Easter Sunday Swim, No Bunny

Looking towards Pismo Beach before we got in. 

The Easter Sunday swim began with overcast and lite drizzle making it pretty cool on the beach. I estimated the water temperature at 53 to 54. The water looked brownish in places but I could not tell if it was silt in the water or reflections of the clouds. There was a small wind chop coming from the SSE.

There were several other groups of swimmers in the water while we were there. Today we had Niel, Tom, Teresa, Phil, Hillary and Jonny. Between us we managed to do four different swims. Tom got in early by himself and swam the Avila Triangle clockwise. At 11 Phil and Teresa headed to the end of the pier, down to Fossil Point, back to the pier and around some more for a total of 2 miles. Niel, Jonny and HIllary followed Tom's route. Heading from the end of the Avila Pier to the creek mouth the water became silty and a bit stinky so Hillary turned back to the end of the pier while Niel and Jonny swam along the beach and finished the triangle for a mile. From the end of the Avila Pier HIllary doubled back along our route out, did some drills and was the last swimmer out of the water.  

Jonny coming out along the Avila Pier.

Hillary arriving at the same spot

Same spot. Hillary looking towards the chop was coming from.

Niel at the end of the beach and the first leg of the triangle.

 

Hillary and the SS Avila Dolphin with Jonny at the end of the Avila Pier. 

Tom left his water temperature estimate on the beach. 

I'd agree. With no sunshine to help I never got warmed up today. 

Afterwards we had less gray and almost some sun.

niel

Saturday April 4, 2020

Rain is predicted for Saturday night and Sunday so Tom, Teresa and Niel swam today at 11.

It was cool, sunny and pleasant on the beach but the water was 53 degrees and felt colder.

Tom and Niel swam over to the mouth of the creek, to the second crossbars on the Poly Pier, back to the end of the Avila Pier and in. Teresa hadn't arrived when Tom and Niel got in but Tom crossed routes with her at the end of the Avila Pier. Teresa was on her way to the end of the Cal Poly Pier.

Not a raven but this pelican seemed to be commenting on what we were doing in the water. 

Tom before we crossed under the pier and headed to the creek mouth. It was cold enough that we didn't dawdle during the rest of the swim for photo ops.

We swam 1.2 miles.

I'll need to watch the rainfall in the coming week to see when we should next swim.

niel

Sunday, March 29, 2020

Four Swims With Sufficient Distance -

Duke got in by himself at 10AM and swam about a mile. I arrived at the beach at 10:30 as Tom was getting in. I think that he swam over to the Cal Poly Pier. He got out just as Niel, John, Jonny, Dave, Teresa, Amy and Cynthia were getting in. Tom and Duke both thought that the water temperature was 56 -57 degrees. I'd agree with that. It had been glassy and calm up to when the group got in at 11. Promptly on the hour the wind came up quickly and hard and there were whitecaps on the water as we got in. John, Jonny and Amy swam down the beach to Fossil Point and back. Niel, Cynthia, Dave and Teresa swam the triangle counter clockwise until we got to the buoy at the reef. Cynthia had headed in from the end of the pier and Teresa swam back to the end of the Avila Pier and over to the Cal Poly Pier and back.

The groups' course

Maintaining proper distances while suiting up and getting in. 

Dave and Teresa at the mouth of SLO Creek

Cynthia at the same spot.

niel

Sunday, March 22, 2020

By Leslie - 

Leslie	Sun, Mar 22, 11:43 AM (23 hours ago)
to me

We were good civilians and swam 6 feet apart   choppy and rough  but not cold   Theresa was in when I got there .  She had already done a lap but generously agreed to go another with me   We headed out to the reef buoy then to the end of the pier and back in   Theresa stayed in to do some body surfing as the waves are pretty nice!  Hope to see you all soon!  Leslie

Leslie

Totally blown out compared to Saturday but still warm!

Saturday, March 21, 2020

A Great Swim in the Big Pool

The big pool was open today for a long course swim. With rain predicted for tonight and tomorrow Saturday was a chance to get in the water when the bacteria count was low.

