Open Water Swimming in Santa Monica

as tcovert said, there is a large parking lot at the end of ocean park blvd.  this is where the LA tri club meets up for their weekly swims in the summer.  the water is very cold right now, mid 50s, so I don't think there are any groups swimming.  if you plan to swim anyways, you can head out to life guard tower 28, just past the restrooms.  straight out from the tower is a big orange bouy.  when i swim with the la tri club, we usually do 4 or 5 laps between the tower and bouy, which is around a 1 mile swim.  another option is to start at the venice breakwater (which i believe is between brooks and windward) and swim up to the bouy, which is also about a mile.  if you do this, swim out past the breakwater and use the high rises at the base of the SM pier to make sure you don't get too far from the beach.  if you aim toward the end of the pier, you'll end up way out in the ocean due to the crescent shape of the bay.  anyways, regardless of where you choose to swim, you'll have to stay south of the pier, there is a reef on the north side from an old harbor that is no longer there. 

good luck and stay warm!

Lady, you are loony. Only a complete nut would swim in the Pacific here right now ...

Oh wait, someone like me. I PMed you my phone number and e-mail; I'd be happy to swim with you if it's at a reasonable hour (e.g., not 7 in the morning on a weekend).

Yanti

I drove PCH from Ventura to Santa Monica yesterday afternoon.   OH MY GOD I WANTED TO SWIM SO BADLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  it was warm (87 degrees), flat, a little wind, I felt like I could swim from the rock all the way down to PV.

If the conditions hold up it's gonna be beautiful.  A little chilly, but not bad at all.

I drive reverse route twice a week after work and it does look tempting !!! 

Thought i would be colder in January .  57F !   Is chilly but with a wetsuit would be OK .

A few years back in sept it was 59F for the Malibu TRi . I did it Sans wetsuit    

Maybe we should set up an Ocean Park  (santa Monica) midday swim  some weekday soon  .  

All this talk about cold water -- 58 sounds like bath water to me right now.  My pool was at 48 degrees last week.  Today it felt real comfy at 53.

Hey, aren't we all a little nutz?  It's my backyard pool.  Perhaps I should think about installing some solar heating for the thing this year.  I'd love if the gym would leave the lap pool unheated, but I bet that the water aerobics crowd threatens legal action if the water drops below 90 degrees in the lap pool.    Hope your swim in the bay is/was a good one!