Swim Avila - Open Water Swimming

Tuesday, June 9th, 2026

2026-06-09T11:33:57.442-07:00

Beautiful Conditions But Cold Toes -

This morning there was a clear sunny sky in Avila Beach, also no wind and smooth water with a variable swell. The surf was the same mix of 2 foot plus waves with an very occasional set of 4 footers. Hillary and I decided to do the swim we didn't finish when she lost, and then found, her GoPro, which is a Split Yo-Yo, swimming from the end of the pier to the even numbered buoys on the west side and the odd ones on the east side.

We waded in and were surprised by the 53° water. Spring is really messing with us. The water temperature for my last three swims was 54°, 57° and today's 53°. I'm not switching to my summer weight wetsuit yet.

The swimming was nice with the larger swells passing under us near the buoy line. Hillary did an additional triangle.

On Thursday I'll swim at 8ish, Hillary may join me then or swim earlier depending on her schedule.

Sadly, my GoPro died this morning. I took some video while we were swimming but when I tried to download the file the camera would not turn on or charge so there will be no photos for a while.

niel

Saturday, June 6th, 2026

2026-06-06T13:20:28.769-07:00

The Return of the Party Boat -

Hillary has rebuilt the one of it's kind Avila Dolphins Party Boat so her GoPro is back in its original configuration and not only looks great but should be much harder to lose.

The new GoPro party boat with camera, two hula dolls and flags

Today we had Niel, Hillary, Tom Israel, Jodi and Paula in the water. The water temperature was up to 57° with a moderate wind, no chop, a 58° air temperature and heavy overcast. The pushy swell that Hillary and I had on Thursday had grown and was offering up occasional sets of 5 foot waves.

We couldn't decide on a route so we swam to the end of the pier and would figure it out once we were there. Getting out through the surf required timing and sprinting but was uneventful.

Hillary, Tom, Paula, Jodi and Niel at the end of the Avila Pier

The plot of my swim is kind'a correct. My Garmin was having another bad day with the plot somewhat of a fantasy and the charts of my pace and stroke rate changing between data and a flatline. Jodi and Tom's plots were more accurate than mine. One of us always has funky data from the swim.

We swam over to the Poly Pier, in to the #3 crossbars, back to the end of the Avila Pier, to the #4 buoy on the west side, to the end of the pier for a third time and in to the beach. Google maps measured our route at 3,800M +/-.

Coming in was a bit of an event with the group approaching the beach just when the largest waves of the morning arrived. There were some rides in the washing machine on the way to the beach but it was fun and no gear was lost.

Our apres swim at Hillary's van with

fresh brewed coffee and snacks.

Hillary and I will swim at 7 on Tuesday. I swim at closer to 8 on Thursday and with the group swim at 7 on Saturday.

niel

Thursday, June 4th, 2026

2026-06-04T15:43:43.816-07:00

Thursday Morning Yo-Yo and Treasure Hunt -

It was a beautiful sunny morning in Avila Beach. Hillary and I decided to swim a Yo-Yo. The water temp has dropped to 54°- since Saturday's 57° with it colder on the east side of the Avila Pier. We would do our swim on whichever side seemed to be warmer. The air temp was 51° and it was calm with a small swell on the water. That swell turned out to have a punch larger than its one foot size. Swimming into the swell we could feel ourselves being pushed back by each wave.

Hillary is towing her orange floatie where she keeps her Go Pro camera.

At the end of the Avila Pier we decided to swim on the west side and headed for the #4 buoy. When we returned to the end of the pier we decided to do the odd numbered buoys on the east side and swam to #3 on that side. Back at the end of the Avila Pier Hillary took some video of an otter and we swam to the #2 buoy on the west side. I caught up with Hillary back at the end of the Avila Pier and found much sadness. Hillary had her orange floatie but no Go Pro camera.

The camera floats so we figured that we might find it along our route to the #2 buoy so we split up and swam in, stopping to see if we'd get lucky and see the camera. Hillary found her camera floating near the pier about half way in to the buoy line. That put a nice spin on the mornings swim.

We'll swim on Saturday at 7.

niel

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2026

2026-06-02T11:58:10.598-07:00

June Gloom Swimming -

The heavy overcast at the beach can now be referred to as June Gloom, brought to us by the high temperatures in the Central Valley that pull moist air from the ocean in over the land where it condenses into clouds. The numbers are about the same: 56° air, water 54° to 55° depending on which side of the Avila Pier I was on, and a breeze that came up at about 8 and started lumping up the water's surface.

My swim began by heading to the Poly Pier, swimming out and back and over to the end of the Avila Pier where I found colder water, and on over to and around the reef buoy and back along the buoy line to #1 and in.

