Veteran’s Park, Redondo Beach, CA

Dove With Dennis G.

In With: 3000 psi
Out With: 1000 psi
Max depth: 90 feet
Waves: 1-2 feet
Visibility: 10 feet
Water Temperature: I wasn’t too cold
Total Bottom Time: 30 minutes

I needed to dive so I wouldn’t forget how.

I also needed to be in Lakewood to put a bid in on a condo in Long Beach.

I ran in to Instructor John, Ron (from my Advanced Class that I took) and Glenn.

Dennis G. was scouting spots; I told him, “I’m going in; gear up and you can come with me.”

Dennis told me that he has 40 more hours of community service before he’s finished.

Apparently, he pulled up two short lobsters and received 240 hours of community service.

Jeez!

I’ll remember that next lobster season!

We walked down to the shore and entered about 8:45 AM.

I basically followed Dennis once we were down.

We followed the shelf down to 90 feet; squid sacks, small fish and garbage were abundant.

I thought we were way North, but Dennis did a great job navigating.

I never dove with him before, but didn’t seem too worried about me as a diver.

Easy out; a wave dislodged my mask.

Dennis had me sign his logbook; he has 340+ dives logged.

Easter Day Diving Off The Bottom Scratcher Boat
Lion’s Head, Catalina, CA

Solo Diving

In With: 2700 psi
Out With: 500 psi
Max depth: 100 feet and some change
Waves: 0
Visibility: 35 feet
Water Temperature: Cold at 100 feet
Total Bottom Time: 45 minutes

After an hour surface interval, I did my second dive, bringing my camera.

I went back to look for a giant sheep crab that I had seen.

I didn’t find it, but I had gotten so deep, that I decided to hit 100 feet.

I posed a few times with my gauges.

My camera had problems working; the flash didn’t work sometimes and I couldn’t hear the camera advance.

But after a few tries, I took a self portrait of me at 100 feet.

I’m soooo macho!

I was sort of pissed; I paid $40 for the camera and housing and after two years the thing is starting to go on me!

I fumbled around with my camera for a few minutes and then headed up to shallower depth.

I saw a bat ray or a shovel nosed guitarfish that in my narced state, thought was a diver in trouble.

It just looked surreal, like a scene from a weird movie – a diver struggling in kelp turns into a fish!

It was distant and I really do need glasses, but it looked like a diver screaming for help underwater – really weird!

Staying at 40 to 50 feet for the rest of the dive, I squeezed the rest of my air to a 45-minute total dive.

Two divers from Kansas ended up getting caught in the current; they were thrown a current line from the boat and hauled in with the help of several divers on board.

Bubba the chase boat wasn’t feeling well today.