Oceanside CA Pier Swim Labor Day Training Day 2

I just got home from the beach. I did a good swim around the pier. The chop was 1-2 feet and the current was running north pretty strong. Warm water. Probably almost 70. Rough waves and strong surf in the surf zone.

The current was clearly running north so I chose to swim without fins and without gloves. I did fine. So, I know that I can comfortably do the mile swim with just my fat body and swim trunks in less than an hour. For safety I wore my US Divers Swimmer Safety Vest.

I saw one other ocean swimmer out there far swimming parallel to the beach heading toward the pier. I'll just bet that he or she is getting ready for the Labor Day Pier Swim in early Sept.

Here's some photos.

Oceanside Labor Day Pier Swim Training Saturday July 9

So I went to the beach to swim Saturday afternoon about 4:30 PM. Too early for me. I usually wait for the crowds to be gone but I figured that I'd park far away and walk down. I take pictures first before I swim; sometimes I drive the pier area first and sometimes I walk the area taking pictures. I drove back and forth through the stop-and-go Pacific Street traffic, which was a mistake. I took some photos and ended up back some blocks away from the water parking for free.

The amphitheater had a Samoan Day festival going on, and the music was nice.

I had wanted to do a training swim for the Labor Day swim, which for me means no fins and no webbed gloves. However, the water was rough, and I'm a "safety first" guy. I observed the water on both sides of the pier before I went in. I was trying to assess the direction of the current. It is difficult at times here to guess the current far out. Inside the surf zone there was a rip current moving north on both sides of the pier. Far out it appeared that the current might be moving north, but the surface movement was equivocal.

In retrospect, I could have swum without fins starting on the south side and swimming north. There WAS a significant current out past the pier moving south to north. I could have had a decent training swim by swimming south to north. The surf zone was pretty rough but that could happen on race day, so the more experience in a rough surf zone, the better.

Instead, I swam north to south with the fins and gloves. I stopped off the end of the pier and the current swept me north; I watched the pier pilings as I was pulled so I could see the effect of the current. The past few days the current ran north so that's probably what I should have done-swum north. Sunday, I'll probably try the swim northward without gear if it's not too rough.

Oceanside Labor Day Pier Swim Sep 5, 2011 "To Swim or Not To Swim"

Annually, the Oceanside Swim Club hosts an event at the Oceanside Pier to raise money for the good work it does. This year's swim will be held on Sept 5th. I have not swum in this event as of yet because I have never wanted to pay the entry fee for a swim that I do so often. However, this year I think that I may spend the money, get the t-shirt, and wake up early to do the one-mile swim.
Really, the money has not been my primary obstacle to participating in this event. The reason is that I don't like to get up early on my days off. That's it-I need my sleep on the weekends. I HAVE swum the pier for free later in the day on previous Labor Days, but it's just not the same, is it?
So, the question of "to swim or not to swim" is one that I can't answer at this time. I know that I should do it, but I also know how pathetically lazy I am early in the mornings. I know that soon I'll start to see a few ocean swimmers here and there doing the pier in upcoming weeks as they prepare for Labor Day. When I see them each year, I feel a bit of territorialism, or localism, for these swimmers in the water at MY beach.
It's probably high time that I write the $35 check for the swim and put it in the mailbox, eh? Maybe I'll do it right now...
DONE! I'm In!

Friday Swim After Work 5 PM Oceanside Pier

The tide was high and the waves were messy but up to about 3-4 feet. The water was a little cooler than yesterday, which was refreshing, but there were warm patches throughout the swim. Choppy-about 1 foot. The current was mild-north to south. I swam into the current intentionally but no big deal today. I got around the pier pretty quickly today. The Friday evening crowds were coming into the pier area to stroll around as I was leaving. It was a beautiful day. How lucky we are to have the beach so close and accessible.

80 Degrees at the Beach Today

The heat and humidity should be breaking after today, I hear. The ocean is still warm. They say 67 degrees but it feels warmer. Low visibility and very choppy & sloppy water today. I swam the pier with fins and webbed gloves, fighting the 2 foot chop. It was ok, nothing great. Here's a few pictures.