Recent Cancellations:
Tuesday, September 14, 2021 & Thursday, September 16th, both due to high surf.
Basically, there are a handful of conditions that would cancel a scheduled swim: rain, heavy surf, fog, high winds, and beach closures (due to shark sightings).
Rain
We’ll follow the rule of thumb that you should wait at least 72 hours since the last rainfall before entering the ocean. This is to keep us healthy as storm drains empty directly into the ocean. Many nasty bugs can float around the seawater for up to 2-3 days after a rain. So, we’ll err on the side of caution.
Heavy Surf
If the waves are forecast to be 5+ feet (1.7+ meters), we’ll likely cancel the swim. This is not only due to the surf, but the difficulty of rescue operations for swimmers in these conditions. Swimming in high waves just makes the job of lifeguards even more difficult. We’ll be considerate.
Fog
If you cannot see Tower 9 from the Pasea hotel camera (Surfline), we’re not swimming. Too dangerous.
High Winds
Basically, if the winds are more than 10 knots, we’re likely not swimming. The whitecap conditions make swimming more difficult and make it harder to see swimmers in the ocean.
You can check Surfline and MagicSeaweed. Surfline tends to be more accurate regarding the wind, while MagicSeaweed tends to overestimate the wind speed.
Beach Closures
There will be some predicted beach closures due to beach events. Sometimes there will be a surf competition, triathlon, or other beach-related event. If the beach is closed at Tower 9, we’re not swimming.
Oh, and sometimes you’ll see signage by Tower 9 and all along the beach about a beach closure due to shark sighting. Or, high bacteria count. In these or related beach closure events, we’re not swimming
Final Notes
If these or other events seem to be detrimental to swimming, contact us about the swim. There might be some cases in which we’ll swim, but most likely, the swim will be canceled.
Stay home on these days. Spend time with your family. Or, if you must, swim in a pool.