So here’s the game:

A few dozen hard boiled eggs are placed underwater within 50 yards of a buoy.

Divers dive for the eggs, which are each marked with a card suit and number; once on shore, two flop cards are drawn and the diver with the best hand wins the grand prize.

Additional prizes follow for the top five hands.

Not wanting to wait until the 10 AM start of the event, Not So New Chris and I decided to do an early dive so we could participate in the debriefing as soon as possible.

We geared up and were walking down the hill when the biggest bird shit that I have ever seen landed a few feet in front of me.

Then another one landed… I looked up and it was the Divevets throwing eggs at me from the gazebo at the top of the hill – they are always so excited to see me at one of their events.

Logged SCUBA Dive #340

Malaga Cove, Palos Verdes Estates, CA

Dove With Not So New Chris

In With: 3000 psi
Out With: 1500 psi
Max depth: 18 feet
Waves: Pretty flat on the surface with a few rollers
Visibility: 5 to 10 feet in some spots but silty
Temperature: 64 degrees
Total Bottom Time: About 45 minutes

We made an uneventful beach entrance and descended…

Visibility really sucked at first.

I followed Chris.

A deadly Horn Shark waits to attack.

We ran across some of the eggs; most of them were cracked, but you could still see the card value.

Vis wasn’t too bad in some areas.

The elusive bearded clam… or maybe it is just a scallop?

Lobsters will let you pet them, knowing it’s no longer lobster season.

A starfish jiu-jitsus a rock.

We surfaced off of Malaga cove to get our bearings and plan our rocky exit.

The best visibility was in eight feet of water.

We made the rocky exit fairly safely, walking over the slippery rocks in knee deep water for a few dozen yards.

The divers participating in the event slowly appear at the debriefing area.

The outdoor stove turned out some tasty Korean ribs, hamburgers and sausages.

Instructor Ed showed up to supervise the cooking of the Korean food; he also brought beer and a Korean dish called 아주 뜨거운 고기.

Dan from Divevets tallies the poker hands and awards the prizes – SCUBA gift cards, gear and a certificate for a therapeutic massage.

Now it was time for the egg toss!

My original partner was going to be Montana’s dog; I was hoping the dog’s ability to play fetch was going to be an advantage.

However, the dog was deemed an unfair advantage, so Charlie and I paired up.

We threw the egg back and forth, taking a step back each time – the last pair standing with an unbroken egg would be the winners!

The trick with the egg toss – ignore the dog, make sure you don’t hit the Harleys parked nearby and don’t be afraid to catch the egg with your face.

Charlie and I emerge victorious!

Diving and activities done, the debriefing continues.

To acknowledge the country moving towards communism, everyone drank out of red cups.

I had to pack up early, but the debriefing continued.

Another great day of cheating death and world class debriefing has come to an end!

Still getting over a major cold from earlier this week, I decided to provide shore support for the group – barbecuing and beer tasting.

The crowd gathers for the New Year’s Day Dive; the regulars showed up, New Chris was back in town and a new diver “Max” (a.k.a. PVDiver) joined the group.

I must say, the walk down the trail without any SCUBA gear is a hell of a lot more pleasant!

The SCUBA divers enter off the cove.

Cyber the Attack Dog lectures future DMs on what to look for on a beach entry.

The ocean was as flat as a lake and the water was so clear, you could see The Cove’s rocky floor.

In talking with Dive Bum Don and Max BottomTime, the incident that happened last week when the security guard swiped a diver’s gear cart is just part of the story.

With Terranea Resort scheduled to be finished later this year, they are cracking down on divers, fishermen, walkers, gawkers and stalkers cutting through the construction site, trampling over the vegetation and leaving equipment all over.

The word that has been handed to us, which we have acknowledged, is that land access to The Point is closed until the resort opens up – unless we obtain special permission.

By the way, the security guard from last week is still an asshole.

So, back up the trail we went to get the coals started…

Instructor Ed and my old dive buddy Nick showed up to help with the festivities by each bringing a good amount of meat to barbecue.

Instructor Ed finds something that looks like it might be good on the grill.

Instructor Ed mans the barbecue, adhering to strict food preparation laws.

The divers made their way back up the trail and reported stellar conditions – 20 to 25 feet visibility and 54 degree water temperature.

Cyber the Attack Dog guards the food.

Jimmy the Bag Man opened up a freshly harvested scallop.

It’s time to toast the New Year!

Champagne cups are passed out.

I’m so macho, I can open the Champagne with my bare hands.

To get used to the year 2009 and the continuing onset of socialism, we divided the Champagne up evenly.

To the New Year!

“Everything will be fine, in 2009!”

Cyber the Attack Dog overindulged in the Champagne.

The party continued until after 2 PM; pretty late by most debriefings.