Sunday, October 17th, 2021

 Lots Of Weather

The weather was changing all day today. When I arrived at Avila Beach at 10:20 it was sunny and about 62° but felt cooler. There were some unusual clouds and a sense of unbalance but it was comfortable on the beach. Today's group was Duke, David, Niel and Marnie, a guest swimmer from Whidbey Island. Marnie was in town for a wedding and decided that she had to skip some of the to do and get in a swim. She goes bareback and her group swims year round in Puget Sound.  Sounds like a tough crowd.  

We decided to start out along the buoy line and to then head over to the CP Pier. This would allow Marnie to drop off in time get back to the festivities and for the rest of us to choose our distances.   

 

Niel, Marnie, David and Duke at the 4th buoy on the east side of the Avila Pier. 

Marnie got off at the 4th buoy near the creek mouth, David, Niel and Duke swam over to the second crossbars on the CP Pier. Niel and Duke turned back. David headed to the end of the Avila Pier and over to the east end of the buoys before returning to the start. 

When we crossed to the west side of the Avila Pier the wind came up out of the south like a squall and we were suddenly in big chop. The southern horizon was a solid wall of clouds and it looked like things could get stormy. By the time we were back at our chairs the wind and clouds were gone and it was very pleasant on the beach. 

Duke and I will be back at 8AM on Tuesday.

niel 

Saturday, October 16th, 2021

 A nice fall Saturday morning at Avila Beach today. It was clear, calm and sunny with an air temperature of 43° and a water temperature of 54.5°. For surf there was an occasional 3 foot wave.   

These two unidentified swimmers were coming in when I was on the pier.

Toady's crew was Jodi, Niel and Stephanie. It was high tide and a nice day for going around the Avila Rock so that is what we did. We swam to the rock from the 4th buoy, swung around and came back via the end of the Avila Pier. Other than a nice swell out towards the rock it was flat. Jodi and Stephanie got surprised by the surge and almost had a close encounter with the rock.

Niel with Stephanie behind and Jodi at Avila Rock.  

The rock is the dark mass just above Jodi's head, outlined by the white cliffs. 

When we were at the showers someone was swimming west along the buoys but he/she was wearing a full wetsuit so it wasn't Tom.        

Jodi said that Tiki saw a small Thresher shark near her during Wednesday evenings swim. They are not aggressive and are great on the BBQ.    

Sunday's swim will be at 11.

niel

Thursday, October 14th, 2021

Duke and Niel got in at 8:30 and Tom at 9.Duke said that at 4:30 this morning Avila was fogged in so the fog must have blown out when the wind came up with the sunrise. The offshore breeze laid down early so Tom scored some flatter water. The air temperature was 45° but it was cloudless and sunny and felt warmer. 

Duke did his U-Burner, I did my Tuesday route in the opposite direction and Tom swam out and back along the CP Pier. 

I was hoping that John Lindsey's weather forecast was wrong.  Yesterday he had predicted an ocean water temperature of 51 to 53 degrees and I was not ready for the bottom of the fifties. The Diablo Canyon buoy ( https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=46215 ) was recording numbers in that range but the water temperature in San Luis Obispo Bay was holding up and I got a reading of 55° from the pier.    

I took this photo while I was out on the pier taking the water temperature. I'm facing east and that is the first buoy in the glare. The ripples on the water show the wind is offshore from the northeast, which is unusual. In Avila the Santa Lucia (offshore) winds are typically from the north.  

I did Tuesday's route in the opposite direction. The wind was still out of the NE when I swam from the end of the C.P. Pier to the reef buoy so it was a rhythmic experience, with me working to find a rhythm for my stroke that worked with the timing of the chop. 

This is Tom getting out, doing Botticelli's Venus Rising From the Sea 

but with more clothes.

Duke heard from Jodi so she swam Wednesday evening. I don't know if she had company.

I'll be back at 8 on Saturday and at 11 on Sunday.

niel  

Tuesday, October 12th, 2021

This is what Avila Beach looked like at 7:30 this morning. Clear and a bit breezy, you can see the ripples on the water. No big surf, just an occasional 3 to 4 footer. It was colder with a 43° air temperature and 55° water.   

