Sunday, November 29, 2015

Avila Beach was a great place to on Sunday. It was sunny with an air temperature in the high 50's, no wind, and an ocean that was providing some waist high waves, mild swells and a water temperature that felt like the mid 50's. The buoys are gone so we are all navigating without their assistance with 'the end of the buoy line' now being an approximate spot in the ocean that is agreed upon while we are swimming.  We got off in waves today. Peter did his usual solo swim. Niel, Tom, Leslie started and were joined by Amy, Rick and John. With the staggered start the early starters wound up treading water while the second group joined up.  When we reached the end of the pier everyone was cold enough to head in. We completed .85 of a mile.

niel

Sunday, November 22, 2015

It was beautiful at Avila Beach today, both in and out of the water. Duke was up for some distance which was good with most of us so we plotted a one and a half mile route. It was comfortably warm on the sand with no wind and a flat ocean. The water temperature (over at the port) was 58 degrees. Swimming today we're Duke, Niel, Tom, Leslie, Sue and Danielle. Sue is from London, England and is visiting her lad who is attending Cal Poly.  She swims year round, without a wetsuit, at Hyde Park in a body of water called The Long Water/The Serpentine that is about 1.3K long.

 Our route was to swim to enter at the pier, swim to the left end of the buoy line, to the end of the Avila Pier, over to the third crossbars on the Cal Poly Pier, in along the pier to the second crossbars, and finally back to our starting point at the Avila Pier and in.

 Duke, Sue and Danielle as we're forming up at the first buoy.

Tom, Sue, Duke and Leslie and Danielle at the left end of the buoy line. 

 The water was nice and clear.

Duke, Sue Tom and Leslie at the Cal Poly Pier. 

The water temperature was all over the place today, warm near the shore, cold at the buoy line and then all over the place. On the leg to the Avila Pier and over to the Cal Poly Pier we were moving in and out of relatively warm and cold spots almost continually. I'm estimating that the total swing was 4 to 5 degrees.   

When we finished up I had 1.67 miles and Duke had 1.5. I don't know what happened there. I also had 9 minutes more than Duke but I record my total time in the water and he records swimming time.

Sue, if you are going to join us next Sunday I'll bring my kayak. If the conditions are favorable and you want to do a single Martini I'll accompany you. We can also just go for a swim. Post a comment to the blog and let me know.

Note, since the Avila pier has been closed I cannot get out to take an accurate water temperature at Avila Beach so I'm quoting the water temperature that is reported by the NOAA station in Port Harford, about 1 mile to the west.

niel

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Stormy conditions at Avila Beach today. Tom ahd texted me Saturday night to check if I was up for a swim in the rain. I was so so about going but once I got his invite I had to show. I'm glad I did. We swam in stormy conditions and had a lot of fun. The air temperature was about 60 degrees and the water was 58 to 59.  There was not much wind but a choppy swell and a flooding tide made a solid push towards the beach, which combined with some waste to chest high waves made things interesting. 

With the end of our warm water and a return of more 'normal' water temperatures I try and not feel like this guy and remember how one we once greeted water temperatures in the high 50's as a treat.

The lifeguard stations have been shut down but the buoys are still in place. We swam out to the end of the pier, down to the end of the buoy line and back to our starting point, for .86 of a mile in 31 minutes from in to out including photos.  With the swell, chop and tide the pier seemed to have grown longer. 

Attempted underwater group shot. 

I'm on the left, having already popped back up.

So we had fun and got to start relearning some real rough water skills.   

The first picture may have given you a false impression that the fellows in the new Patagonia catalogue were just up to staging some funny photos, however, take a close look at this one that was on the next page. I don't see any wetsuits.   
 

niel

Sunday, November 8, 2015

We swam 1.23 miles today in nice conditions. The water was 59 degrees with waist high waves and a swell that was spaced far apart. There was no wind and the visibility was good. Sylvia and Pete swam the buoy line. Niel, Duke, Marcus, Rick, Damion and Tom did a modified triangle; down the buoy line to the left, out and around an anchored catamaran, to the end of the Avila Pier, on to the last buoy at the creek and back to our starting place. 

Tom is always thinking of fun things to do and he has a proposal for a 2.27 mile point to point adventure swim. The route is out to the end of the Avila Pier, to the end of the Cal Poly Pier, over to and around historic Smith Island and to the beach at the base of the Harford Pier. We'd do this sometime in the next few months.,We are polling interest from swimmers, support paddlers and help with shuttling cars if necessary. Indicate your interest by responding to the blog or catch Tom or myself at the beach.  
                           

