February 2, 2014*

It’s Super Bowl Sunday, and I have the same opportunity as I did last year – Go on the Pacific Star for two SCUBA dives under the oil rigs and be back by the game.

This was suppose to be a divevets function, but I only knew a handful of people.

Either I’m losing touch with the group, or there are a lot of new members recently.

Just like last year, we had to go through an extensive background security check to be anywhere close to the oil rigs.

The first dive I planned to collect some scallops for a Super Bowl party and test my camera housing for leaks – I replaced the gasket and re-greased the housing.

I did take the housing on a test dive, but only to 40 feet – this is the ultimate test.

We got a short briefing on the dives and dive procedures, including a bit about scallop gathering – “We are going to ask you to cut the meat out of the shell, don’t bring the whole thing up – you’ll have 50 unneeded pounds of shell with you.”

The San Pedro Light House.

The Eureka Oil Rig.

After the short ride out, it was time to dive.

The rigs are in 600 feet of water, so the boat has to drop and pickup without anchoring.

I jumped over and swam underneath the rig before submerging.

Logged SCUBA Dive #460

Solo Diving/SoCal Buddy Diving

Eureka Oil Rig
Between Catalina and San Pedro, CA, USA

In With: 2900 psi
Out With: 500 psi
Max depth: 101 feet
Waves: Slightly choppy
Visibility: 40 to 60 feet!
Water Temperature: 59 degrees
Air Temperature: 67 degrees
Total Bottom Time: 24 minutes

The water was choppy, but as soon as I went under, it calmed down – visibility was excellent!

I would say 50 to 60 feet of visibility – perfect for spotting scallops, that are literally all over the columns under the rig.

I found a big ass scallop at 60 feet, took my knife out and jabbed it into the scallop to dig the meat out.

The scallop closed, I twisted it, and my knife broke in half!

Well shit!

They asked me to cut the meat out before coming back to the boat – that’s like when the cops ask you if they can search your car.

It’s not mandatory.

OK, I might be a little heavy, but what they hell, I started prying the scallops off, whole, and putting them in my lobster bag.

After 20 minutes, I had a heavy bag full of scallops.

I reached the surface and gave the OK sign about 20 times to the Dive Master who was waving a hard hat at me – I found out later he was trying to return a hard hat that one of the workmen on the rig had dropped.

The boat picked me up, and the Dive Master was not very happy to see whole scallops coming up on the boat – he sort of bitched me out.

The King of Scallops

My broken dive knife.

I checked my camera housing – and it didn’t leak!

Stay tuned for the second dive post, with underwater pictures of the Ellen Oil Rig.

*Posting has been delayed due to the Super Bowl, the Super Bowl Party and the needed recovery from the events.

Update – October 29, 2013

PDP’s excellent video of this event can be found here:

Underwater Pumpkin Carving Redondo Beach 2013

October 26, 2013

OK, it probably isn’t the 47th time this event has happened, but nobody has kept track – it probably is the seventh or eighth time this event has happened.

Conditions were ideal, even though it was a little overcast.

This year is the first time the Divevets, ECO Dive Center and Pacific Wilderness all competed against each other.

I just was going to be an observer – I’m tired of losing every year – and the contest is pretty much fixed so that Divevets is going to win.

Logged SCUBA Dive #453

Solo Diving/SoCal Buddy Diving

Veterans Park
Redondo Beach, CA, USA

In With: 2900 psi
Out With: 1000 psi
Max depth: 80 feet
Waves: Pretty flat
Visibility: 20 feet
Water Temperature: 64 degrees, colder at depth
Air Temperature: 70 degrees
Total Bottom Time: 25 minutes or so

I entered the water without issue, submerged in 15 feet of water, and trolled for carvers…

After I captured a few shots of pumpkin carving, I decided to head down the canyon.

I made it down to 80 feet and kept going for a bit.

I think the last “Beach Re-nourishment” project screwed up the canyon; it seems to level off for a bit at 80 feet.

I turned around and started singing to myself – the only place I can do this without annoying other people.

Well, I did pass some other divers, and when I noticed, I stopped.

When I made it back to shore, I made an easy exit.

The Punpkins Await Judging

Unlike in years past, the judges were actually adults – with Dan from Divevets as the head judge.

Dan had a big box of prizes to pick from.

I noticed the dive light that I left on the boat on the last lobster trip was in the box – I rescued it before judging began.

As you can expect, the Divevets won, ECO came in second, and Pacific Wilderness came in a distant third.

The Budweiser I brought was gone pretty quickly.

One of the participants remarked, “I was going to bring some beer, but my wife was against it.”

Really?

Here are the winners, in no particular order…

Congratulations to the winners!