 

There were two otters, looked like an adult and a pup, 

in the surfline enjoying the crab and clam buffet.  

Duke would do a 'Recovery U-Burner', meaning a sprint distance without the sprint part, and I would head out the buoys to the left, circle around the reef and head over to the CP Pier, then come back to the buoy line on the right side and back to the Avila Pier. .

I fatfingered my watch and didn't get it started so there is no plot of my swim.

When I was on my way to the end of the CP Pier I stopped off of the Avila Pier to see if I could spot Duke. He would be further inside and heading the other direction.   

And I found him way inside. The orange dot is Duke's cap 

At the end of the Cal Poly Pier. 

At the second crossbars where I turned back towards the buoy 

line on the west side of the Avila Pier.

I swam in along the buoys back to my starting place and in. This loop is 2 miles.

I saw Tom backstroking east along the left side of the buoy line.

The Wild Women will swim at 5PM on Wednesday. Meet up at the guard tower on the left of the pier. 

Duke and I will swim Thursday morning at 8:30.

niel

Sunday, October 10th, 2021

Sunday was a beautiful fall day at Avila Beach. At 10:30 it was sunny, not too hot at 73° with just a light wind, 1/3 of the summer crowds and a great day to swim.  The water temperature was 57°, just like it is in the fall.

We had two groups of three today; Group 1 was Niel, Leslie and David who went faster and longer and Group 2 was Tiki, Lzo and Brenda who went shorter. Tiki is going bareback, Lzo is her friend, an exchange student from Italy has not done much open water swimming and Brenda has swum with us before but not for a while, but it is time for her to get ready for the Morro Bay Tri. 

Duke was a No Show. He said that he would do a long bike ride instead. Did anyone see him out towards Cayucos? 

There was enough wind offshore to make things choppy beyond the end of the Avila Pier but we didn't see muck of it.  

G1 went east along the buoys to #4, to the end of the Avila Pier and to the 4th buoy at the creek mouth. Leslie was cold and headed in. David and I went to the second crossbars, back to the end of the Avila Pier and in for an hours swim.

G2 was planning on doing a triangle along the same route at the first 3/4 of the G1 swim.

The Lorish swim report was texted in. Tom and Sue swam around the rock again today. Tom says that there were about 10 dolphins out by the rock and two along the buoy line.   

Duke and I will swim at 8 on Tuesday.

niel

Saturday, October 9th, 2021

Saturday was a nice sunny and breezy morning in Avila Beach. The wind was offshore and the water was pretty flat. The air temperature was 53°. I measured a water temperature of 56° but everyone thought that it felt colder. 

Niel and Leslie got in at 8 and at the buoy line headed west to 4th buoy. Jodi is grounded due to a broken toe.

When we arrived Leslie saw Tiki catching up. 

So now we were three. Tiki was bareback and has given up her fins. Tough girl!

Tiki and Niel

and then Stephanie caught us up.

and we had a flyover by prehistoric birds. 

To me pelicans do look like something left over from way before.

We swam over to the second crossbars on the Cal Poly Pier, doubled back along our route to the Avila Pier, under the pier and to the last buoy on the east side. From there it was to the end of the Avila Pier and to the 4th buoy on the west for the 3rd time, back along the buoys and in.

We will swim tomorrow at 11.

niel

Thursday, October 7th, 2021

Stormish

The predicted cold front was rolling through the Central Coast right on time this AM. A 9 Avila was low clouds, gray, feeling stormy with a wind out of the ESE to SE, andi a nice chop on the 59° water. The surf had not come up. The air temperature was 55°- 60°.   

No tourists about this morning.  

I got a photo of Sue and Tom getting in when I was on the pier.  

I swam a 'circle'; the west buoys, to the second crossbars on the CP Pier, out along the pier, back over to the buoy on the reef and a hook left to pick up the 4th buoy on the east side and in along the line and out. 

 From the third crossbars looking to the end of the CP Pier.

This is not a B&W photo.  There were almost no colors this morning.

 Tom said that he saw me near here as he and Sue were heading in along the pier as I was heading out, but I missed them in the chop.

