Sunday, April 24, 2011

It was cool and overcast today and while I was driving to the beach I was passing in and out of rain showers. There was no rain once I parked but it was breezy with gray clouds that looked like they had moisture in them. The water was clear and 55 degrees with small surf and a small chop moving from right to left. Sylvia and Evonne were getting ready to get in when I arrived. This was to be Evonne's third try at ocean swimming and she and Sylvia were going to do their own swim. For the 11AM swim we had Niel, Rob, Chad, Monte (who was over from the valley) and Conner. This was conner's first swim with us. He is a Cal Poly student and a triathlete and found us through the website. He was comfortable in the ocean but wanted to learn how to swim in open water. Well, he found the right group!

We decided to do the large triangle clockwise today. That would give us a route with different exposures to the chop and multiple points for shortening or modifying the swim if we decided to. We swam out, turned left and headed down the buoy line until we were opposite the big rock at the far end of the retaining wall. From there we swam to the end of the Avila Pier. As we approached the end of the pier we discovered that the pier had been flattening out the chop by about 1/2. The third leg towards the creek to where the last buoy used to be was across the chop and probably the most difficult technically. Once we grouped up at the creek we swan parallel to the beach, under the pier to our starting point and turned in to the beach. This swim was about 1.25 miles and we were in the water for 38 minutes.

niel

Wednesday Evening, April 20, 2011

There was light rain falling as I drove to Avila at 5PM. It had slacked off to a mist by the time I got to the beach but there was a strong wind out of the West, blowing from right to left along the beach. I met up with Rob and we decided on a swim. Tonight we would go in on the right side of the pier, out to the lone buoy, down the phantom buoy line to the creek, over to the Poly Pier and retrace our route back. I had not gotten here early enough to get a water temperature but based on the temperature for our previous 3 swims we agreed that it would be cold, somewhere in basement of the 50's. Wading in the water felt nippy on my feet and hands but Rob, in his 'traditional' cold water gear, feels it all over and he was feeling the cold. As I was swimming out I started thinking that it wasn't that bad, maybe even mid 50's. Our leg down to the creek was into the wind and chop and took some extra work. I could taste the presence of fresh water as we neared the creek. Once we were off of the mouth of the creek we angled towards the Poly Pier and got a surprise. As we pushed towards the pier and swam out of the creek water we crossed a 3 or 4 degree temperature drop. This felt like 51 or 52 for sure. We did not spend any time idling at the Poly Pier and headed directly back towards the warmer water and the first buoy. Once there we stopped and reviewed the swim but not for too long. Treading water let our feet fall into the cold salt water that was below the fresh on top and our feet started freezing. We headed in, got dried off and changed. This swim was 1.55 K and we were in the water for 34 minutes.

niel

Sunday, April 17th 2011

It was too hot to walk barefoot on the beach but plenty cold in the water today! The nearest ocean buoy was running about 50 degrees but it was probably closer to 52 at the beach. Swimmers were myself, Duke and Sylvia. Duke and I swam to the end of the pier, over to the Poly Pier, back to the 1 buoy on that side of the Avila Pier, and then under and back to the beach which was good for about 1.3 miles. Sylvia did her own thing but spent about the same amount of time in the water as we did. Along our route Duke and I found some really cold patches. Midway between the Poly Pier and the Avila Pier on our way back we hit a patch that felt like a solid 4 degree drop, it was pretty brutal... luckily the sun was shining with reckless abandon this afternoon!

We'll be back out in the water on Wednesday after work around 5:30!

Rob D.

