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.

Veteran’s Park
Redondo Beach, CA
Night Diving

Notable Event: First Night dive, narced, confused and didn’t realize that my buddy was on the brink of panic.

Dove With Nick

I had the urge to go night diving.

There was a group going night diving last Wednesday, but today is payday and I couldn’t buy a flood light until now.

I met Nick and Instructor Ed at Veteran’s park at 7:20 PM.

Ed was concerned about the wind.

Two divers coming up the stairs rated the environment as “visibility is good but it’s really dark.”

We suited up and entered the water probably around 8:30 PM.

Some onlookers watched us enter with bewilderment.

The waves were up, about four feet, but the swells were really big once out.

I had my new light cannon, Nick had my flashlight; Ed had his own light.

Once out, Ed had problems with his BCD jacket — it kept inflating uncontrollably — and had to turn back.

There’s me, sort of exhausted from making it out.

Nick and I rested a bit, riding the swells — which bothered Nick.

We submerged and descended to an initial 26 feet.

We stayed side by side; Nick gave my the “OK” sign.

We followed the floor — visibility was 10 feet and really dark.

We saw small horn sharks, local crab and a fish I had never seen before.

I think this is a rock fish.

We went over the shelf and in to the canyon.

It got really cold.

The visibility didn’t improve.

Is Nick frightened or nervous here? I think he would signal if he was?

It got to the point where the only thing I could see was sediment that was floating in the water.

This freaked Nick out and he gave me the predesignated “I’m scared let’s go up” sign.

I looked at my compass and started going West.

I felt my ears pinch, looked at my gauge — we were at 75 feet and going the wrong way.

I made this mistake before — and was pissed at myself.

Nick gave me the “up” sign. I acknowledged.

I swam up to surface, but Nick didn’t go anywhere.

I was starting to get concerned about Nick panicking.

He signaled to ask which way was shore. I looked at my compass and took a while to get my bearings — which further frightened Nick.

I pointed in the direction of shore, he swam, got to the shelf and darted up.

I followed, but became extremely dizzy — I had to slow down.

In warmer water at 30 feet, Nick calmed down.

We swam toward shore; Nick finally signalled to “go up.”

We ascended.

The first thing Nick said to me was “I didn’t like that, let’s go in.”

We made it to shore without incident.

Nick swam in really fast.

Nick later told me that he wasn’t upset at me, but at himself.

He just wasn’t ready for a dive like that.

I should have detected his concern earlier — I have doubts that I could ever be an instructor.

I think I really like solo diving.

In with: 2800 psi
Out with: 1400 psi
Max depth: 75 feet
Waves: Four feet (big swells)
Visibility: 10 feet/soupy
Water temperature: Cold at depths.