Friday, April 18th, 2025

Tom Lorish's Friday Morning Swim -

Overcast, a slight breeze, and dimpled water. I arrived at Avila at 920 AM. There was a super low tide and the water was mostly flat with dimpled water from the slight breeze. The water temperature was 52 and the swimming was excellent. 

Wednesday, April 16th, 2025

Tom Lorish's Wednesday Swim -

Solid cloud cover and glassy water.  I arrived at Avila at 855 AM. There was a solid cloud cover, and a lazy 1–3 foot wave rolling in.  The water was glassy, clear, and 52°.  Beautiful morning Swim. 

Tuesday, April 15th, 2025

I was in the water at 6:50 this morning. The air temperature was 46°, it was calm and overcast with a glassy ocean and 2 waves with an occasional 3+ footer. The water was very clear and  green. The breaking waves were very pretty. The water temperature was 52° but felt colder to me. 

I had planned to do this swim today if the conditions were friendly. I swam the route counterclockwise.  I was over the initial chill by the time I reached the 4th buoy near the creek mouth and headed for the first crossbars.  

Swimming the length of the P Pier seemed longer than usual but the view from the end of the pier was spectacular. 

The leg to the reef buoy is much longer but then there is the 'sprint' down the buoy line to #1 and heading to the beach. I kept looking for the waves but ended up swimming in until I touched the sand.       

I have an early and busy morning on Thursday so fitting in my swim is iffy. 

I will swim Saturday and Sunday.

niel   

Monday. April 14th, 2025

Tom Lorish's Morning Swim -

It was a 51-50 day at Avila… Heavy marine layer, glassy calm water, 50° air temperature and 51° water.  There were hundreds of the little sailor jellies washed up on the beach and hundreds more out in the water - catching the currents and wind to places beyond.  Excellent morning vitamin. 

Sunday, April 13th, 2025

An April Joke form the Ocean Gods - 

The ocean gods enjoyed a good joke today: This morning the water temperature was down 5 degrees from Saturday's 55° to 50.5° this morning.  I met Wayne as I was heading out the pier to take the water temp. He had swum earlier and had measured a water temp of 50° at the end of the Avila Pier. My thermometer reading from the pier was 50.5° so I rethought what today's swim was going to be like. 

I'd arrived early and got in by myself. Getting in the water didn't feel as gold as 50° but once I was beyond the surf line the full chill set in and I decided that a mile would be enough. At the end I turned in to the beach because to the fishermen on the pier (nice to have the rebuilt part finally open) and because there had been a large otter at the buoy line next to the pier.

When I arrived back at my chair David Cheney and Stephanie Popp were getting ready to get in. They were going to swim the buoy line.

niel 
  

Saturday, April 12th, 2025

 A Super Saturday - 

It felt like a summer morning today. There were low clouds, the air temperature was 47° and the water was 55°(!).  Yes, I confirmed Toms toes number from yesterday from the Avila Pier. We have not seen that water temperature since early November so there is reason to hope that spring weather and water temperatures are here.  The surf was 2 to 3 foot and the water was flat. The Lifeguard Lap Paddleboard race was this morning and we would be sharing the water with 50 entrants competing in 4 and 8 mile races. 

We got in at 7:30, a half hour before the the race started and set out to do a Point to Pier T.    

Jodi and Tom I. 

The five degree bump up in the water temp from last Saturday was very noticeable, still nippy but not difficult.  Beyond the surf line the water was as clear as it get here. It seemed that I could see 15' down the swim buoy's anchor chain. That and the warmer temperature made the swimming great. From the end of the Avila Pier it is 830 M to Fossil Point and 670 M to the Poly Pier so this route had four long legs where you could stretch out and just swim.   

Paula sent us a video of her on a whale watching trip in Monterey Bay. There was oohing and ahhing at the fluke waves so Jodi and Tom I did one for her. 

I'll be back tomorrow at 11. 

niel   

Friday, April 11th, 2025

 Tom Beats The Crowds - 

A beautiful spring summer day at Avila. I arrived at 900 a.m. and it was already 62°. Clear blue skies, scattered clouds, and glassy calm water.  There was a slow moving 2 foot wave rolling in that crumbled onto the shore. The water temperature was 55, 56°. Which was surprising because it was about 51 on Wednesday. But, we've been seeing swings like that for the last couple years. It was a wonderful morning swim. 

The Lifeguard Lap paddle board race is tomorrow in Avila Beach. 4 and 8 mile courses. 

https://paddleguru.com/races/TheLifeguardLap

niel

   

Wednesday, April 9th, 2025

Tom Lorish's Wednesday Swim - 

The conditions were pretty much the same as Monday. Except for the water temperature which was down a couple degrees to 51.  Beautiful morning Swim. 

