Tuesday, 21 November 23

I needed a long Zen swim this morning so I planned to do about 4,000M. The swim went so well that I wandered about the ocean and wound up with 4,644M.

I got in just before 7. The air temperature was 39°. It was sunny with a gusty offshore breeze. The water's surface was choppy but it was hard to tell how bumpy it was because I was looking at it from the back. There was a small swell out of the south and the surf was wimpy.  The water temperature was 53° - 54° and colder near the shore. 

My route was, more or less, left along the buoys, out and around the reef buoy, to the end of the Poly Pier, in along the pier to the third crossbars and back the way I came. My drift correction and Zen state had me going left in both directions.   

When I was coming back from the Poly Pier I thought I saw the Harbor District's derrick on the west side of the Avila Pier. It wasn't there when I got out but the buoys on the west side were gone, so they must be pulling them out for the winter.  The ones that are on the east side will probably be gone by Thursday.

I spoke with Jim after I got out. I had gotten in just before him. We didn't see each other in the water.  There were pelicans diving on some fish to the left of and beyond the end of the Avila Pier. Jim had seen whales much further out.   

I'll swim Thursday and Saturday at 7 and Sunday at 11.   

niel

 Avila couldn't have been much different today than it was yesterday. It was sunny with a gusty offshore breeze, 60° to 70°, the water was 56° and choppy from the wind. The swell was gone leaving us 3 foot waves. 

It was Niel, David, Jim and Tom Israel today. Because of Saturday's storm we decided to avoid swimming near the creek mouth and swam to Avila Rock.

Tom, Avila Rock, Jim, Fossil Point and David.

This was David's first swim out to the rock.

Niel, Tom, Avila Rock behind Tom, Jim and David

The water felt comfortable and warmer warmer than 56°. 

I'll swim Tuesday at 7AM and Thanksgiving Day at 7AM. So after you have that turkey in the oven come on down to Avila for the No Guilt Swim.  As in 'Yes, please, I'd like seconds and I do not feel a bit guilty since I swam this morning'.

niel
 

Saturday, November 18th, 2023

Storm Swimming -

At 6 AM it was not raining and there was only .1 inch in the rain gauge at my house, so I texted Jodi and Tom Israel that we would be swimming.

The air temperature was 60° and it was breezy. While we were getting our gear on it began drizzling, which turned to a light rain which kept up until we were on our way home. 

There weren't what I'd call 'waves' but there was a short period SE swell that was rolling all of the way to the beach. The swells would start standing up half way between the end of the Avila Pier and the buoy line. They got bunched up as they came closer to shore. Inside the buoys they were about 7 seconds apart and 3 to 6 feet tall but they didn't break, the tops just rolled over and they collapsed into white water. Even at 5 to 6 feet the swell/waves didn't have mush power. Getting out was a matter of just pushing through the peaks until we got to the buoy line and caught our breath.         

After getting out, the swim down the buoy line to #4 was the toughest part of this swim. (I didn't start my watch until I was swimming along the buoy line). Swimming east across the swell was harder and way messier that swimming into or across the swell.      

  

Jodi, Tom Israel  and Niel at the end of the Avila Pier. 

The water had warmed up to a comfortable feeling 55°. 

We swam around until we had had a good hour of abuse and came in along the pier. The swell had laid down some and getting in to the beach was just a matter of swimming in until standing up in the white water. 

I'll swim tomorrow at 11, Tuesday at 7 and Thanksgiving Day at 7 to justify those second helpings of stuffing and pie.  🍗 🍰.

niel

 

Tuesday, November 14th, 2023

41° + 52° = Cold Swimming

The combination of a 41° air temperature and a 52° water temperature made this the coldest swim in recent memory.  Conditions were beautiful. It was sunny with a slight breeze. There was a swell out of the SE that didn't look to big from shore but it was enough to make each leg a different swim and over the shallows near Fossil Point it became quite rollie.  The surf was flat except for an occasional 3 footer.  

I was looking for 4000M this morning but came up a bit short. I encountered kelp near Fossil Point and turned around before I was directly off of the point.  

On my way from the end of the Avila Pier to Fossil Point I happened across Jim. He was swimming his own route and agreed with me that 1° less in water temp added to 30° less in air temperature made the water feel much colder than it had on Sunday, when the water was 53° and the air was 72°.

At Fossil Point ready to head back towards my starting point.