I found this with a bunch of other old postcards and stuff.  That is Pete Kelley and his original restaurant on Front Street in the Old Avila. This is probably the late 70's or early 80s', after he did his successful Catalina Channel Crossing. What a handsome studly dude and the food was great and you could go next door to the original Barbara's By the Sea, sit at the the longest bar in SLO County, order a beer and Pete would bring you your food.

The Old Avila was funky but very special.

And, a big Thank You to Rhonda for donating the swim safety device and dry bag to the Avila Dolphins. This is a dry bag that is designed to be towed by a swimmer. It is intended to serve two functions; it is big and bright so it increases your visibility to boaters etc., and you can place food, clothes or whatever you want to take along but keep dry on a open water swim. Though not designed to, it can also provide some flotation in an emergency. 

niel

Sunday, November 1, 2015

The start of November at Avila Beach greeted us with friendly conditions; clear sunny skys with an air temperature in the 70's and a water temperature of 61 degrees. The water was very clean with good visibility and 3 foot waves.  Today's swimmers with wetsuits were Rick, Niel. Tom and Nicole with Pete and Sylvia holding up the honor of the traditional faction. Pete and Sylvia did their own swim. Niel, Tom, Rick and Nicole did the triangle clockwise covering 1.08 miles in 39 minutes from in to out. 

Rick and a non swimmer at the east end of the buoy line.

Tom and Rick, at the same spot

Attempted group photos, Nicole's fingers, Niel's hand and Rick's arm.

It is really hard to stay submerged in a wetsuit with no weight belt.

niel

Sunday, October 25, 2015

There was no sun at the beach this morning, just thick high clouds. The ocean was flat with some 3 to 4 foot sets of waves that were spaced well apart. There was no sign of any wind.
Getting in today were Niel, Duke, Rick, Amy, John, Sylvia and Gerry. The water temperature was down to 'only' 62 degrees or so, colder than we have been used to but still 8 degrees above the temperatures for October 2013. We swam out to the first buoy, went under the pier and along the buoy line to the last buoy at the creek. From here Amy and John returned along the buoy line and to the third buoy on the left side of the pier while Niel, Duke and Rick swam to the end of the pier and in to the beach from there.  We covered .81 miles.

niel

Sunday, October 18, 2015

A beautiful fall day at Avila before we got in. 65 degree water, air temp in the upper 70's, 2 to 3 foot waves and a slight gusty breeze. More like summer than fall conditions, another day of unseasonably warm air and water.
Swimming Sunday were Sylvia, Niel, Rick, Duke, Dale, Tom, Marcus, John, Pete and Damion.  The plan was to go out to the buoy line on the left side of the pier, to swim along   the buoys, past the last one and on down to Fossil Point. From there we would return back along our route.

The swim started out smoothly but once we passed the last buoy I began wondering if there was a powerboat maneuvering in the area because small waves were starting to break over my head from behind. When we grouped up near the point we all realized that a strong WSW wind had come up and pushed up a strong current with an 18" wind chop which coming towards us almost directly from where we began the swim. The swim back was the roughest conditions that we have had since last winter.  I normally alternate breath but I found that breathing every other stroke put me in better sync with the chop, but the conditions were so comfortable getting back to the pier was just a matter of doing the work. 

Some of the group near the point. The rest are there somwhere.

Tom 

Tom got this one of me

And this one!

The water was a bit messier when we were getting out.

So we did .9 miles that felt like 1.4.

niel

Sunday, October 11, 2015

We had a great swim today.  Twelve people (Niel, Sylvia, Pete, Amy, Dale, Nicole, Marcus, John Hampsey, Rick, Damion, Gerry Gross and Pete) swam in water that was 65+ degrees. There were 4 to 5 foot waves but the tide turned just before we got in so the surf was laying down as we swam out. At John's suggestion we did a bit of an adventure route;  from the first buoy  out and around a moored sailboat, on to a buoy that marks a reef which is past the end of the buoy line, back to and under the pier to the third buoy on the west side and diagonally in to the shore at base of the pier.  .9 mile in 38 minutes. The water was so comfortable people were just floating and visiting when we grouped up at the turning points, no need to keep swimming to keep warm!


