ROHTO IRONMAN TRIATHLON OCEANSIDE CA April 2, 2011

So, the parking lots at the beach and harbor are closed to us locals this week as the city prepares for this weekend's Ironman Triathlon. I feel a bit sorry for the swimmers who have to swim their 1.2 mile segment in the Oceanside Harbor. That water is tainted with fuel from the boats there. I don't care for the fuel smell while I swim. The ocean at the Oceanside beach has been rough and dirty over the last several weeks so that is not looking too good either for a nice swim. I think that the Camp Pendleton Beach would be a great swim spot but several years ago a man drowned during a triathlon swim off the beach there, just north of the Oceanside Harbor past the long, rock jetty. That jetty keeps the water in the ocean cleaner on Camp Pendleton than just a half-mile south in Oceanside and the Oceanside Harbor. Water temps have been about 57-58 in recent weeks and a thin wet suit really is recommended. There's a fellow up north in Avila Beach, near San Luis Obispo, who swims the ocean regularly year-round with no wet suit. Check out his web site at www.robaquatics.com In my blog here I have lots of pictures of the water at the beach in Oceanside, CA. I swim the Harbor and the Pier a lot. Check 'em out. Good luck to the triathletes this weekend. The bike ride course on base should be beautiful.

Sunday Evening Pier March 27, 2011

The water was choppy and rough and I had a hard time with my swim today. Swimming into the chop on the way out and having a hard time breathing with the chop coming in. Waves smaller than yesterday-about 3-4 feet and sloppy. Only a handful of surfers. I found this heart design that someone had made and decided it was worth posting.

Oceanside Pier Saturday Night

The water was bigger tonight, and thankfully, cleaner than yesterday. I really noticed that the feel of the water was fresher tonight. The sun is setting late now after the time change so I didn't get in until about 5 PM. Temp was 58. Rougher than yesterday-about 3 to 6 feet. Little interval between waves. Lots of strong surge. Current running north to south.

More surfers out there than yesterday-nobody on the north side and about two dozen on the south side. Well, maybe fifteen.

I got in on the south side with my fins, webbed gloves, hole-ey wet suit, and yellow swimmer's safety vest. Also two swim caps and my swim goggles. I also wear rash guard shorts and shirt underneath it all. I still started to chill up on my way out after fifteen minutes. My wet suit is thin and old and worn out.

A hard swim against the current to get around the pier. Big chop as usual lately, making breathing and a smooth stroke difficult.

No puking. Here's a few pictures.

Fri Evening Oceanside Pier Swim

OK, now enough is enough of this dirty water. Let's get this rain stopped and the sand pumping finished so that my ocean can be clean again. I'm tired of the water that gets you sick. So why did I swim the pier today? Because I had to. The water was rough and powerful and it was hard to swim with the big chop constantly in my face. One of those days when you really have to pull your head up out of the water to quickly snatch a breath. Or drink some sea water. I drank a bit in my first few minutes, threw up, and was ok after that. Only thing is now I have had this strong heartburn since. Boy, the stomach sure does produce good strong acid, that when mixed with a bit of sea water, burns the esophagus pretty good.

Well, I took 60mg of Pepcid when I got home and drank a ton of water.

O'Side Pier Thursday Big, Rough, Dirty Water-FUN

So with the raining intermittently for the last week, the water is dirty. It has been rough but Thursday, late afternoon was neat. Waves were almost continuous, little interval between waves and surges. Out there the swells were in the 4 to 7 foot range, I'd say. It was not as washing-machine rough as yesterday but still no piece of cake. I just love the smoother swells past the breakers before they break! There's something special about being in that power that just floats on by you, lifting you up and down gently as it passes you, only to develop and crash ten seconds later closer in.

I tried to get pictures of the big waves coming in-there are a few pictures where one can appreciate the size of the waves. Still, it's always bigger when you're in it.

I know that the dirty water is going to get me sick, and this morning I have a head cold. My sinuses don't drain and that dirty water gets stuck up there and brews. I just hit the inhalers (nasal and oral), the antihistamines, etc. and pay the price for the thrill.

Many more surfers out there yesterday, drawn by the big waves. Those guys and ladies amaze me; they RUN toward that water; they just can't wait to get into the big stuff.

I took several pictures that I'll post here.

My swim was strenuous but relaxing. No pain, except for one time when a four footer crashed into my head and it felt like it jarred my metal bar in my spine to the core. Felt like it might loosen the darn thing. That's what I get for not ducking under the big ones.

Safety gear: fins, webbed gloves, swimmer's safety vest (yellow for visibility to watercraft).