My numb feet were telling me that the water was definitly in the lowest of the 50's 

I'm not sure about swimming Thursday. I'll decide that morning when I know how much it has rained overnight and I'll make a guess about the water quality.

I plan on swimming Saturday at 7 and Sunday at 11.

niel

 

Sunday, November 12th, 2023

 

We enjoyed wonderful swimming conditions today. The air temperature was 71°, there was a light breeze and unlimited sunshine. The water was 53° with some colder spots, very clear and a beautiful blue green color.

Tom L. was out there early showing the otters how to do the backstroke. Jim stopped by and said hi as we were getting ready and went ahead and did his own swim. Duke did his out, over and back in route. Niel, Jamie, Paula and Ilene swam the east buoy line, to the end of the Avila Pier and to the end of the Poly Pier. Ilene and Paula were looking for 2000 M and came back from the end of the Poly Pier. Niel and Jamie wanted about 3600M so they went in along the Poly Pier to the second crossbars and over to the end of the Avila Pier before coming in.

There was a small to medium wind chop so the legs from the end of the buoy line to the Poly Pier got progressively rougher and pushy. Coming in along the pier was a nice break before swimming across the chop on the way back to the Avila Pier.

Afterwards it was so nice and relaxing on the beach that Jamie, Jim, Duke and Niel kept trading stories until 1:45.

I'll swim Tuesday. The predicted rain is making Thursday looks iffy.

niel      

Saturday, November 11th, 2023

 Surf's Up -

When I got out of my car at 7 this morning there was a lot of noise coming from the beach. The surf was 5 to 6 foot, well spaced and with periods of 3'+ between the big sets. Getting out would be all about timing.

It was 41°, sunny and calm. High tide was at 8 and the waves were pushing the wash way up the beach. I could see the swell well out beyond the end of the Avila Pier. The largest waves were breaking inside of the buoy line so we could still swim along the buoys and enjoy an elevator swim.  The water temperature was 53°.

Jodi was not feeling well so it was Tom Israel and myself.  We decided to focus on getting out to the end of the Avila Pier and then figure things out from there. Getting out had its moments and was exciting at some points. We probably starting our entry one wave too late, but Tom and I got out without getting washing machined. I was towing my swim buoy and deciding to leave it deflated until I was beyond the surf was a good idea in surf this size.

From the end of the Avila Pier we went to the second crossbars on the Poly Pier, to the end of the pier, to the end of the Avila Pier, on to the last buoy on the east side and back along the buoys to the pier. Between the end of the Poly Pier and the buoy line the swell gave us a nice push. I found that I could use my buoy to ride in through the surf like I learned to do on a surf mat at Huntington Beach.

I've no photos today. When I turned on my GoPro at the end of the Poly Pier it didn't boot properly. I had a screen with tears and jitters and I could not turn it off. I left it to shut off on its own and after the swim it booted up normally so I guess it was just a softwear hick up. Before I was able to have my camera boot successfully I was glad I had reupped my GoPro membership. For $50/year the membership provides a replacement camera of the same model, no questions asked, twice a year for a $99 fee or $100 off a different model. New cameras are $250 to $450 depending on the model so it feels like a good deal.

When we were at our cars Duke stopped by on his bike so we got to talk for a bit. He is planning on getting in with me tomorrow at 11.

niel     

Thursday, November 9th, 2023

 I'm Back - 

I'm back in the water after more than a week in Eureka where there is a lot of water but where the best pool is a 25 yd. indoor pool with narrow lanes that you need to share. I do not find it to be a relaxing experience.

After reading Tom's posts I was looking forward to this morning. At 6:30 it was 48° and clear with an offshore breeze gaining strength as the sun came up. The water was 53° and already showing some chop.  The lifeguard towers have been pulled to the back of the beach for the winter. The swim zone buoys are still in. They will be pulled out on whatever schedule the harbor guys have time.  

I decided to do something a bit different. I swam to the end of the Avila Pier, to the first crossbars on the Poly Pier, to the end of the pier and back to the end of the Avila Pier.  I do not think I have ever done this route before.  There is still some kelp near the first crossbars that I needed to dodge.  During the summer the kelp would be too thick to swim through.  

I had not planned my swim quite right. Going to the end of the Poly Pier first would have been less challenging. Going counterclockwise I had the most difficult leg at the end. It was bumpy going out along the Poly Pier with a following chop. From the end of the Poly Pier to the Avila Pier was going to be across a one foot wind chop at a 45° angle. I needed to swim and not think about what progress I was making. The chop was pushing me to the right so I needed to keep checking my navigation, but without thinking about my progress.

