Friday, October 31st, 2025

Tom's Friday Morning Swim - 

Heavy marine layer, glassy calm water and a beautiful morning Swim.  The water was about 54 degrees and the water clarity was excellent. 

Thursday, October 30th, 2025

Niel and Jim's Thursday Morning Swim - 

Jim and Niel waided in a bit after 7. The sky was clear and it was brightening in the east. It would be bright and sumnny in 20 minutes. The air temperature was 48°, my thermometor would claim that the  water was 57°- 58°, the same as Tuesday, and just like Tuesday Jim and I thought the water felt like 55°.  Tom Lorish's toes agree with Jim and I.

I need to get better aclimated or the coming low 50's will feel like the upper 40's.  

The surf was 2 foot with an occasional 3 footer. There was no wind.     

We agreed to swim from each buoy out to and back from the end of the Avila Pier starting at buoy #4. There was a small swell.  Leaving the #2 buoy Garmin threw in a dogleg over to the pier for me.    

Jim and Niel at the end of the Avila Pier. 

I'll swim Saturday at 7:15 and Sunday at 11. 

I'm curious what the Saturday group will think about the water temperature. 

 

niel 

Wednesday, October 29th, 2025

Tom Lorish's Wednesday Swim Report - 

What a difference a day makes… clear blue skies, and glassy calm water.  The wild conditions of the last week were gone.  There was a lazy 2 foot wave and the water temperature was about 56°.  The swimming was excellent. 

Tuesday, October 28th, 2025

Niel's Tuesday Morning Swim Report -

Niel and Jim swam in beautiful and changable conditions this morning. At 7 we headed to the water. It was sunny and cloudless with a mild offshore breeze, 58° and the surf was down to 3 foot +/-. We met up at the first buoy, the water felt a bit chilly (- 55°) to both of us so we swam the the 4th buoy before deciding on this morning's route. We swam to the end of the Poly Pier. The water was nice and smooth. At the end of the P Pier I measured a water temperature of 57° - 58°, which neither Jim or I thought could be correct. We swam back to the end of hte Avila Pier and in to the beach. 

     

Niel and Jim at the end of the Poly Pier

I had the camera on still photo instead of video.  

The return swim was a rerun of Tom Lorish's experience yesterday. Coming back from the P Pier a offshore wind chop came up and made us work to get to the Avila Pier. It didn't lay down as we got closer to shore, coming in along the pier it was slapping our heads and hands with each stroke. If we had started out at 8 or 8:30 the return swim would have been epic. 

It was sunny and warm when we got out.

Walking over to the showers I saw a pod of dolphins heading NW between the Avila and Poly Piers. 

After I had changed I went out along the Avila Pietr to the buoy line and measuted the water temperature with my big thermometor.  The water was 57°. I've no idea how Jim and I were so off about the water temp.   

Jim and I will swim on Thursday at 7

niel

Monday, October 27th, 2025

Tom L's Monday Morning Swim Report -

The swell had dropped off and the fog was gone. Clear blue skies and a solid breeze blowing offshore - SSW.  There was a pretty big wind chop from the breeze that had me work harder than I have in a long time.  The leg coming back from the CPP was a workout. With the wind, the water felt about 56°.  Excellent Monday morning vitamin. 

Niel's Sunday Swim Report -  

I arrived in Avila at 7:20. It was 54° and I measured a 57° water temperature from the pier. It was sunny with fog out there moving around. The swell and surf seemed to be about like yesterday; some sets of 5'+ with 3 to 4 footers in between. I got ready to get in but when I was aobut head to the water an extra large (6'+) set came in. I tohught about it and decided that I was not feeling the need to start this swim with pushing the effort to 9+ just to get out to the buoy line, so I drove over to Olde Port Beach.   

Olde Port Beach looking towards the Poly Pier as I was walking in

The Olde Port Beach is west of Avila, closer to the port, and is more protected from this NW swell by the breakwater at the port. The surf was 3'+ and just sort of rolling in to the beach.  I walked out, swam to the Poly Pier, to the end of the pier and back the way I had come. Swimming out along the pier there was a swell and current to work into that turned into a nice push on the way back.  

At the Poly Pier

This coming week I plan to swim at 7 on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and at 11 on Sunday.  

niel 

Sunday, October 26th, 2025

Tom's Sunday Swim Report - 

Super foggy and big water.  It was two hours before high tide when I swam and the water was already going up and over the berm… there was a lot of water moving at Avila this morning. It was a fun morning to Swim. 

Saturday, October 25th, 2025

 Niel's Sunday Swim Report -

Surf's Up!  This week Tom Lorish had the 'luck' to swim when the swell was big. Friday and Friday night the largest sets were touching the bottom of the pier which requires 7 to 8 foot waves. My swim on Thursday was not nearly as dramatic.  At 7 Saturday morning the surf was 4 to 5 feet with occasional larger sets. It was overcast and 54° with a weak offshore wind and comfy 58° water. Jodi, Niel and Tom I. were swimming.

A photo by Jodi from the pier. 

Getting out was all about timing. Jodi got it wrong by about 4 seconds and got rolled really good.  Tom and I pulled up at the #1 buoy and saw Jodi standing on the beach. We swam back in and talked for a bit. Jodi was going to sit this one out so Tom and I swam back out to the #1 buoy.    

The in and out swim

It smelled like bacon at the buoy line but no one was there with a Double Double for us.  

