Damn-Great Water Friday-Oceanside Pier Swim Training

Just look at this beautiful, crisp water in the few good shots that I captured above.  The ones with the sweet, sky-blue water with the series of well-formed, bigger waves-then the rough, white surge into the high tide.  I saw an inside current where the swimmers fought to keep their positions while the surge pulled them northward.  But I certainly underestimated it.  I wanted a no-fin training swim in big water and I got it.  The surprise was that I was pulled close to the pier a good hundred yards before I broke free of the surf zone. 
I swam my butt off to get through the breakers, and then...freedom.  The freedom of the blue ocean without the aggravation of the choppiness.  Just a smooth water with an up-and-down swell to the water as the pre-wave water formed the early stages of the breakers.
I continued to swim hard and I had good air in me.  Then, on the way in, the incoming, building swell carried my swimming body toward the sand.  The times when I rode upon the waves heading in with the un-asked for assistance of the sea was exhilarating. 
I scrambled through the breakers quickly without getting mauled and was carried up on the sand.  Neat.
What a cool swim.  I need to work on getting farther under the breakers on the way out to make quicker progress through the surf zone.  The problem is-air.  My lungs don't want to partner with me to help me stay under long enough to advance.  Under one wave-then, a quick grasp of air for the lungs and down under the next wave before it breaks on my head. 

Thursday Oceanside Pier Swim-Good Training

I swam the pier after work again and it felt good on my arms.  No Timex watch but I think I'm about 35 minutes for the swim without fins.  The chop was about one foot, temp about 62, visibility nothing, and waves about 2-3 feet.  No currents out there.  No surprises. 

Just a good training swim with the ocean past the breakers all to myself as I like it.

Chilly Pier Swim

Today's swim was much like the last two days.  The chop was less and the surfers had some smallish two-foot waves with decent shape.  A kayaker was lingering around me I was told out past the end of the pier.  I had caught sight of something nearby and stopped briefly to see the kayaker, but after I was on the beach a couple of young girls told me that the kayaker was shadowing me for a bit-maybe to make sure I was ok.  I found another sand dollar as I came in today-this one was cracked in at the top a bit but a girl on the beach was looking for shells and she asked me what I found.  So, I gave her the sand dollar and she was happy.  We need more sand dollars and we'll have a happier world.  I didn't bring the camera today because I was not planning to swim today after work.  I changed my mind but no pictures, unfortunately.

I saw this report from Pismo Beach that seemed newsworthy for local ocean swimmers:
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2011/08/03/1705551/shark-sighting-pismo-beach.html

Tuesday Pier Swim

No pictures today but conditions were the same as yesterday.  No currents to deal with and little chop.  I found a perfect sand dollar as I was almost in but gave it to a young girl who was crying because she had just stumbled into the cold water.  It seemed to help her and the parents were appreciative. 

Monday Pier Swim

It was low, low tide Monday about 5 PM when I swam.  I went south to north without fins; it took me about 40-45 minutes.  The water was COLD for a change.  You never know what it's going to be like out there.  I caught a few glimpses of a few small dolphins before I went in again.  Water temp was listed as 63 but I say it was colder than that.  It was "face hurt" cold, and I never got used to it during the entire swim.  I think it was about 58 degrees.  One weird thing about the water temperature was that far out there were multiple spots of warm water in between the cold spots.  Visibility was nothing, the chop was minimal, and waves were average at about 3 feet.  Oh, that old house picture is the "Top Gun" house from that movie that has fallen into disrepair.