Welcome back to the ocean!

I'll be back Saturday at 7 and Sunday at 11.

niel    

Wednesday, November 8th, 2023

Tom's Swim Report

I have run out of superlatives to describe these beautiful fall days. I will let the picture below be a 1000 words. The water was glassy and Calm, 53°. The swimming was excellent.  

Tuesday, November 6th, 2023

Tom's Swim Report:

I arrived at Avila at 9:15 PST.  Air temperature was 63, and there was a thick, heavy marine layer.  The water was 53 degrees, calm and glassy with about a 3 foot swell. By the time I got out, it was a different day at Avila. See the before/ after pictures below. 

Eureka has showers that are heavy at times. This morning I got my run in between the drops.

We are traveling tomorrow. I plan on swimming Thursday morning at 7.

niel

Saturday, November 4th, 2023

 Jodi's Saturday AM Swim Report

Hoping all is going well! Here is the info for Saturday swim. Me and Tom L, decided to do a practice daylight savings and started at 8:00, the extra hour didn't hurt! Bit of a chop swimming back to the Avila pier, breathing to left had to make sure I didn't get a face full of water. Water temp 55-54 guesstimate. See you next Saturday! 

Jodi

Friday, November 4th, 2023

Tom's Swim Event:

Beautiful day at Avila this morning.  Around 64° air temperature and the water was about 53.   I had a preseason Ocean Swim organized for the Cal Poly women's water Polo team. We had all 26 girls there, 19 of which swam around the CP pier.  The water was glassy and calm. Excellent swimming, and everyone had fun. 

Great job Tom. 

niel

Friday, November 3rd, 2023

Tom's swim:

Conditions were very similar today as Wednesday… 53° water, air was up to the mid 60s, though. Gorgeous fall day, and excellent swimming.   

Niel's Run:

No rain today. I ran and walked and went a bit further than yesterday.  

 

                                

niel

Wednesday/Thursday November 1 & 2 , 2023

Toms swim report from Wednesday morning:

51 degree air, 52 -53 degree water, calm and glassy. Beautiful fall conditions. Excellent morning Swim

Niel's Thursday morning run report:

In Eureka. 7AM. Air temp in the low 50's, Raining. I brought the right gear so it was a good run. 

Niel

Sunday, October 29th, 2023

 Much Bumpiness -

There was a steady offshore wind and the surface of the water was all sparkles. It was beautiful but it was difficult to see if anyone else was swimming.  The chop that was moving offshore was against the wind chop and swell from the SW.  The combined chop and swell were small but they made a varied bumpy surface.

It was a beautiful day, 70° and sunny. I spoke to Tom and Jamie as they got out before I was getting in. Tom thought the water temperature was 53°. The water temperature varied a bit and my thermometer said 53° to 54°. Tom's toes seem to be well calibrated.  

I swam two complete triangles. The Garmin plot of my swim stopped recording distance and time when I rounded the first buoy on the west side and headed west back along the buoy line. Garmin reacquired me when I was at the end of the Avila Pier when time and distance jumped ahead 20 minutes.    

At the end of the Avila Pier.

Any evidence of a temporal vortex that would explain the jump in time and distance did not appear in the photograph.

The direction of the combined swell, chops and wind was from the SW. The leg from the 4th buoy on the east side to the end of the Avila Pier had the toughest chop and strongest push. Each of the rest of the legs were less difficult but each was different. 

   

This is the last weekend for the Avila Lifeguards for the 2023 season.  Their presence is much appreciated and it is nice to know that they are keeping an eye on us when we are out there beyond the buoy line.

I plan on swimming on Tuesday at 7 and I will be absent until Thursday, the 9th of the following week.

niel   

Saturday, October 28th, 2023

At 7 AM it was 47° in Avila Beach. It was clear, the big full moon had gone down behind the hills and the sun was rising behind Fossil Point. Wind chop was already wrapping around the breakwater at the port so the water was getting lumpy.

Jodi, Niel and Tom were joined by Stefanie. The water temperature was 54°to 55°. 

We swam parallel to the beach until we ran out of room at Fossil Point. Tom and Stefanie went back along the buoys and would swim the whole buoy line. Niel and Jodi swam to the end of the Poly Pier and then in to the beach.  

Niel in front with Jodi, Tom and Stefanie at the 4th buoy on the east side. 

I'll swim tomorrow at 11.

niel