The 2016 Will Swim For Food - Saturday January 16th, 8AM

This is a annual fundraiser for food banks; raise money and go for a 1 mile swim around the Santa Cruz pier in January. Rob did this swim in 2013 and a group from Avila has gone every year since. Rob, Niel, Ali, Stephanie, Tom and Leslie have raised more than $5000 for foodbanks. This is a swim, not a race. There is no entry fee or cost to the swimmer. You sign up and raise pledges from people who think you have a crazy idea of fun. There is no minimum amount of pledges.  Pledges can be directed to any foodbank in the U.S. 
The ducks are a very fun part. If you, or a donor, pledges $150 or more at one time they will receive a full size duck decoy that they can decorate as they wish and the swimmer can tow behind them during the swim.

Stephanie, Niel and Tom

It is a very fun event for a great cause that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to feed adults and children in our communities that are hungry.
  The website for this year's swim doesn't seem to be quite complete yet, there is still stuff there from previous years, so I'm not sure that you can actually sign up now but I've begun working on my idea for this year's duck(s). 

http://willswimforfood.com/ 


niel

Sunday, October 4, 2015

It is October and the weather has changed. Avila was cool with patchy clouds, no wind and 61 degree water. There was a swell from the south that was moving the buoys around  but no wind or chop. 

In the water today were Niel, Tom, Damion, Pete, Amy, Danielle and two people who joined us after we were in the water. They were from the bay area and had done Scott Tinley yesterday.

The water was comfortable and it was nice to get reaquainted with elevator feeling from swimming across a swell.

After we got out the clouds cleared off, it warmed up and was very pleasant on the beach.

Thanks to John Hampsey for writing the post last week when I was out of town. 

niel

                            

  

Sunday, September 27,2015

Swimming today were Amy, John, Sylvia, Angela, Damian, Duke, Dale, Stephanie, Kim, Lloyd, and Pete.

At 10:45am the tide was full, and mist and fog enshrouded Avila for the first time in quite a while. The beach was open and quiet, the water flat with moderate surf breaking on shore. We decided to swim the buoy line but shake things up by heading to the right first. So we swam under the pier and went north to the last buoy by the creek, then doubled back and swam under the pier to the last buoy by Fossil Point, then back to the pier and in. Distance was a little less than a mile. Proteus, the ancient sea god, looked kindly on us today because the water seemed to get warmer the longer we swam until, by collective assessment, we deemed it 70 degrees!

--John Hampsey

Sept. 27, 2015

Sunday, Sepetmber 20, 2015

At 10:15 Avila Beach was warm, clear, sunny and flat. The water was 65 degrees. In September of 2013 the water temperature was 55 degrees. It is going to be difficult to get reacclimated once water conditions return to a more typical temperature.

Swimming today were Niel, Lloyd, Sylvia, Amy, John Hampsey, Leslie, Tom, Nicole, Daniel, Dale and Pete. There were two jet skis jumping the surf at the east end of the beach so we stayed inside the buly line in the no boat zone. We had a lot of different abilities and interests today and wound up doing 4 or 5 different routes.  Just as we were wading in a single seal stuck his head getting inside the surf line. I guess that he was just curious as that was the only time I saw him. Tom, Lloyd and I did a lap of the buoy line. The wind started to pick up during the second half of our swim but the chop never got too large. 

Tom and Lloyd at the creek mouth.

niel

Sunday, September 13,2014

Swimming today were Dharmesh, Niel, Pete, Sylvia, Amy, John, Marcus, Damion and Gerry Gross. We enjoyed very warm water - 67 to 70 degrees and flat conditions with building chop. No signs of big fish.  Everybody did some variation of the buoy line. 

It is going to be very hard to recover from this summer when water temperatures return to a more normal 55 degrees but we'll enjoy it while it lasts. 

niel

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Kind of a crazy plot today, I guess every time my Garmin lost its sync it jumped around. Anyway, we had a great day at the beach. The water was very comfortable.  At knee deep in the foam my thermometer read 64, the lifeguards posting was 65 and the pool thermometer that the guards have tied to a buoy read 69. Whatever it really was it was nice. The wind was coming up so the water was a bit choppy but it was very warm on the sand so the wind was welcome.  Niel, Tom, Claudia, Susan, Katie, Brett, Calvin and Damian swam all or part of the buoy line. Duke and Angelia arrived after we got in. They did the buoy line too. 

 Forming up at the start 

Claudia, Damian and Niel at the creek buoy.

As I was taking this picture a healthy looking sea otter popped up and gave us the stink eye for a while. 

niel