It was a rough water swim everywhere today but the leg out along the CP Pier was the toughest. The current, wind and chop were on my left shoulder and it got rougher the farther i got out along the pier. I was not swallowing any water but I was seriously swimming uphill. Tom agreed. 

The sun came out for a bit  as I was passing the end of the Avila Pier.  That and made a long stint swimming across the chop more cheery.

By the time I was at the showers the clouds were clearing and the wind was going down. Looks good for Saturday at 8.

niel

Wednesday evening swim report by Leslie:

Tiki, Leslie and Jodi.

We went in, super low tide, calm flat water, had a fast lap around the pier in honor of Dukes U Burner and went 4th creek buoy and back under the pier to first and in, the water under the pier was breathtakingly cold, but otherwise wasn't too bad.  See you Saturday!  Jodi and I are in sync in this pic, we all thought it looked kind of cool

Tuesday, October 5th, 2021

It was pretty simple this morning. Duke swam his sprint course. I went retro and swam two laps of the buoy line. Tom got in at 9 as I was walking out and swam off to commune with the spirits of the water.

It was sunny and 54°. The water temperature was 58°. The surf was 2 to 3 foot and there was no sign of the Huntington Beach oil spill having made it 200 miles north to mess up our beaches. The wind woke up at 8:30 and was starting to chop up the surface as I got out.

The Wild Women will swim at 5 on Wednesday evening. They meet up at the lifeguard tower on the left of the pier.   

Duke and I will swim at 8:30 on Thursday. 

niel

Sunday, October 3rd, 2021

 

At 10:30 this morning Avila Beach was a sunny hole in a ring of fog and clouds. It was 65° with a coolish breeze that was full of moisture that made me reach for my sweatshirt. The water temperature was 58°.  The surf was mostly 2 foot and the afternoons wind chop was just beginning to build. 

Niel, Jodi, Leslie, Duke, Tiki, David, Alex and Adam were ready to swim. Nobody wanted to pick a route so I suggested that we get in the water, swim to the first buoy and figure it out from there.

Duke, Jodi, Leslie (behind) and Tiki at the first buoy.

Everyone is smiling and Tiki is being a good sport because the way 

her cap is on makes her look like an Ewok.

  

Jodi stepped up and under her direction we swam to the left to the last buoy, out and around the reef buoy, to the end of the Avila Pier, to the end of the Cal Poly Pier, along the pier to the third crossbars, back to the end of the Avila Pier and in to shore. There was a steady current and chop out of the SW to work against on the leg to the CP Pier and it pushed us all to the left on the way back to the Avila Pier. 

Leslie, Niel, Jodi, Duke and David at the end of the Avila Pier. This was the flattest water we would see during the entire swim. The water clarity was best here. Over at the CP Pier the water was more green and opaque.

Late breaking news provided by T. Lorish, Cub Reporter:

The first group in today was Paula Dooley and the SLO Masters, followed by Maria and Heidi, then Tom followed by a group of 4 fast guys who nobody identified. That makes the Dolphins the fifth group in the water Sunday morning. 

  

Duke and I will be back at 8 on Tuesday.

niel 

Saturday, October 2nd, 2021

It was sunny at our house in San Luis Obispo when I left for the beach but within a few miles I ran into thick fog on Tank Farm Road. Avila Beach was a grey closet. Except for the start of the pier there was nothing to see.      

From the Avila Pier looking East.

The visibility on the west side of the pier was better and by the time we got in there was sun over at the base of the Cap Poly Pier, so

Niel, Leslie and Jodi got in on the west side of the pier and swam buoy to buoy to the 4th buoy where we found a boat anchored. They were going to be officiating a Pale Kai outrigger race, the start of which was delayed by the fog. We could see the second cross beams on the CP Pier so we swam over there, out to the end of the pier and back the way we had come. On the return we could not see the Avila Pier or beach from the second cross bars but if we kept the sun on our right shoulders we would hit either the beach or the pier so we waved to the otters in the kelp and started off. At about half of the was back we could see the same boat still waiting for the race to start so swam to it and then back along the buoy line. 

The air temperature had been 48° when we got in and the water was 57.5°. It felt warmer than that to me. 

Niel, Jodi and Leslie near the 4th buoy before heading over to the CP Pier.

