Logged SCUBA Dive #319

Secret Location: 4f 66 66 20 61 6e 64 20 61 72 6f 75 6e 64 20 74 68 65 20 77 72 65 63 6b 20 63 61 6c 6c 65 64 20 74 68 65 20 41 76 61 6c 6f 6e, Palos Verdes, CA

Solo Diving/SoCal Buddy Diving

In With: 2900 psi
Out With: 600 psi
Max depth: 70 feet
Waves: Pretty flat
Visibility: 15-20 feet
Temperature: Maybe 60 degrees or so
Total Bottom Time: About 25 minutes minutes

After a 30 minute ride to our next spot, I submerged, determined to get six more lobsters.

This secret spot is actually a disintegrated ship wreck – there’s a lot of structure for bugs to hide in.

I trolled the bottom near the anchor line while I debated whether to go shallower or deeper; since I planned for a 70 foot dive, I decided to go shallower.

I saw two antennas sticking out of some kelp… I grabbed for the kelp and my hand hit it along with the rotting steel plate that was hiding under it; the bug got away.

After trolling for a little bit more, I grabbed for a lobster hiding in a hole but only got the base of one of his antennas; they usually just break off, but this one didn’t.

After looking further into the hole, the lobster had no place to go; he was backed all the way in.

With my other hand, I reached in, grabbed it’s ass, pulled it out and bagged it.

I pinned and bagged another legal one before heading back to the boat.

I surfaced and spotted a boat 100 yards away.

I thought, “Shit, I submerged on the wreck at 70 feet and ascended from the wreck at 70 feet, how did the boat get all the was over there?”

I turned my head to scout my back side and saw the Island Diver 15 yards away.

My two bugs from this dive.

Dan and Rick spent the dive retrieving an anchor, Mike C came up with two bugs.

Mirek was the last one back with six bugs.

The traditional debriefing started on the boat – beer and kettle corn.

I pose with my stash of three bugs for the night.

The boat total for eight divers was 13 – this is a tough season.

Debriefing continued in the parking lot until midnight.

Logged SCUBA Dive #318

Secret Location: 4f 6e 20 6f 72 20 76 65 72 79 20 63 6c 6f 73 65 20 74 6f 20 74 68 65 20 66 61 72 6d 20 74 68 61 74 20 67 72 6f 77 73 20 70 69 70 65 73, Redondo Beach, CA

Solo Diving/SoCal Buddy Diving

In With: 3000 psi
Out With: 600 psi
Max depth: 80 feet
Waves: Pretty flat
Visibility: 15-20 feet
Temperature: Maybe 60 degrees or so
Total Bottom Time: About 25 minutes minutes

Instructor John was unable to dive during the week, so I’ve been dry for over seven days   now.

My dive computer needs batteries and I stripped the screw hole trying to open the battery compartment; it’s back to diving with the tables until I can figure out how to repair it.

We left the dock a little after 7 PM; it was a stag boat, with eight divers plus the Captain.

We anchored at one of our secret spots that should provide us with a mega supply of bugs this time of year.

I was one of the first ones overboard and under.

I descended down the anchor chain and noticed that the anchor was actually dangling 10 feet above the ocean floor; there was no current, but I was wondering if this would be an impromptu drift dive.

I found out later that the Captain gave the anchor more line after a while.

I had about 20 minutes of bottom time and searched as fast as I could for as many lobsters as I could.

I missed grabbing a pretty large bug that was hiding in a pipe; I continued on …

My light hit a HUGE lobster at 80 feet, just crawling along the bottom!

I angled my light away, approached it and pinned it!

I couldn’t get a grip on it with just one hand, so I dropped my light and put the bug in a Jiu Jitsu style choke hold with my other arm, it’s tail flailed and hit me in the nuts.

I was able to wrap my other arm around it’s torso and hold it close to my chest while I opened my spring loaded lobster liberation bag.

After a brief struggle, the lobster tired and crawled into my bag, accepting the fate that awaited him.

At 1200 psi I started heading back, seeing only shorts after that.

I surfaced fairly close to the boat and was the second one back.

Mirek did a five minute dive before calling it; he said, “I didn’t like what I saw, so I headed back to not waste time.”

I worked my upper body strength by doing lobster curls.

The rest of the divers trickled in; Dan caught two legal bugs while everyone else got skunked.

Dan weighed my monster bug in at 5.3 pounds.

It’s on to our second spot…