I took a break from the zodiac to try my lobster liberating ability on the Sea Bass, a ten diver charter boat out of Ports O’ Call in San Pedro.

The divers were a mix local experienced divers including Reverend Al, Chipper, Jordan, Nice Bob, other Jeff, Mike S. and Gino C.

Catalina has lots of bugs, and with the new fishing preserves all over Palos Verdes and Catalina, I thought this trip could would be worth it, once I limited.

Even though there is a compressor on the boat, I brought two tanks just in case I didn’t want to wait for an air fill.

The boat left at 9:01 PM for the “hour and a half” trip to the Catalina.

I’m not sure if it was the boat or the slight swells, but it was a bumpy and wet ride out.

Once we reached the island, it took another 40 minutes to reach our destination.

Logged SCUBA Dive #422

Solo Diving/SoCal Buddy Diving
Secret Location: 54 68 65 20 50 6f 69 6e 74 20 74 68 61 74 20 69 73 20 6c 6f 6e 67 20 6f 66 66 20 74 68 65 20 64 6f 6d 65 20 6c 69 6b 65 20 72 6f 63 6b 20 6e 65 78 74 20 74 6f 20 61 20 6d 6f 6f 72 2e, Catalina Island

In With: 2900 psi
Out With: 1000 psi
Max depth: 65 feet
Waves: Pretty flat
Visibility: Up to 20 feet
Water Temperature: 58 degrees
Air Temperature: 69 degrees
Total Bottom Time: About 35 minutes

We anchored in 65 feet of water and we were told by the Captain, that there is a reef that runs along the bow.

I was the third diver over and under.

All I saw was sand and grass – I had flash backs from when I got skunked in 2005 aboard the Bottom Scratcher – the boat anchored in one barren spot all night long.

I knew this wasn’t going to be the case, but everyone wanted to limit and get home early.

I looked at my computer, and the thing was off.

Fuck! No computer, and I didn’t bring my table!

I went as shallow as 20 feet, where the vis went to nothing and the surge picked up.

I saw one short lobster this entire dive; this place sucked and I didn’t want to waste bottom time here, especially now that I would have to guess my bottom time and surface intervals.

I returned to the boat.

Everyone got skunked except for Reverend Al, who got a monster and a legal, and Nice Bob who got a few.

Al got his in 70 feet, Bob had stumbled on the a reef in 35 feet and liberated four.

Great, everyone else missed these places; why were we anchored here and why are we anchored so deep?

The Captain said, if we were any closer, he would drag anchor and he’d have to fire the boat up with us in the water.

July 13, 2012*

After a two hour surface interval to off gas, we found the kids with the peddle boat to drop us off on the other side of the bay.

The boat had sprung a leak and was taken out of the water.

Idit talked the owner of the bar on the beach, and hired their fishing boat to take us for 500 LEK.

This was the boat with the rock as an anchor.

Again, we were to swim back to shore; the boat was only transportation there.

The boat took us to the spot, I inflated by BCD, threw the gear over board, grabbed my fins and fell into the water.

I put my fins on and dawned by BCD jacket.

I swam over to Idit and tried to take a compass reading of where shore was.

“Where the fuck is my compass?”

“Where did you lose it?” Idit asked.

“It’s got to be in the water, I must have dropped it putting on my BCD.”

We surface swam in 20 feet of water, looking for my compass, and thanks to the clear blue water, I found it within three minutes of looking.

If this was a typical Southern California dive, my compass would have been sacrificed to the sea gods.

We descended.

Logged SCUBA Dive #418

Dove with Idit

Porto Palermo Bay
Himara, Albania

Air Source: Private fisherman’s compressor in Saranda
In With: 2800 psi
Out With: 200 psi
Max depth: 99 feet
Waves: Flat
Visibility: Up to 50 feet
Water Temperature: 73 degrees
Air Temperature: 96 degrees
Total Bottom Time: 40 minutes or so

Some kind of sea shell.

What’s left of another ancient wine vessel – I picked it up to see if I could find “Made in China” on it; nope, it is probably really old.

I left it where I found it.

Idit was getting bored of me taking pictures.

Again, we got really deep, really quickly.

This dive was mostly over a grass reef, better documented in the video footage I took.

At slightly under a half tank, we swam back, under the Port Palermo Pier to an easy exit at the bar.

Hamburger and steak wander all over Albania.

On the way to our next diving spot, we stopped by the old Communist Submarine Base.

Let me see if I can remember the story accurately.

During the 1960’s Albania had purchased some submarines from the Soviet Union.

When Enver Hoxha broke ties with the Soviets, for not being communist enough, he started to cuddle up with China’s Mao.

Fearing an invasion, he started this tunnel to shelter his submarines.

Apparently, it was all dug by hand over a course of 30 years and never completely finished; many people died in the construction.

*Due to time constraints, lack of reliable internet access outside of Tirana, power outages in Tirana and the strength of Albanian beer, posting of this article has been delayed.