Wednesday Evening, April 13, 2011

I guess that you could say that we had spring conditions this evening. There was a stiff breeze that would gust hard enough to shake the pier, as if a big wave was passing under it. The wind was unusual as it was blowing from right to left, almost directly from the west and parallel to the beach. The surface of the ocean was pushed up into a short, sharp and close spaced chop that did not have any whitecaps. The water was clear and the temperature was 52. Swimming tonight were Rob, John and Niel. John and I wear wetsuits and I kept looking over at Rob in his trunks and cap as we were wading in to see what kind of fun he was having. We started on the right side of the pier and grouped up at the buoy line. We swan down the beach to the right to the creek. This leg was directly into the wind and chop. For me it was harder work but an OK swim, as I found a rhythm that worked with the chop so I wouldn't catch any water when I breathed. From the creek we swam to the end of the Avila Pier. The chop was coming over my right hip now so I was getting a nice push, even sliding down a few faces, but the direction meant that it was easy to get a mouth full from the chop breaking over my head. From the end of the pier we swam along the east side of the pier in to the beach. The pier broke up the chop some and made this the easiest leg of the swim. We finished in 28 minutes. The idea of a shower in that wind didn't sound too inviting so we just got into dry clothes as quickly as possible.

I'm busy Sunday but Rob will be at Avila on Sunday for the 11 AM swim.

For those of you who knew Alan Freeman, he will be in town next week and he is hoping to swim with us on the 24th, Easter Sunday and possibly Wednesday (the 20th) as well.

niel

Sunday, April 10th 2011

We had a great day for a swim. It was really sunny and warm on the beach with a light wind blowing onshore. There was no real surf to speak of and the water was only lightly textured. There was no official temperature reading today, but everyone agreed about 53 sounded right. The nearest NOAA buoy was reading 51-52. We had 4 swimmers today - Rob, Sylvia, Duke and Chad - and everybody swam the same route. We swam down to the end of the pier, over to the reef buoy, and then back to the buoy line and in. According to my GPS it was just shy of 1500 meters.

We'll be back out on Wednesday at 5:30pm for a swim. If anybody is interested in a Saturday swim or bonus after work swims let me know (rob@robaquatics.com), I'm up for spending more time in the ocean right now!

Rob D.

Wednesday Evening, April6,2011

Rob and I met at 5:30 this evening for our Wednesday after work day swim. There was a light wind and a current from the east to the west and a small swell from the SW. The water temperature was 57. The waves were 2' to 3' with some occasional 4+ footers. We decided to do something different; we swam out to the first (and only) buoy on the right side of the pier. From there we did not head down the buoy line but headed straight to the Poly Pier to our usual stopping point about a third of the way out from the shore. From there we swam to the end of the Avila Pier and in along the pier to the beach. With the wind, current and chop running in different directions each leg offered different conditions. As were were coming in the surf had built up to 4' to 5' so we got to play a bit getting in. We were in the water for 40 minutes and covered 2.4K.

niel

Sunday, April 4, 2011

Today's water conditions were not like anything I have ever seen at Avila. The overcast was burning off, there was no wind, the water temperature was 55.5 and the ocean was a complete mess. There was a mix of small and large waves. The surface was not choppy but underlying the waves was a steady series of small swells out of the SW, one foot or so high and spaced about 6' apart, which created a very messy surface to swim in. A lot of water was getting pushed up onto the beach which caused numerous runouts and rips which was combining with a strong eastward current along the shore. A couple of times the competing currents formed rotating whirlpools out by the buoy line! Today's swimmers were Duke, Susan, Sylvia, Niel and Chad. We elected to go out and start along the buoy line and see how things went. Sylvia swam the left side of the buoy line down to the point and back. The rest of us started in the same direction but turned around at the end of the sea wall and swam back to the first buoy. From there we headed out to the end of the pier and turned around and came back along the length of the pier to the beach. Back and forth along the buoy line was across the direction of the small waves and was messy swimming. The legs out and back along the pier were mostly into or with the waves which was harder then easier, but easier swimming. The water today was the same temperature as last Wednesday evening but felt considerably warmer to me. Our total time in the water was 32 minutes.

