Photos courtesy of Marie Calloway.

The impact of the 14 separate devastating wildfires in Southern California that occurred between January 7th and 31st 2025 are still being felt.

Rebuilding the most badly hit areas of Los Angeles in Altadena and Pacific Palisades will most likely take between 5 and 10 years to return to complete reconstruction and recover economically. 

Recovering financially and emotionally takes time, but small steps are helpful.

For triathletes and ocean swimmers, returning to their TOWER 26 (@tower_26) community is one such step. TOWER 26 is a renowned popular open water swimming program for triathletes, masters swimmers, and fitness swimmers. Tower 26 is literally a lifeguard tower on the Santa Monica Beach.

Under the guidance of coach Gerry Rodrigues, the 2025 Los Angeles Beach Swims started today and will continue weekly on both Wednesdays and Sundays through October.

Coach Rodrigues said, “The ocean water advisories have been lifted, and officials (Heal the Bay and LA County lifeguards) have confirmed that the levels of chemicals related to the fires are not dangerous to human health. We will be extra mindful this season as not all debris have been cleared from the Palisades fire, thus run-off from rains can and likely will create some pollution for several days post.

Ocean temps warmed considerably last week, so with sunshine and warmer water, tomorrow should be an excellent start day. You can encourage a triathlete or open water friend once they meet the requirements.

2025 Registration is here. A free trial is available to first timers only. Visitors or a single session drop-in pays US$20 cash on site to Brian Panosian. Exact bills please. No Venmo or Zelle.“

Photos by Mariel Calloway Photography

Single sessions:

• Season registration is administratively easiest and cheapest here.
• No cash prepay or credits for future single sessions. 
• Please pay to swim each session attended (no: “I’ll hit you up next week“). We do trust you, but don’t have the admin bandwidth to handle the tracking.
• No cash, no splash.

Once season registered:

• Collect your 2025 season’s Orange swim cap from Brian at your first session. Please wear at all workouts. 
• Visitors or single session drop-ins do not receive season swim caps. Please have your own.
• It is recommended you have two pairs of swim goggles: darker tinted for bright sunny sessions, and clear or an illuminating tint for overcast sessions.
• A wetsuit is required for beginners, and recommended for all others until water temperatures warm further.
• Please: No black swim caps.

Wetsuits are required for beginners and recommended for all. You do need a minimum skill-set to attend these sessions. That detail is a laid-out on the registration page. For questions, please email: contact@tower26.com.

Please check-in with Brian upon arrival so he can give you the season’s swim cap; orange this year. You’ll need to wear that at our workouts please. If you are attending a single session, please still check-in with Brian and pay the single session US$20 cash fee. No caps are given for single session swims.

We have terrific ocean conditions to start the season.”

Wednesday, May 21st Santa Monica Beach forecast

Water temperature: 64°F (17.7°C)

Surf: 1-2 feet @ 9 seconds

Wind: 1 knot WSW

Tide: high at 4:36 am

Weather: 60-65°F, mostly sunny

Sunday, May 25 Redondo Beach forecast:

Water temp: 62-64°F (16-17.7°C)

Surf: 2-3 feet

Wind: 6 knots SSE

Tide: high at 9:20 am

Weather: 60-64°F (15.5-17.7°C), mostly sunny

Parking: Santa Monica – Beach parking lot off Barnard Way and Ocean Park Blvd., a couple bucks required. Lot opens at 5:30 am for payment. 

Membership: Required to attend our beach workouts after your first free trial – see here.  

All attendees: TOWER 26 pool members and beach members are required to wear your 2025 TOWER 26 Beach swim caps. Visitors and drop-in attendees will need to check-in with Brian, sign the waiver and pay.

Ability requirement: sub-38-minute mile; 24 minutes for 1,000 yards or minimum 2:30 per 100 yard pacing. Please attend one of our pool sessions for a qualifying swim. 

More info: contact@tower26.com

See you at the beach. We start at 6:00 am sharp. Please be prompt remembering you have to feed the parking meter. Bring your wetsuit.

To compliment these beach sessions, you can join-in our pool workouts at: El Segundo Wiseburn Aquatic Center, Santa Monica Swim Center and San Marcos High School Santa Barbara, or, sample and sign-up for our online swim pool workouts here.  

Rodrigues previously wrote, “Many of our Pacific Palisades members have lost their homes during the fires in January, or knows someone who has. A To Do list from coach Emily Cocks on What To Do When Your Home Burns Down is posted here. Emily is a former pro triathlete and TOWER 26 coach for the last several years. Emily and her then husband, lost their home in the Atlas fire, Napa County in 2017.“

© 2025 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“

A World Open Water Swimming Federation project.