Gorgeous Day Oceanside CA for Surfing, Swimming, and Strolling

It was a special day today at the Pier.  I took some photos before the swim and there were surfers stretched out along the southern beach and a half-dozen or so on the north side.  Most of the waves were 2-3 feet with a long interval, but lots of them closed out. 
They are still surfing in trunks and rash guards, as the water is a comfortable 68 degrees. 
I only had a little over an hour and my swim turned out to be 55 minutes.  I was concentrating on my arm pulling backwards instead of pulling back and down, as I have a bad habit of doing.
I swam out on the north side and headed south.  I turned back at about 25 minutes so the parking meter wouldn't expire on me.  The meter was expired when I got to my car but no ticket.  On the return swim north, the water was choppy  and breaking right in my face.  I got a good workout pulling my way back into that.
There is something going on at the bottom of the water about 50 yards out: a brown cloudiness covers quite an area.  Perhaps this is the beginning of an algae bloom?  I haven't heard anything of it yet.
It was a neat day at the Pier!


"The first time you quit is the last time you try."

Hot Weather for Oceanside! 108 at My House, 84 at the Water

Not good water if you're a surfer, but look at that gigantic sandy beach for strolling at low tide this afternoon (Friday).  It was incredibly hot today here in Paradise.  In East Oceanside, inland about 6-7 miles, it was 108 degrees.  At the water it was 84 degrees.  That is just unheard of here.
I got out and walked around to take my pictures before my swim and burned the bottoms of my feet.  I have blisters on them.  I did have sneakers in the car, but never need them. Live and learn.
The water was 68 degrees. Small waves. very flat and mild for swimming.  I went around the pier in 28 minutes.
Today was the kind of day that is great for families and toddlers to explore the beach.  There were lots of families like that taking photos of themselves, as you can do now with the I-Phones.
Man, we are lucky!

"The first time you quit is the last time you try."

Overcast Thursday, Choppy Water, Few People

The air temp was 73 at the beach and the water was 68 degrees.  I was alone except for perhaps a dozen surfers, waders, and boogie-boarders.  Visibility was only 2-3 feet and there was a good 1-2 foot chop to the water all around.  The tide was very low so I picked up a few shells to take home.
I had a 36 minute swim in annoying water.  I got around the pier slowly as the ocean pulled me here and there.  It was a rather uneventful swim today.  I slogged around, slower than usual, but I took a while thinking about going in before I actually got my lazy self in.  At least I got it done.


"The first time you quit is the last time you try."

Excitement Today. Dolphin Encounter.

Today I had big plans for my swim.  I wanted to do a long swim, but I didn't get it done.  The ocean was like a washing machine on "medium agitate."  Conversely, the day was beautiful.  We cooled off to the upper 70's outside temperature.  Light clouds--the puffy, pillowy kind-- were scattered around the sky, along with wispy, light, paint-brush-stroke clouds across parts of the sky.   
But the water was kind of a mess.  The one-foot chop was difficult to swim in.  Visibility was five feet and that five feet view was cloudy.  Water temperature was 69 degrees.  Lots of bits of broken-up kelp were dispersed in the water and tumbling on the sandy bottom in close. 
So, I'm building up to bit of excitement.  Picture me swimming slowly off the end of the pier, having difficulty breathing in the chop, and I look down and what looks like a big fish (think shark) slowly appears about 2-3 feet below me from behind and swims from below my feet to below my head.    I have an instant "Holy crap, there's a big shark right under me" moment before I see the tail and realize that I am looking at TWO small dolphins, side by side, about 3-4 feet long, now swimming ahead of me and disappearing from my view.
That was neat!  It really was.  Then I start looking around on the surface for a few minutes because I expect them to surface--but nothing. 
So I round the pier about fifty yards past the end of it and I get brushed and tugged at.  Holy crap again!  I think bad stuff until I realize that I am tangled up in a guy's fishing line.  Now, I don't know what giant kind of fish this guy thought he was going to catch, but this fishing line was THICK.  It was like twine.  And he must have had a heavy weight on it which accounted for the tugging I felt.  Oh, boy.  This was great stuff today.  I get the crap scared out of me twice on one swim.  But the thrill of the close dolphins really was amazing (after I knew a big shark wasn't below me). 


"The first time you quit is the last time you try."