Swimming conditions at Avila were just about perfect; no wind, flat seas with clear water that was warm(er) what we have had in months. The pier is closed but after the swim I waded out past the surf line and measured a water temperature of 58 degrees! 

In for a Saturday immersion were Hillary, complete with an updated version of her GoPro float, now upgraded to an official Avila Dolphin Party Boat with the addition of a shark and flamingo hula dancers. Along for the fun were Dave, Tom, Phil and Niel. Phil got in late and did a mile or so on his own.

We have life guards on the weekends now, cool.

The plan was to swim out to the not yet in place buoy line, under the pier and west to opposite the mouth of the creek, over to the third crossbars on the Cal Poly Pier, to the end of the Avila Pier and in (more or less).  

Hillary and the party boat

Tom, Dave and Hillary at the Avila Pier

The Ducky water thermometer was consistently optimistic. 

The view from the party boat near the creek mouth 

with the Cal Poly Pier in the background

Dave and Tom at the Cal Poly Pier

Hillary, the same place with the Avila Pier in the background

Niel at the end of the Avila Pier

Hillary at the same spot, getting some photos of me.

I'll add Hillary's photos when I get them.

niel

 

Winter Arrives In March

We had a wonderful string of sunny, warm and dry weeks in January and February but, thankfully, winter arrived in March.  3+ inches of rain earlier in this week put the first flush to the creeks in the county and San Luis Obispo Creek put up some number for enterococcus  bacteria (the EPA indicator for the presence of human waste) that were 60 to 120 times the maximum level for safe contact with the water. This is not unusual for the first heavy rains but it makes today a good day to enjoy the rain and stay out of the water.


niel  

Sunday, March 8th, 2020

I was out of town for Sunday's swim so Tom and Heidi covered for me with a wright up and photos.

Thanks!

Following what now accounts for a major storm in SLO County, Sunday at Avila cleaned up to be an extraordinary day – deep blue skies with the scattered remaining storm clouds off to the east and west, crispy clear clear air with amazing visibility in every direction, including in the water.  Beautiful.  Swimming today was Heidi, Hillary, Theresa, and Tom.  Hillary, as you can see in the picture, has upped the game for documenting the swims and conditions.  Her companion vessel, the USS Hillary, was equipped with a Go Pro and a temperature monitoring little ducky!  We’re looking forward to this vessel being captained by some choice figurines.  

As a precaution, our swim route was exclusively on the eastside – we swam out to the end of the Avila Pier then around the reef buoy and back to mid-point in the pier and in – just about a mile (1,743 yards to be precise).  The water temp ranged from 54-56, although the little ducky had it a bit higher at 59 (not sure the duck knows what its doing).  All in all, a wonderful day of swimming. 

TOM

Hillary with her totally cool GoPro thingie, with Ducky water thermometer!

Avila looking good

The GoPro photos:

The route

Sunday, March 1, 2020

The prediction was for a chance of showers. We didn't get the showers but we did get these clouds and a strong breeze out of the SW which made for definitly not pool conditions today.

The water temperature was 55.5 off of the pier and the water felt at least that warm to me. That perception was influenced by the fact that we had to start working hard as soon as we got in the water, never got much of a break and didn't spend much time thinking about what the water temperature was.

We had 2.5 routs today. Tom, Niel, Hillary, Dave and Teresa started on the right side of the Avila Pier and went directly to the third crossbars on the Cal Poly Pier.  Niel, Tom and Hillary swam back to the end of the Avila Pier and came in along the pier for 1.2 miles.  Dave and Teresa continued from the third crossbars to the end of the Cal Poly Pier before coming back to the end of the Avila Pier and in. Amy, John and Heidi swam out along the pier, over to the buoy at the reef, to the end of the Avila Pier and back in along the pier for about .8 mile.

On the way to the Cal Poly Pier. Look closely and you can see 

Dave and Hillary's arms above the chop. 

I was breathing more frequently than usual in order to keep in time with the chop.

Hillary and Tom at the third crossbars on the Cal Poly Pier. 

Dave and Teresa had already left for the end of the pier.

The Group 2 route.

The Group 2 group; Heidi, Tom and Amy

niel