Ocean Swim Oceanside Pier Sunday June 19

Sunday at 6 PM the beach was gorgeous. The water was warm, about 65-66 degrees. Flat, calm surface to the ocean was perfect for swimming. Even the wave entry was easy and swimmer friendly. I wore fins and gloves and had a great swim. My daughter came with me and walked the pier to take some photos of me in the water. I haven't had any photos yet of me in the water, so that was nice. The tide was low so the swim was short and sweet. Really it was a perfect evening for photos and swimming at Oceanside Pier.

Bike Race Across America Leaves Oceanside CA Pier

These pictures were taken at 6:15 PM Saturday before I swam. I was happy to get a parking spot across the street from the beach, and free after 6 PM. The parking lots again belong to beachgoers as the Race Across America has departed from the Pier area and is on its way. Good luck to the cyclists. I read that last year the winner did the race to Maryland in 9 days and some hours. Amazing. They sleep a couple of hours per day. I can't ride my bike for a few miles before my rear end is hurting'. And I have a lot of natural padding there. Ironic.

The water was warm-I'd say 65-66 degrees, with warm bands throughout the swim. The surf was very small-2 feet, so not good for surfers-except for that narrow area close to the pier.

The water was choppy throughout-about 1-2 feet-which always makes breathing difficult. You rotate your head to the left side to inhale some much needed air, and you start to inhale a face full of water. That's the kind of swim it was. There was a lifeguard sign out warning "rip current" at the south side of the pier but I felt nothing-it must have been earlier in the afternoon. There really was not an ocean current at all to fight-just the annoying chop. Visibility was poor-about four feet and very stirred up.

I used my albuterol inhaler before swimming and had good air throughout. Better living through drugs.

Isn't this place beautiful? And free! We're very lucky to have it so close to home. I don't know where I'd be without it. Getting out there all by myself just makes my mind feel great for a while-rejuvenates my soul or something for a few days. The body is weak and broken, but the buoyancy of the water is such a plus when excercising. I just love the ocean!

Oceanside Pier Friday Afternoon Swim June 17

Really neat afternoon at the Pier. The water was warmer than yesterday, probably low 60's, maybe higher - 64? The water was not as clean as yesterday-it was stirred up and choppy out there. The waves for surfers were just okay-they weren't really breaking with good corners to work. Visibility about 6 feet past the surf zone. Lots of beachgoers having fun. The bicyclists are still all over the place. I got some good photos and had a decent swim. It wasn't great because of the choppiness but I just took it easy.

Race Across America Still Lots of Bikes at the Pier

This afternoon was a beautiful one at the Oceanside Pier. The air temp was about 63 and the water about 61. Very clean water again. Green-blue aqua color with visibility about fifteen feet. I swam with the current from south to north. It was demanding getting out through the surf zone; although the waves topped out at 4-5 feet-but they were powerful. I had good air today and got through the surf quickly. Maybe the water being a bit warmer helped. The lifeguard boat and jet ski were out active in the pier area today; I like to see them for safety overall. They do a great job! About fifteen or more sufers on the north side of the pier where the waves were breaking. They formed a collection in a small area very close to the pier, where there were good-sized corners to work. Farther out the waves were mostly walled off or closing out. As I got out I was excited to find a large sea shell for the home collection-the biggest shell yet-about 6 inches long. Neat! So the pier was the place to be today: kids' soccer practice at the amphitheater, bike crews and bicyclists with booths and gear and riders all over the place, the lady who runs an exercise class at the beach daily had lots of participants, and the usual summer vacationers and beachgoers. Plus, more than usual surf action. However, I had the ocean "Out Past the Breakers" all to myself, as usual. I just can't ever get over it. It's like it is MY ocean! Very nice.