niel

Wednesday Evening, March 30, 2011

Back In The Water Again - I think that it has been over two weeks since Avila Beach has been swimable. The rain has stopped and the water has cleared up so Rob and I got in Wednesday evening. There was an offshore breeze, the air temperature was in the upper 70's and the water was 55.5. The 'surf' was maybe 2' high, but the wind was holding up the faces nicely and they looked green and transparent. The wind had put a small chop on the water but since it was blowing right off of the shore the chop would stay small. Rob suggested that we do the Classic Triangle, which was fine with me. I got out to the buoy line first while Rob finished getting acclimated. I was looking around while I was waiting and noticed that the floating dock that was used to stage jet ski tours has been removed. Once Rob joined me we headed down to the left to the second and last buoy. There are still are only two of the original 4 buoys on this side of the pier; numbers 2 and 3. The first one is gone and the 4th is now anchored on a small rock pile about 100M seaward from its' original position in the line. Nobody knows if it was blown there or moved intentionally. Our leg to the end of the pier was downwind so we got a nice push. At the end of the pier we both had to slide past a fishing line that the wind and current was carrying far off the end of the pier. Because of the chop I could get glimpses of only the first buoy on this side of the pier, so we sited on the headland at the end of the bridge and headed for where the last buoy of the line should be. This leg was almost directly into the wind and chop so we got to make up for the wind aided swim on the previous leg. Once we go close it became apparent that the first buoy by the pier was the only one left of the line of four. We continued on to where we thought the last buoy should of been and turned towards the pier. We swam under the pier (something else we have not done in some time due to the large surf) and came in. Rob's GPS said we had covered 1.8K in 35 minutes.

Rob and I stayed for dinner and at 7:30 came out to a great sunset. You can see his photos at www.robaquatics.com

Rob will be out of town this weekend but I will be at Avila on Sunday.

niel

Sunday, March 27, 2011

On Friday the water off of Shell and Avila Beaches was dark brown with silty run off. The previous water quality advisory had been renewed on the 23rd so neither Rob or I planned on swimming today. This coming week is predicted to be dry and warm so if the water clears up sufficiently we will swim Wednesday evening at 5:30.

niel

Sunday, March 20, 2011

The first day of spring came in with heavy rain, high winds and conditions generally unfavorable to swimming in the ocean. The heavy rain in the last 24 hours means that the creek will be flowing heavily carrying a lot of silt into the bay at our swimming spot. The last water quality samples were taken before the recent storm. With heavy rains water at Avila is often contaminated with bacteria, so I'm staying out today. If the water clears up, Rob and I will be swimming Wednesday evening at 5:30.

niel

Wednesday Evening, March 16, 2011

We had a real ocean swim for our first evening swim of the season. It was about 70 degrees and calm when I got to Avila. The waves were at least as large as they were last Sunday but the water conditions outside the surf line were excellent for swimming. I got a water temperature of 53.5, still cold but a welcome 2 degrees warmer than Sunday. With the very low tide and the big waves the water was stirred up and visibility was poor. While I was on the pier the largest swells were making it do the hula and had me thinking about strategies for getting out through the surf. Swimmers were Rob, Natalie and Niel. We decided to work out a swim plan once we got out to the buoy line, as nobody was sure how much energy it would take to get out. I got lucky and made my break at the right time. Rob and Natalie were enough farther in that they got pushed back. I waited for them at the buoy line, riding up and down 4 to 5 feet as the big waves came through. Once we formed up we agreed to do the triangle clockwise and to omit the ending swim under the pier. A offshore breeze has come up but didn't bother us on the first leg. On the way to the pier things were getting a little bouncy. The third leg from the end of the pier towards the mouth of the creek was a real adventure. the wind had pushed up a funny small chop, more like a super sized ripple, and combined with the other action in the water it felt like I was getting pushed in four directions at once. We came back along the buoy line to the pier, stopping short of the first buoy as we didn't want to risk getting too close to the pilings in these conditions. We got a lucky break and came in just as a nice gap in the big swells came along. We were in the water for 32 minutes and covered 1.8K according to Rob's GPS. I'll be back for our usual Sunday swim at 11 and again next Wednesday at 5:30. Check Rob's blog or the Swim Avila Facebook page, he may be slipping in some additional swims.

