrees C, no wind, flat water, a swell or push out of the SW and an overcast sky that cleared to sunshine halfway through the swim. We had 17 swimmers today. 

Duke proposed a 2+ mile swim so we swam a route that would allow people to drop of when they wanted to. 

Today's swimmers were Tom and Leslie, Sylvia, Duke, Steve and his son Ross, Karen, Amy, Niel, Sydney, Sam, Kyley, Paula, Clare, Hillary, John and Maria.

Sylvia would, as usual, do her own swim. 

Tom and Leslie swam the witch’s hat: Out to the #1 buoy on the east side of the pier , turned left and went to the last buoy.  Then, returned to the #2 buoy before going around the pier to the #2 buoy on the west side.  From there to the end of the buoy line and back to the #1 buoy on the east side.  Hence, a perfect “witch’s hat.”

The long route was to swim to the #1 buoy on the east side, east to the #4 buoy, to the end of the Avila Pier, to the #4 buoy at the creek mouth on the west side of the pier, to the Cal Poly Pier, to the end of the Cal Poly Pier, return to the end of the Avila Pier and in to the beach for 2.25 miles. We were in the water for an hour 23 minutes and spent an hour and one minute swimming. There were 6 stops along the route so it took 3+ minutes at each stop for the group to reform and make sure that we knew who was continuing and who was dropping off.

Duke, Niel, Hilary, Karen, Steve, Heidi and Maria did the full distance. 

Forming up at the #1 buoy on the east side of the Avila Pier.

At the #4 buoy on the east side. 

Hilary is pointing at a dolphin that swam close by the group.

Heidi, Karen, Duke, Hilary and Steve at the end of the Avila Pier. 

Duke, Hilary, Heidi and Karen at the #4 buoy on the west side of the Avila Pier

Duke, Karen, Heidi and Maria at the 'crossbars' our 

waypoint about 1/3 of the way along the Cal Poly Pier

Hilary, Steve, Karen, Maria, Heidi and Duke at the Cal Poly Pier

looking back towards the Avila Pier. 

It is 620 M from this point to the end of the Cal Poly Pier.

and 716 M from the end of the Cal Poly Pier to here, the end of the Avila Pier.

Both legs are nice chances to stretch out and get into your stroke.

Wednesday Evening: Hilary and I will get in the water at 6 PM on 8/30. The conditions have been great and it is a wonderful way to finish off a work day.

Next Sunday, 9/3: We will swim as usual, in the water at 11 AM.

Monday, 9/4, Labor Day: We will swim at 10AM with a potluck brunch afterwards.

niel

Wednesday Evening, August 23, 2017

Heidi's Swim

We enjoyed the best of summer swimming conditions Wednesday evening. Avila was sunny, pleasantly warm, no wind, flat water at 63.5 degrees F / 17.5 degrees C, and, excellent visibility for the central coast.

Niel, Heidi, Hillary and Maria swam this evening. There was already a traditionally clad swimmer with a green cap out lapping the buoy line that was probably Steve from Bakersfield, who swam with us last Sunday, and had hoped to get some additional pre race miles in this evening.  We never connected with him.

Heidi picked our swim. We went down the buoy line to the creek mouth, out and around an anchored sailboat, to the end of the Avila Pier, to the last buoy on the opposite side of the pier and back along the buoy line to our starting point.

Our time of 48 minutes for 1.25 miles tells you that we spent a lot of time at the turns just floating, talking and enjoying being in the water. 

Heidi, Maria and Hillary, a.k.a, the Silver Dolphin

Note the shiny wetsuit.

A selfie into the setting sun. 

Heidi and Maria, who just removed her Cone Head disguise.

It is supposed to be warm this weekend and I'm already looking forward to Sunday's swim.

niel

Sunday, August 20, 2017

It was a strange gray summer day at Avila Beach. There was no wind and the  overcast was high and thick and did not look like it was going to cleat. The water was flat and 61 degrees F / 16.11 C and very clean. Beautiful swimming conditions except for the lack of sun.

We had 15 swimmers today; Niel, Duke, Steve (over from Bakersfield), Sydney, Sam, Kyley, Heidi, Tom, Karen, Hillary, Chad, Maria, Pete, Sue and Peter Kelley. Tom picked today's route. Tom dislikes routine so he laid out a route to make a parallelogram. 

