Camp Pendleton Triathlon

Check this link about a race today on Camp Pendleton:

http://www.camppendletonraces.com/sprint.html

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.