niel

Sunday, March 13. 2011

The water was cold today! The reading from the the usual spot on the pier was 51.5. Our unscientific conclusion was that the tsunami tides from Friday had stirred things up and had brought a lot of cold deep ocean water to the surface. Whatever the reason nobody was talking about going long today. Other than the temperature the water was pretty clean and flat, the tide was very low and there were some large sets of waves. The biggest waves had 6'+ faces and were in sets of 7 to 10, so getting out was going to be a matter of timing your dash between the sets. On the beach today we had Rob, Niel, Sylvia, Chad and Pete. Our getting out to the buoy line was a bit of a scattered endeavor. Pete got the jump on the rest of us by catching the first nice break in the big sets while the rest of use were admiring the view or trying to imaging what it was going to be like to get your face in the water since you already couldn't feel your feet. There rest of us did get going and we met up out past the buoy line, because I didn't stop swimming out until I thought that I was well beyond the breakers. With the very low tide there was still a lot of lift from the waves even out the end of the pier. We swam down the buoy line to the left to the phantom last buoy and turned to the end of the Avila Pier. There was somewhat of a plan to go from the end of the pier to the end of buoy line at the creek but as we approached the end of the pier water temperature took what we agreed was a 2 degree dive. At this point with the water temperature in the high 40's everyone liked the idea of heading in directly along the length of the Avila Pier. Pete got the prize for the biggest moment on the swim in when the three of us got to see a 6'+ wave pick him up and hang him on the crest of the lip for an instant before letting him slide down the back of the wave. I bet the view from up there made him forget about the water temperature. Sylvia had stayed along the buoy line and with no wetsuit, decided that 15 minutes in the water was enough.

We will be back next Sunday and hopefully the water temperature will have normalized. A increase of a few degrees would be welcome.

Wednesday Nights Swims Begin 3/16!

With the change to DST Rob and I are ready to start swimming on Wednesday evenings. We are going to swim this coming Wednesday at 5:30. That is in the water at 5:30. The start time will move to 6P once the days lengthen.

niel

Saturday, March 12th, 2011

2 of us met up for a swim today at 2pm. There were some good sized waves rolling through today, but unless you'd been watching the news yesterday you would have never known we had a tsunami warning up and down the coast just 24 hours earlier!

We did a Poly pier swim in some fairly cold water with some really active chop. Near the shore I measured 53.5, but further out and especially on the right side of the pier you could feel the temperature drop pretty substantially. As we swam to the Poly pier things really built up in the chop department, this was some of the roughest water I've seen in Avila in a few months. We wrapped up our swim with a little bodysurfing since the waves were big and then ran off to get on with the rest of our days.

See everybody tomorrow morning for our 11am swim, don't forget to set your clocks forward an hour!

Sunday, March,6. 2011

It was just Sylvia and I today. Rob was in Pasadena at the CalTech pentathlon and the dreary gray overcast wasn't encouraging. In spite of the gray clouds the surface viability was great allowing clear views of Point Sal, which is 18 miles to the south. The CDF/Pismo Beach Lifeguards were doing some training on the west side of the pier. The water was very clear, and looking much nicer than last Sunday. The water temperature was 55.5. There was a small chop but the wind was dieing as we got ready and it was almost flat as we got in. It was also starting to spit fine rain. Sylvia had not been in in a few weeks so we planned a shortish swim. We went out to the buoy line and turned left, swam to the big rock at the end of the sea wall and came back to the pier. I'm a faster swimmer than Sylvia so I got in some extra distance by turning back when I got to the rock and once I met up with Sylvia I swam with her back to the rock. We did the same thing on the return to the pier. We were in for a half hour. Our chairs were wet and it was still spitting after we dried off so nobody was interested in hanging on the beach.

niel

Saturday, March 5th, 2011

The Saturday swim was excellent... we had 3 swimmers out, 2 swimming with us for the first time! The weather was great, the water was calm, and with all the sunshine you hardly noticed that it was only about 52 degrees. Natalie, Jen and myself started together and swam out to the end of the buoy line on the left side of the pier. Jen opted out of swimming over the top of the pier and swam it back in. Natalie and I did the rest of the triangle... or at least what's left of it since the creek buoy is still M.I.A.

I hope everybody has fun with the Sunday swim, I'll be off racing some 50's down in Pasadena for the day.

Rob D.