Tom Lorish was out there today. I think I saw the blue arms (farmer john and blue long sleeve rash guard) backstroking along the buoy line. 

Rob had come down to the beach so he and I had a chance to do some catching up.  He is in escrow on a house and things seem to be going well for him in Homer, AK.

Duke, Niel, Jodi et al in the water at 11 tomorrow.

niel  

 

 

Thursday, September 30th, 2021

Here is photographic proof of a Rob Dumouchel sighting this morning at Avila Beach. Freed from the bonds of the Alaskan per-winter Rob was looking totally local in his rental convertible. There was time for a too brief visit before Duke and I had to be responsible and head to work. Rob may make it back for some additional beach immersion on Saturday morning before leaving for a conference in Portland, OR on Sunday and then back to Homer, AK where he portrays a responsible city manager.     

Niel, Duke and Tom swam this morning along with a couple of other unidentified swimmers. The big event of the day was the 56° water temperature. Yeikes, I was glad that I had thrown both of my wetsuits in the car and had my winter season suit to wear. The water was nice and blue and clear, the surf was still up with a south swell and 3 to 4 footers. I could feel the swell pushing towards shore way out along the CP Pier. Duke did his U-Burner, I wandered around and over to the CP Pier and Tom got in about 9 and did his own swim.       

Looking east at the Avila Pier from the third crossbars on the CP Pier.

Saturday morning at 8 it will probably be Leslie, Niel, Jodi, Tiki and Stephanie, and whoever else cares to join us.   

niel 

Tuesday, September 28th, 2021

 Sunshine -

Our September Santa Lucia (offshore) winds arrived today and at 8 AM we had clear and windy skies at Avila Beach. Duke and Niel swam. Duke did his U-Burner sprint and NIel did his hour in and around both sides of the pier.  I saw Tom's car parked in his usual spot across the street from Kraken Coffee so he was either in the water or wrapping himself around a double pumpkin chai.  The water temperature was 59.5° and the air 55°. It was pretty smooth at 8 but by 9 the chop was building up to have some real character. There was a long period swell that produced some occasional 3 to 4 footers.  

Almost mystical at the end of the Avila Pier

The Wild Women will swim at 5 PM on Wednesday. Meet up at the life guard tower on the left side of the pier. 

Duke and I will be back at 8:30 AM on Thursday.

niel 

Sunday, September 26, 2021

 An Odd Grey Sunday

There wasn't any sun yet when I left San Luis Obispo for the beach, which is not a good sign that there would be any sun at the beach today. At Avila the water looked nice but it was grey, 55° and the water was 58°. The surf was up some with a nice swell coming in making 4 footers.  Niel, Duke, Leslie and Tiki were joined by Tiki's dad, Pete, and Jenni who lives in Berkeley and swims in the east bay. Jenni and Tiki were going bareback and the rest of the group would be swaddled in our neoprene.  

It was too cool and grey for the end of September

Tiki and Jenni at the first buoy

Niel, Leslie, Tiki, Jenni (pink buoy), Pete

and Duke at the 4th buoy on east of the pier. 

We did a nice easy swim. Jenni and Tiki called it good at the fourth buoy on 

the west side and went in while the rest of us swam back to the pier.

Duke and I will be back at 8 AM on Tuesday. The Wild Women will swim at 5 on WEDNESDAY. They meetup at the lifeguard tower to the left of the pier. 

niel   

Saturday, September 25th, 20221

Niel, Jodi, Leslie and Tiki swam at 8:05, Stephanie got in later, started on her own, never found us and joined up with Tom when he got in at about 9.  The air temperature was 55° and the water was 59°. It was nice and flat and calm. The fog and low clouds had visibility down to 3/4 to 1/2 mile. I felt kind'a chilled before getting in and had to not think about getting cold during the swim.  

Avila Beach from the pier. It will be nice when we get more into 

the fall and no longer have morning fog and low clouds.  

We swam a big 'circle' which was more of an irregular quadrilateral.

That is the geometry lesson for today. (I had to Google it) 

Niel, Jodi, Leslie and Tiki at the end of the Cal Poly Pier.

Duke, Jodi, myself and whoever joins us will swim in the sun tomorrow at 11. 

niel