HB Tower 9 Swim, Thursday, January 20th, 8am.

Group will decide on length and course of swim. Meet at 8:00, in the water by 8:10. Usually out of the water by 8:50. Typically, we’ve been swimming 1,000-2,000 yards, depending on number of swimmers and water conditions.

Basically, if the sky is sunnier & waves are low(ish), we’ll do a buoy swim or two. Each buoy swim is ~1,000 yards. Most of us complete a buoy swim in 16-22 minutes.

If waves are higher and conditions more difficult, we swim parallel to shore, doing Tower swims. Basically, swim either north or south, parallel to the beach, to a set # of lifeguard towers. First, though, we swim beyond the breakers and the surf lineup. That way, we’re close enough to the shore (normally, within 150 yards), so that we can bail easily, if need be.

Waves will be 1-2 ft, according to MagicSeaWeed. Wind will be 4-5 mph. Water & air temp will be cool, so be prepared!

If you’re unaccustomed to the cold, bring a hot beverage in a thermos to Tower 9 (not your car). You’ll want to sip it about 2-4 minutes after exiting the water to offset the afterdrop.

All levels welcome. Most of us average 1:35-2:20/100m. If you’re a little slower, don’t worry; we’re a nonjudgmental group. If you’re faster, that’s awesome.

Oh, and you can bring your fins, especially if you’re a wee bit nervous about the waves and/or ocean swimming. Fins will give you the power to make it through any chop and likely increase your speed over your entire swim.

P.S. Water temp has been 54-60 F recently. Air temp, sun, winds, and humidity can also make you feel warmer/colder. You can check Surfline (check Huntington Street; it gives you a live camera on Tower 9, but with ads interspersed every 30 seconds) and MagicSeaweed (check Huntington Pier as it’s the nearest location for MSW) for a recent forecast. Be warned, though, that Surfline can have a delay of a day and MSW tends to overestimate the water temp & windspeed by quite a bit.