It was a nice swim.

How about this? While I was at the showers I has a surprise ride-by by Duke.

Good to see him and keep the shiny side up Buddy.

I'll be back at 7 on Thursday.

niel

Saturday, May 30th, 2026

2026-05-30T14:53:10.836-07:00

Niel, Tom and Hillary swam around the Avila Rock this AM. At 7 Avila Beach was sunny, 49°, clear and calm. The surf was 2 to 3 foot and the water was 57°.

The rain on Thursday had dirtied up San Luis Creek a bit so we headed away from the creek and swam to Avila Rock.

Niel, Hillary and Tom at the end of the Avila Pier.

The tide was very low and the kelp was spread out over a wide area so we swam well to the south of the Avila Rock. Instead of returning the way we had come we looped around the rock and swam through the kelp to Fossil Point and back along the buoy line. We gave the otters that were hanging in the kelp plenty of room.

Hillary Niel and Tom at the Avila Rock.

When we got back to the #1 buoy Hillary did an additional triangle while Tom and I headed in.

We had an after the swim party at Hillary's van. She brewed coffee from fresh ground beans to go with the the chocolate chip protein muffins I'd made.

I will swim on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 7 this coming week.

niel

Tuesday, May 26th, 2026

2026-05-26T16:15:46.126-07:00

Niel's Tuesday Morning Swim -

It was a damp, gray morning in Avila. Almost spitty. No wind, 2 to 4 foot surf, 58° air and flat, 56° water. It felt more like 54° getting in but I evened out OK.

I didn't feel motovated to go exploring so I did two triangles, had a good swim and had a hint of sun at the showers.

I hope to be in the water between 8 and 9 on Thursday. I have Blue Water Task Force volunteers to train before swimming. If it gets too late I will either swim short or skip swimming.

I'll will be ready to swim at 7 on Saturday.

niel

Saturday, May 23rd, 2026

2026-05-23T12:51:59.859-07:00

A Big Crowd for Saturday Morning -

This morning's group consisted of Eileen, Tom, Josh, Jodi, Paula, Niel, Hillary and Jim. Josh is from the Bay Area and dropped in for a swim. He will be attempting a north to south Lake Tahoe swim on July 16th. He was the only one without a wetsuit today.

The overcast was thick and it didn't look like it was going to clear soon. The air and water temperatures were 56°. It was calm, the water was smooth and the surf was small with an occasional 3 footer.

Niel, Jim, Tom, Eileen, Paula, Hillary, Jodi and Josh

at the end of the Avila Pier

56° water is a good bit colder than Josh is used to so we started out by going out and back along the east buly line, then around the pier then west to the #4 buoy. Josh was doing OK so we went to the second crossbars on the Poly Pier and came back to the end of the Avila Pier. On the leg to the Poly Pier I was near the back so I don't know who was driving but they headed for #3 and then switched to #2.

At the end of the Avila Pier for the second time Paula, Jim, Eileen and Josh swam in while Niel, Hillary Tom and Jodi continued around the reef buoy and back along the buoy line and in.

We have four plots of today's swims.

Top to bottom that is me, Tom , Eileen and Paula. The plots look very close but Tom managed to sneak in an extra 384 yards somehow.

Having a bigger group was a lot of fun. The 4th of July is a Saturday so I'm proposing that we organize another big group swim at 7 on the 4th with a post swim hang out on the beach with snacks.

This coming week I'll swim at 7 on Tuesday, at 8 to 9 on Thursday and at 7 on Saturday.

niel

Friday, May 22nd, 2026

2026-05-22T11:48:32.660-07:00

Tom's Friday Swim -

Heavy marine layer, super low tide, and flat and glassy water. The air temperature was high 50s, and the water temperature was mid 50s. It was a good Friday morning vitamin and my last Avila swim until mid June. I am off to Barcelona for Water Polo and then to Portugal to mess around.

Thursday, May 21st, 2026

2026-05-21T10:50:27.034-07:00

Niel's Thursday Morning Swim Report -

There was thick overcast but good visibility this morning. It was calm with a small swell on the water and 2 foot plus waves. It was 51° and the water had warmed up at bit to 55° - 56°.

I got in the water a bit before 7 and swam back and forth between the Avila and Poly Piers. The only company were cormorants and gulls. It was very meditative.

I'll swim at 7 on Saturday with the group.

niel

Wednesday, May 20th, 2026

2026-05-20T11:12:50.884-07:00

Tom's Wednesday Morning Swim -

Hazy blue skies, mid 60s air temperature, and super low tide. The water was comb with a 3 foot wave rolling in. The water temperature was mid 50s. Beautiful morning Swim.

