Update – October 29, 2013

PDP’s excellent video of this event can be found here:

Underwater Pumpkin Carving Redondo Beach 2013

October 26, 2013

OK, it probably isn’t the 47th time this event has happened, but nobody has kept track – it probably is the seventh or eighth time this event has happened.

Conditions were ideal, even though it was a little overcast.

This year is the first time the Divevets, ECO Dive Center and Pacific Wilderness all competed against each other.

I just was going to be an observer – I’m tired of losing every year – and the contest is pretty much fixed so that Divevets is going to win.

Logged SCUBA Dive #453

Solo Diving/SoCal Buddy Diving

Veterans Park
Redondo Beach, CA, USA

In With: 2900 psi
Out With: 1000 psi
Max depth: 80 feet
Waves: Pretty flat
Visibility: 20 feet
Water Temperature: 64 degrees, colder at depth
Air Temperature: 70 degrees
Total Bottom Time: 25 minutes or so

I entered the water without issue, submerged in 15 feet of water, and trolled for carvers…

After I captured a few shots of pumpkin carving, I decided to head down the canyon.

I made it down to 80 feet and kept going for a bit.

I think the last “Beach Re-nourishment” project screwed up the canyon; it seems to level off for a bit at 80 feet.

I turned around and started singing to myself – the only place I can do this without annoying other people.

Well, I did pass some other divers, and when I noticed, I stopped.

When I made it back to shore, I made an easy exit.

The Punpkins Await Judging

Unlike in years past, the judges were actually adults – with Dan from Divevets as the head judge.

Dan had a big box of prizes to pick from.

I noticed the dive light that I left on the boat on the last lobster trip was in the box – I rescued it before judging began.

As you can expect, the Divevets won, ECO came in second, and Pacific Wilderness came in a distant third.

The Budweiser I brought was gone pretty quickly.

One of the participants remarked, “I was going to bring some beer, but my wife was against it.”

Really?

Here are the winners, in no particular order…

Congratulations to the winners!

October 2, 2013

If you didn’t read the last post of our first dive, it would pay off if you did before reading this.

We were debating on where to go.

The only thing that we agreed on is that the last spot was the shittiest lobster dive we had ever done – there was one lobster on the boat with eight divers.

Some wanted to go to some spots in Palos Verdes, others wanted to stalk the hoop netters (their spots, NOT raid their nets), some wanted to try the break wall.

Somewhere off of Hermosa, there is an artificial reef made up of construction pipes.

The final decision was to try there.

After a 15 minute ride, again, the boat was trolling, spinning, turning, speeding up, slowing down…

I remarked, “Why do I have a feeling that this dive is gonna be just like the last.”

Mirek high-fived me.

Again, the instructions were, “Go East to the structure.”

I was the first one off the boat and descended down the anchor line.

Logged SCUBA Dive #452

Solo Diving/SoCal Buddy Diving

Secret Location: 54 68 65 20 72 65 65 66 20 6f 66 20 63 65 6d 65 6e 74 20 70 69 70 65 73 20 6f 66 66 20 6f 66 20 42 65 61 75 74 69 66 75 6c 20 42 65 61 63 68 2e
Hermosa Beach, CA, USA

In With: 2900 psi
Out With: 400 psi
Max depth: 60 feet
Waves: Slightly choppy
Visibility: 10 feet to shit
Water Temperature: 62 degrees
Air Temperature: 73 degrees
Total Bottom Time: 35 minutes or so

Once I hit bottom, the first thing I realized was that the visibility was sort of shitty – 10 feet at best.

I came across the “structure” – it looked like concrete sewer and drainage pipes that were dumped either as an artificial reef, or for a lazy contractor’s convenience.

Honestly, it was some interesting structure, but when you’re looking for lobster, it was like swimming through a ghost town.

Nobody was home.

All the little indentations, all the holes didn’t possess one lobster.

I continued swimming East and made it over sand and sea feathers.

Another diver, later identified as Mirek, was about 15 feet to my left.

I’m swimming over sand and sea feathers in 10 foot visibility at best; I was frustrated and about to turn around until my light shined on of the biggest lobster tails I had ever seen.

FUCK! A LOBSTER!

I didn’t want to hesitate, but I usually blow all the air out of my lungs while I’m going for a pin, however, I took a breathe right when my left hand pinned the carapace.

It was like putting my hand on a wall!

I tried using one of my Jiu Jitsu moves with my leg to pin the tail, but the breath I took made me too buoyant and the bug went backwards and escaped through my legs, slapping me in the nuts with it’s tail in the process.

I was in 60 feet of water, recovering from the monster lobster hitting me in the balls – his way of saying, “Fuck you bitch, I ain’t this big by being a pussy.”

Oh, man! I wanted to cry so bad.

The bragging rights, the lobster meat, the pictures … I fucked up – my chance was gone.

I should have taken just a few more seconds to plan the pin a little better.

Maybe I should go look for him in this great visibility?

Yeah, right.

I had 1,000 psi left, I turned around and headed back to the boat.

Upon hitting the structure again, I caught one bug – it was short, and therefore released unharmed.

Defeated, depressed, humiliated, bruised and sore I made my way slowly to the surface.

I had a short swim back to the boat; I was the first one back on.

I told the Captain, “There was one huge bug down there, but it got away.”

Now, I had a fear that since it was weakened by our confrontation, maybe someone else caught it?

Again, the divers slowly started coming back to the boat.

Chris G. caught one bug, fairly good sized.

Again, we were waiting on Mirek, who surfaced about 100 yards away.

Debriefing started…

Why we didn’t pull anchor and get him, I’m not sure.

Mirek caught another one – he had 66% of the bugs caught on this boat – eight divers, three lobsters total.

Dan, Mirek and me all have a lobster rivalry going…

Mirek has proven that he is the current Lobster King.

The thing that really sucks for me, is that Dan and I both got skunked – so we are equals.

On the ride back, Kathy M. (who apparently is not a hunter, just a “spotter”) remarked, “We saw this huge lobster just limping on the sand, but I couldn’t point it out to Chris because he was too far ahead of us.”

I’m taking a hunting break for a week while I put my balls on ice.

Traditional parking lot debriefing took place; all wrapped up by midnight.