The Avalon Wreck, Off of Palos Verdes, CA
Diving off the Island Diver

Sort of Solo Diving

In With: 2800 psi
Out With: 600 psi
Max depth: 70 feet
Waves: Minor chop
Visibility: 15 feet plus
Water Temperature: Cold
Total Bottom Time: 35 minutes
Notable Event: My BC Jacket ripped apart jumping overboard.

Almost two hours out of the water, we anchored at the Avalon Wreck.

One of the divers offered to run a line through the wreck for easy navigation.

I jumped off the boat and felt my BC try and rip off my back.

I checked the strap that holds the two air bladders together and one had ripped off.

Fuck!

I spent about five minutes tying the broken strap on to a D-ring that I have next to my BC pocket on the other side.

I told Shanon and the other divers that I had equipment problems; nobody was surprised.

I had been fighting a South current to stay next to the boat, so I decided to ascend to the wreck.

The only problem was, I couldn’t find the wreck.

I had to surface several times to get a bearing on where the boat was; it was anchored above the wreck.

I eventually came across a freshly strung line that went somewhere.

Ah, yes, this was the line that the diver laid for navigation.

I followed it and ran in to the divers that were reeling it in.

It was the whole group in one pack following the leader.

I followed them and was given what must have been a pretty decent second half of a tour.

The divers later reported that I had missed out on seeing a sheephead as “big as a Great Dane.”

The wreck is strung out over, I would say, 50 yards, maybe.

What is left of the deck is strung out over this area.

Old cranes, large gears and miscellaneous debris from the ship are scattered all around.

I followed the leader up the anchor line and did a safety stop before reaching the surface.

I broke out my cooler of Samuel Adams Summer Ale and passed a few around.

The Divevets are known for their beer filled debriefs, but without Dan on the boat the partiers were scarce.

Shanon had some tequila that she mixed with some orange juice that I brought.

The divers hung out on the bow of the boat and had an interesting conversation about solo diving and how both NAUI and PADI will not recognize the safe practice of solo diving.

I believe Terry said that the buddy system in cave diving was responsible for two deaths instead on one, “because the buddy tried to haul the other diver’s body through the cave and ran out of air.”

Everyone agreed that they would rather dive alone than with someone that they didn’t know.

I shared a story about a Pac Wild charter where I was told that I must have a buddy and almost was forced to dive with an Open Water class!

Once docked, the divers pretty much packed up and left.

I stayed at the dock and drank a few beers while tanning.

Dive On the Point Vicente Wall off the Island Diver
Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA

In With: 3000 psi
Out With: 2200 psi
Max depth: About 40 feet
Waves: choppy
Visibility: 10-15 feet
Water Temperature: 55 degrees
Total Bottom Time: 18 minutes
Notable Event: Distress Call From Another Boat

Dove with Juan Twenty, Mirek and others.

Should this be considered a dive?

We all had made it back on board, but due to no current, nobody saw the wall.

So the plan was to move to the small rock island off of the Point Vicente Lighthouse and go down for “a few minutes” to check it out.

Well, only a few minutes… I mean really, I just got out of the water so I didn’t really have a surface interval.

I mentioned to Juan Twenty that I only had 700 psi left in my tank.

People were concerned, so I switched tanks and proudly exclaimed, “I’ve never run out of air and don’t intend on doing it today.”

Laila seemed relieved.

We jumped over, swam towards the rocks and submerged.

I followed Juan, but pretty much we went as a group before breaking up in to two groups.

Juan, Mirek and me looked around the wall.

Photo By Juan Twenty

Thousands of muscle shells littered the base of the wall.

There was a sense that “not too many people have dove here.”

Sea urchins, fish, a few octopuses – and then we came across a plaque that stated something along the lines of:

“The Artist Of The Deep Blue”

“_en Wayne Redding”

“1961-1998”

Photo By Juan Twenty

An internet search revealed nothing.

We swam toward the direction of the boat and surfaced fairly close to it.

The others who broke off from our group were shortly behind.

I’m glad that I did switch tanks.

I would have been really rushed for time.

Once on board, we heard a distress call coming in over the emergency radio channel.

With my recollection, along with a post on divevets.com from Max Bottomtime, here is a close transcription of the call:

RADIO: We need immediate assistance!!!!

Coast Guard: Were you the people yelling mayday a few minutes ago?

RADIO: Yes!! We have three people down! Three people down!

Coast Guard: What is your location?

RADIO: We are at Rocky Point near the white lighthouse.

Coast Guard: What are your GPS coordinates?

RADIO: We are between Long Beach and Marina Del Rey at the breakwater near the white lighthouse!!!! Please help us! This is an emergency!!!

Coast Guard: Which break water?

RADIO: The Long Beach Break water!!!!

Coast Guard: What is the nature of your emergency?

RADIO: Our anchor is stuck and we have three people down! Three People Down!!!!!

Coast Guard: What is the specific emergency?

RADIO: They are sea sick and barfing all over my boat! We need assistance right now!!!

(Long Pause)

UNKNOWN VOICE: Be sure to kill them when you find them!

Everyone listening just busted out laughing at such a ridiculous call!

Max Bottomtime, who was listening on another boat, put in his post, “As soon as he said they were barfing we almost fell out of the boat laughing.”