Monday, April 7th, 2025

Tom Lorish's Swim Report -

Beautiful morning at Avila. I arrived at 91 5 AM to blue skies and a hazy horizon. The swell had picked back up after a few days of flat and calm. There were 3 to 4 foot waves rolling through and the bulldozer was knocking down the berm and building up the Sand around the lifeguard towers. The water temperature was about 53° and the swimming was good.

 

Saturday, April 5th, 2025

Beautiful and Cold - 

Niel, Tom Israel and Jodi got in the water a bit after 7. It was sunny, cloudless and 51° with a light offshore breeze. The surf was one to two foot and the surface was rippled. Based on Tom Lorish's Friday report we knew that the water would be around 50°. We planned a counterclockwise loop over to the Poly Pier and back past the Avila Pier and around the reef buoy.  This route would provide opportunities to cut the swim short if the water temp made that seem like a good idea. 

Jodi and Tom began remarking about the water temp as soon as we began wading in. With my wetsuit and booties I don't fully experience the water temp until my face and hands get wet.  When I began swimming my world was "definitly 50° or less". We didn't dally at the first buoy, swam under the pier and headed down the buoys to the west.  The water is still very clean with great visibility 

When we arrived at the second crossbars on the Poly Pier I was as comfortable as I was going to be.        

Out along the Poly Pier the water warmed up a bit so we were relatively happy at the end of the pier.  About a third of the way from there to the Avila Pier the temp dropped back down. I was the last to arrive at the Avila Pier. Jodi and Tom were all in for completing the original route so we headed off to the east and the reef buoy.     

Swimming in to the beach involved swimming until your hand hit the sand and then standing up.  The sun felt great and we were all pretty comfortable after the showers. 

I got a rub on my neck from my wetsuit on Thursday and despite taking precautions today I irritating it more, so I'll need to sit out until it is healed. I'm getting a spot on my nose zapped Thursday so I may be out for a week. 

A big note; the Avila Pier is now open out about half way to where the renovations have been completed. 

niel

April 4th, 2025

Tom Lorish Swims - 

Coolbreeze, blue sky, and a haze far off in the distance. I arrived at Avila at 910 AM. There was a cool breeze blowing from east to west that created dimpled water. The swell had completely dropped off leaving only 6 to 12 inch waves. The the water felt about 50° to me… Which means it was probably 51. I had a nice swim around the CPP. 

Thursday, April 3rd, 2025

The Point to Pier T -

This morning's conditions were just as nice as Tuesday's so I swam the route I was going to do that day: the end of the Avila Pier, to Fossil Point, double back and continue over to the Poly Pier and come back to the end of the Avila Pier and in. The air temp was 44°. It was sunny with a very light breeze. The surf was 2 to 3 foot, I only needed to jump over one wave to get out and start swimming. The water was flat and glassy and had a pronounced swell near Fossil Point. The water temperature is about 51° and colder in spots. The water is also very clean and clear. 

The conditions at Fossil Point 

 

The conditions at the Poly Pier. 

After 90 minutes and 3679M I was ready to get out and warm up. 

We'll see what Jodi and Tom want to do on Saturday morning. 

niel

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2025

Tom Lorish Checks out the Avila Rock - 

Clear skies, glassy water, and a super low tide.  That was Avila at 830 AM. The air temperature was 48° and the water temperature was 52°. It was a good morning to swim around Avila rock.  There was a serious bed of kelp out there with no clear channel through, so I had to do about 15 yards of kelp crawling.  It was interesting out at the Rock - with the super low tide there was actually a pretty good wave of crashing over it.  Beautiful morning swim. 

April 1st, 2025

 Avila Rock - 

It was a beautiful spring morning, 44°, sunny and clear with a light breeze. The surf was 2 to 3 feet with an occasional 4 footer. The water looked really nice.  I got in a bit after 7.

The water felt pretty cold at the start and it took me a while to get 'comfortable', but even then it was colder than Saturday. I measured 51° at the buoy line and it felt colder further offshore.  There were no bait fish or seals and very few birds about except for the pigeons roosting on the Avila Pier. 

My plan was to swim from the end of the Avila Pier to Fossil Point and back and then over to the Poly Pier and back. It wasn't long after I'd left the end of the Avila Pier that I realized how flat the water was and that this would be a great opportunity to swim to Avila Rock, so I changed my plan and headed for the rock.  

It was low tide and the swells were washing over the rock. 

It was lovely swimming out there. There were some big swells rolling through but no chop and , clean, glassy water.  Out at the rock the otters kept an eye on me. There were chunks of Styrofoam hung up in the kelp, YUCH! I grabbed as much as I could and tucked it into the collar or my wetsuit. Coming back I did a long straight line to the first buoy and timed my way in between the larger waves. 

I'll be back Thursday, Saturday and Sunday

niel

Tom Gets Wet - 

Wet and wild at Avila this morning. I arrived at 930 AM to wet streets and a wild ocean. The water temperature was about 53°. The swell had dropped off from Friday, but it was still pushing 3 foot plus waves and the storm had created bumps and currents that were pushing all different directions. It was a good morning vitamin.