Tuesday, May 19th, 2026

2026-05-19T12:23:20.253-07:00

Great Conditions and Hot Showers! -

Hillary joined me for this mornings swim. We had great conditions; it was sunny, 57° and calm with 2 foot waves and a slight swell on the water. The water was 54° to 55° and not yucky but not as clear as it had been. After the recent fog it was so bright out there. We swam a reverse Yo-Yo on the west side of the Avila Pier for 3,402M. It was very nice out there.

Hillary does a lot of camping with her VW Westfalia camper van. Today she showed me the set up she had for a hot shower. It is a CampLux Nano 3 Pro portable propane instant water heater. The heater runs on a 1# propane bottle to fire the burner and a built in rechargeable battery to run the pump. She had a 5 gal water bladder in the van. In a matter of seconds she was rinsing off in 100° water.

I'm going to talk to Santa because one of these would be so welcome next winter!

I'm swimming on Thursday and Saturday at 7.

niel

Sunday, May 17th, 2026

2026-05-17T11:36:37.620-07:00

Tom Lorish's Sunday Morning Swim -

Blue skies, thin high clouds, and a pretty big swell. The swell was bringing in four to five foot set waves and there was a breezy chop on the water as well. The water temperature was 52 in spots and 53 and 54 in other spots. It was a good morning a rough water swimming.

Saturday, May 16th, 2026

2026-05-16T16:30:09.887-07:00

It's Time To Start Sharing The Ocean -

The harbor seals were back on Tuesday and on Wednesday there was a reputable sighting of a 12' white shark over at the Harford Pier, so the fauna of summer are returning and us swimmers need to begin sharing the ocean with them.

Tom Lorish spoke to a lifeguard today and provided the details of the sighting of the marine wildlife. It is unfortunate that that information is not posted anywhere.

At 7 AM it was overcast with a bright horizon. The air temp was 49° and I measured a 55° water temp off of the Avila Pier. The surf was up with some 3 to 4 footers in the mix, there was no wind but there was a nice swell on the water. The swell was a nice addition and gave some character to my swimming.

It was a solo Saturday for me with everyone else either out of town, concerned about big fish or had other things to do.

One otter and some cormorants were the only marine wildlife I saw.

Today Garmin served up another one of its weird plots that look like the watch kept losing and reacquiring its sync with the satellite.

I didn't zig zag around like the trace and the pace plot (below) has me stopping and staring like the seismograph trace of an earthquake.

This is all a post swim distraction. The swimming was great, the sun had come out by the time I was at the showers and it was a happy way to start my Saturday.

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

niel

Friday, May 15th, 2026

2026-05-15T14:01:00.229-07:00

Tom's Swim Report -

Marine layer and high fog, glassy water with a small swell and the landlord is in town. The air temperature was high 50s and the water temperature was 52 on the east side, and 53 on the west side. I didn't swim in the landlord's food bowl and the landlord let me be. It was a good swim.

Tom

The Beware of Marine Life signs are up at Avila Beach. I have no additional information

Niel

Tuesday, May 12th, 2026

2026-05-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

Flat Water, Fog and Seals -

For the first time in quite a while, I had a couple of seals for company this morning. A small harbor seal shadowed me for a while when I was near the base of the Poly Pier and another gave me a peak over by the reef buoy. It could have been the same seal. There are not many around in the winter so this may be a sign of the start of summer conditions.

I cropped the photo, it wasn't this close.

Avila Beach was still all gray this morning but by Thursday we should have a sunrise. The air temperature was 51° and the water was up to 55° and the visibility was better than it has been. As a trade off, the water between the two piers smelled fishy. The surf was two foot with some three plus sets to keep it interesting. There was no wind and the water was glassy.

I swam over to the first crossbars on the Poly Pier out to the end, over to the reef buoy and back along the buoys to #1 and came in.

The fog was up high so even though the visibility was fine the Poly Pier had their lane lines out.

I've swum the length of the pier between the pilings and there is a optical illusion that makes it look like you can see the curvature of the earth in the water.

I'll get in between 8 and 9 on Thursday and at 7 on Saturday.

niel

Monday, May 11th, 2026

2026-05-11T12:12:00.000-07:00

Tom's Monday Swim Report -

Thick marine layer and high fog. The water was mostly flat with small bump and the temperature was 52, 53. It was a good Monday morning Swim.

Saturday, May, 9th, 2026

2026-05-09T14:27:00.000-07:00

The Saturday Group Swim Report -

Paula, Jodi and Niel did a fog swim this morning. It was 52° and very gray. The visibility was OK, but coming and going. It was calm, I measured a water temperature of 54° off of the Avila Pier, the surf was two foot plus and the water glassy but the clarity had falling off being particularly muddy on the east side of the Avila Pier.