We left the #1 buoy and swam to the end of the pier, to the #4 buoy on the west side, to #1, back to #4, to #4 oonthe east side, to #1 and in. We had the surf mojo thing going and made our fourth easy looking trip through the surf.    

Jodi got this photo from the pier of Tom and Niel at the #1 buoy on the west side. 

Suds in the water at the buoy line is a sign of big surf.     

Tom and Niel at #4 on the east side.

Kevin Watkins saw us at the showers and said hi. I have not seen him in some time. He is volunteering with Operation Surf. 

I'll swim at 7 tomorrow so I can make a meeting at 11:30. If the waves are big and I'm not feeling the urge for combat I'll swim at the Dog Beach where the surf will be 2 to 3 feet smaller.  

niel 

niel   

Friday, October 24th, 2025

Tom's Friday Morning Swim Report - 

Super foggy, high tide, and thick powerful waves.  If it was not a king tide, it was at least a queen or a jack tide. The waves and tide were pushing the wash well past the lifeguard tower on the east side and almost to the stairs.  The swell was moving me all over. It was a fun morning Swim.    

The picture is looking straight at the pier, but it is so foggy you can't even see it.  

Thursday, October 23rd, 2025

Niel's Thursday Morning Swim Report -

Great shoulder season weather in Avila Beach this morning. I'd been out early collecting water samples along SLO Creek and Avila Beach for testing for bacteria and eDNA and got to the water at about 7:45. It was 52° and would be 72° when I go out. It was clear and sunny with a light wind. The swell was down to 4' +/- since yesterday and I had an easily timed entry.  The water was 57° and felt comfortable.  The swells outside that were smaller and shorter than those on Tuesday and seemed to be coming from the SW and SE.       

The swimming was great and a nice way to start my Thursday.  

I rarely have seen buzzards at the beach and 

have never seen them poking around on the beach.  

I'll swim at 7 on Saturday and at 7 on Sunday so I can make a lunch meeting at 11:30.

niel 

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2025

Tom's Wednesday Morning Swim Report - 

Blue skies, scattered clouds, big swell and big high tide. The high tide and swell we're pushing the water right up to the lifeguard tower on the east side. The waves were nearly at the top of the pier at their peak. The water temperature is 56° and the swimming was excellent. 

Tuesday, October 21st, 2025

Niel's Tuesday Morning Swim Report -

This morning Avila was Braille swimming and a winter swell.  

At 7AM the fog was thick enough that I could not see the swim buoys from the beach, which made it difficult to judge the timing the waves but I was patient enough that I slipped out between the larger ones. The air temp was 51° and the water was 57°. There was a big, long swell outside the surf zone that turned was turning into surprisingly small 4 to 5 foot waves. 

The plot of my swim pretty much tells the story. I needed to be half way to the next buoy in order to see it. I couldn't see much of the shore and there was no glow in the fog to tell me which way was east, so there was a lot swimming and stopping and adjusting my route. 

I swam out and back along the buoys on the east side, went out and back along the pier and down the buoys on the west side. At #4 I could see the end of the Avila Pier so I swam to there and then felt my way towards #4 on the east side. I found a buoy just inshore of me and to my left so I swam to it, and found that it was the reef buoy and that I was in the kelp. I swam out the other side, to the #4 buoy, down the line to #1 and in. 

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

niel 

Monday, October 20th, 2025

Tom Lorish's Monday Morning Swim Report - 

Big swell, big high tide and super foggy.  It felt like winter. The fog was thick and the swell and high tide were really pushing the waves up and over the berm and all the way up to the lifeguard tower on the east side. The water was clear and felt 54°. It was a good Monday morning Swim. 

There is a smudge 2/3 of the way up in Tom's photo. Tom said it was a large ship passing within spitting distance to the end of the Avila Pier in the fog.  niel

Sunday, October 19th, 2025

The Sunday Swim Report -  

There is a bomb cyclone in the Gulf of Alaska and the surf's up in Avila Beach.  The waves felt like winter surf: the 3 to 4 foot waves were very long, in sets of 2 to 4, had some power and were pushing a lot of water up onto the berm.  

The water temp was 57°, there were scattered clouds with fog offshore, the air temp was also 57° and it was calm. There were no birds or bait balls and the water was nice and clear. 

I got in at 10:30 and swam a Yo-Yo on the left side for 3,457M. Tom, Eileen and Paula had gotten in after me. They found me and caught me for a hello. The extra two degrees of water temperature was very noticeable and I was much more comfortable that I was on Saturday morning. Maybe I'm just acclimating quickly to the colder water......or maybe having to focus on getting out through the waves kept my mind off of the water temp. 

Tom, Paula and Niel

I'm planning on swimming at 7 on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. 

niel

Saturday, October 18th, 2025

Niel's Saturday Morning Swim Report -

7 AM in Avila Beach. The air temperature was 46°, the water was 55°, it was clear with a moderate offshore breeze and the sunrise making beautiful colors behind Fossil Point and the Santa Lucia range. 

 With a clear sky it brightens up quickly and we had plenty of light to start our swim. 

 

Jodi picked today's route.  She likes to start strong so we got in on the west side and swam the 1000M straight shot to the end of the Poly Pier. At that point we were 'warmed' up and committed. We came in along the P Pier to the second crossbars, over to the end of the Avila Pier, kept going to round the reef buoy and returned along the buoys to #1 and got out. The wind put a offshore running lump on the water which gave each leg a different character. 

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

I'll swim tomorrow at 10:30. The day should be another nice one. 

niel