The group forming up at the first buoy

The rest of the group

At the opposite end of the parallelogram.

There will be a Wednesday evening swim, in the water at 6.

niel

Sunday August 13, 2017

Sunday's swim report is by Tom Lorish

Avila report for Sunday August 13, 2017 – from TOM.

It was pretty socked in today at Avila – a solid marine layer.  The water was calm with small waves rolling in.  Swimming today was Duke, Heidi, Paula & Sue (sans wetsuits), Karen, Leslie, Tom, and a woman whose name I did not catch.  Duke’s daughter, Nikki was there as paddle support.

The water felt colder than the 57 degrees Heidi’s watch reported, but there you go.  We swan to the first buoy, turned left and headed out to fossil point.  After passing the last buoy on the way the point, the red funk made itself known.  By the time we got to the point, it was well known.  I was told this was ‘nothing compared the last Wednesday.’

About half way through the swim, the sun poked through.  There was quite a bit of sea bird activity – based on my understanding of pelican, I believe they were organizing a possible interspecies bait ball for later in the day, but who knows.

All in all, another good day swimming in the ocean

Avila report for Sunday August 13, 2017 – from DUKE.

Sunday's open water swim turned out to be Ladies Day, with only two dudes invited to attend (Duke & Tom). We were missing a number of our regulars but present were Heidi, Leslie and Hillary with Sue strolling up as well. In addition we had a Kona Legend,  Karen  (25 time plus Kona Iron Man) and a cameo appearance by Paula D.  (who I became aware was one of our charter members from the 90's). My daughter Nikki, visiting from Seattle accompanied us as well with a SUP. The water was reported is 61° fairly calm but unfortunately with remanence of a bit a red tide. The route was first bouy to the point and back along the bouyline. A route that all chose to do with no alterations. Once completed Rick and Rhonda showed for their weekly Sunday beach time until about 1:30 when all those remaining decided to call it a day. In general pretty good water, very nice weather and great conversations.

Wednesday Evening, August 9, 2017

Hilary, Heidi and Niel swam this evening. The conditions were beautiful except for the red tide. The water felt really warm to me. Heidi's temp watch said 61 degrees but I would have guessed 65. It was flat with a small SW swell, the same conditions that we had last Wednesday when we had red tide conditions.  We swam east, parallel to the beach, down to Fossil Point and back. 

Hilary and Heidi getting in. The water was a yucky color and cloudy.

Hilary and Heidi at the 4th buoy.

Hilary, Niel and Heidi at the point.

After we got out it looked like bait fish in the shallows but it was bubbles that were lasting long enough to catch the setting sun. I'd never seen this before. 

niel

Sunday, August 6. 2017

We had wonderful conditions and a big group today. It was sunny, warm and windless with the usual Avila 2 to 3 foot surf. The best part was that the SW swell that had been with us earlier in the week was gone and with it the red tide. The water was a beautiful color with good visibility and warm at 64.5 degrees F or 18.056 degrees C. 
Swimming today were Niel, Sylvia, Stephanie, Heidi, Sarah, Sam, Sydney, Tom, Rob, Jonny, Duke, Hillary, John, Sue, Peter, Pete and Maria. Also two or three of Sarah's lifeguards joined us but I didn't get their names.  
With this many people we has several different swims; one group swam down the beach, over to the Cal Poly Pier, to the Avila Pier and in while there were one or two shorter versions.   

Sydney, Duke, Sam and Rob at the last buoy at the creek mouth.

Tom 'Waterspout' Lorish and Hillary at the same spot

Duke, Sydney, Sam, Tom and Hillary at the Cal Poly Pier.

A number of people would like to swim this Wednesday evening at 6. I'll be there and I how most of them can join me.

I won't be swimming next Sunday of Wednesday of the following week so Duke will be the Beachmaster. Give him the respect that he deserves.  ;-)

niel

Wednesday Evening, August 2, 2017

A Surprise Quest Swimmer Dropped In Wednesday Evening!

Rob Dumouchel, A.K.A. Aqua Thor

Tanking a break from his graduate studies in Arcata

The water was 62 degrees and glassy with a SW swell making 3' waves with an occasional 4 to 5 footer.  The water was a ugly brown/green. I don't know why but it didn't taste funny.

Hillary and I swam a different short and relaxing route. 

Rob will join us on Sunday for another immersion before returning to the gray and fridge north.

niel