We did one of the 'fog routes'; buoy to buoy down the line on the east side from #1 to #4, back to #1, around the pier, down and back along the buoys on the west side, around the pier and down and back once more on the east side.

As we swam the fog was lifting and we had some sunshine at the showers. The water temperature varied, my Garmin recorded water temps of 53° to 55°. I'm in my winter weight wetsuit (3.5/4.5) with booties (we all wore our booties today) so once the initial chill is past I'm comfortable.

We spoke to a gentleman on the beach who paddleboards in Long Beach. The water temp there is 63° right now. He doesn't wear a wetsuit and when he winds up in the water he thinks it is cold.

Niel, Jodi and Paula at buoy #1

While we were at #1 buoy the Harbor Patrol did a drive by.

I'll be swimming at 7 on Tuesday, closer to 8 on Thursday and on Saturday with the Group at 7.

niel

Friday, May 8th, 2026

2026-05-08T13:11:00.000-07:00

Tom's Friday Swim Report -

Heavy cloud cover, flat and glassy water. Air temperature was high 50s and the water temperature was low 50s. And by low I mean 52 on the east side and spots of 53 on the west. It was a good morning of cold water swimming.

Thursday, May 7th, 2026

2026-05-07T10:49:00.000-07:00

No Sun, No Waves, No Swell -

I got into the water at 6:50. There was fog this morning with the visibility varying between .5 and 1 mile. It was 53° and calm, with 2 foot surf and glassy 53° to 54° water. It was a degree colder on the east side of the Avila Pier than on the west side.

The only animal life I saw this morning were gulls.

So I had a nice smooth 2 miles with a bit of sun when I was at the showers.

When it is foggy the Poly Pier makes a pretty good lane line.

I'll swim with the Saturday Morning Group at 7.

niel

Wednesday, March 6th, 2026

2026-05-06T14:41:00.000-07:00

Tom's Wednesday Morning Swim Report -

Clear blue skies and beautiful. The water was flat and glassy and 53, 54°. The water clarity was crystal and it was a good morning Swim.

Tuesday, May 5th, 2026

2026-05-05T11:29:00.000-07:00

Around The Avila Rock -

The Big Pool was wonderful this morning. I got in at 7. It was sunny and calm with 2 foot surf with an occasional pair of 3+ footers. The morning wind didn't come up so the water stayed glassy for my whole swim. The temperatures were 48° air and 53° water. There was a minus tide at 7:38 so it was a short swim to the buoy line, a lot of Avila Rock was exposed and I had to swim further than usual away from the rock to avoid the kelp beds that were spread out over a wider area.

At Avila Rock looking towards the Avila and Poly Piers and Port San Luis

Close to the rock cold(er) water from the bottom was being pushed up to the surface so it was a degree or two colder there.

I'll be back for more of this on Thursday and Saturday mornings.

niel

Monday, May 4th, 2026

2026-05-04T13:15:00.000-07:00

Tom's Monday Swim Report -

Blue skies, beautiful cloud formations, and the occasional 3 foot wave. The wind picked up during my swim creating a bumpy wind chop. The air temperature was high 50s and the water temperature was low 50s. It was another chilly nice Swim.

Sunday, May 3rd, 2026

2026-05-03T13:30:00.000-07:00

Tom L. and Some of the Poly Girl's W.P. Team Go Around the Rock -

Blue skies and breezy. The air temperature was high 50s and the water temperature was low 50s. I had a group of my CP Water Polo girls with me and we swam around the Avila Rock. It was a excellent morning Swim.

Saturday, March 2nd, 2026

2026-05-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

It was just Niel and Jodi swimming today. The conditions were great with no wind, flat water and 2 foot surf. The air and water temperatures were 55°. There was thick gray overcast so the water felt like 54°+/-. We swam out to the end of the Avila Pier and from there to one of the #4 buoys on each side of the Avila Pier. Two on the west side and one onthe east side made our two miles.

Jodi and I are working on getting used to the initial chill from the mid 50's water temp.

When we arrived at the #4 buoy on the east side a pod of bottle nosed dolphins was 70M offshore from us heading east. Jodi saw them first and the sight of a fin on the surface got her heart rate up.

The Arrowhead Route

Three trips from the end of the pier to a #4 buoy equals 3,200M

I'll swim on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 7 next week.

niel

Friday, May 1st, 2026

2026-05-01T13:49:00.000-07:00

Tom's May Day Swim Report -

Heavy marine layer and glassy calm water. The air temperature was 57° and the water temperature, based on my precision calibrated 3T's (toes, testicles, and teeth) was 53 degrees. It was a chilly but beautiful Swim.