Logged SCUBA Dive #324

Veteran’s Park, Redondo Beach, CA

Dove With TwinDuct

In With: 2900 psi
Out With: 1500 psi
Max depth: 40 feet
Waves: Small swells, easy entry and exit
Visibility: Five to eight feet, very silty
Temperature: Cool (Maybe 55 degrees)
Total Bottom Time: About 25 minutes

At 6 AM, Terry A. and Tony from Dive N Surf dragged a donated Christmas tree through the surf and anchored it 20 feet below the surface in 40 feet of water.

Our mission, if we chose to accept it, was to decorate it with biodegradable decorations and photograph Santa Claus with the other divers.

A toy drive and barbecue was to follow; Dive N Surf was in charge of the diving, Divevets was in charge of the debriefing.

I was on the Divevets’ commitee along with Hollywood and Montana.

I arrived early to help set up…

I drilled holes in the fruit…

… while Dan, Montana and a few others strung the fruit on hemp twine.

There’s nothing like celebrating the over abundance of food in America than by using perfectly edible fruit as Christmas decorations!

Tony gives the dive briefing.

“Vis isn’t that great, so swim to the buoy and drop down on the tree, otherwise you’ll never find it…” Tony said.

Other standard dive event procedures were reviewed.

Dan suits up to play the all important role of Santa Claus.

It started to rain a bit.

I carried about 15 pounds of fruit through the surf and made an easy entrance alongside Dan.

Santa waves to the camera.

The divers met at the marker buoy and descended; I was amazed that even though my 15 pounds of fruit floated, I had no problem sinking.

A close up of the underwater Santa Claus; how he keeps water out of his mask with that beard on is a mystery to me.

Santa poses with the tree.

I took the fruit decorations out of my game bag and realized that the “string of fruit” was now a “tangled ball of fruit.”

I managed my best to untangle it and hang the blob of fruit on the tree.

The official Dive N Surf cameraman takes pictures of the other divers as they pose with Santa.

I have to say, vis sort of really sucked.

Most of my pictures with the other divers didn’t turn out as I was too far away; I had to allow the “real” photographer to do his job.

I descended to 40 feet and hung out around the tree; TwinDuct sort of went off on his own midway through the dive, as did most of the other divers.

Santa and crew headed in after about 20 minutes underwater; I swam back underwater where I consumed about 800 psi of air.

Just another day in Los Angeles… Santa Claus emerges from the ocean.

Let the debriefing begin!

The Dog Police almost arrested Cyber The Attack Dog for a leash violation.

Dive Bum Don had to pay an instant cash fine to the Dog Police to keep Cyber out of jail.

The wind bloweth..

…the wind bloweth away.

Someone told a senior member of Divevets that, “We should get to the raffle first because a lot of people want to leave due to the wind and rain.”

“Screw them, they can leave,” was the reply.

A little wind and rain and the party whimps want to leave!

Montana organized some games… the egg toss, a three legged treasure hunt and a relay race; she did a spectacular job organizing this part of the event!

The only thing that sucked about the egg toss was that I had to put my beer down to play… my brother and I lost after the defective egg that I was given broke in my hands.

Montana raffles away valuable prizes… a gym membership, SCUBA gear, a debriefing chair, a makeup kit, CDs and the grand prize – a six pack of Budweiser, donated by yours truly!

We had a few more participants and chicks at our event than Divematrix had at theirs.

The valuable collection of toys awaits the Fire Department pickup.

Al Qaeda birds launched a deadly poop attack on our event!

They pooped on us, because they hate our freedom.

The Fire Department stopped by around noon to pick up the donated toys; my offer of a few beers to the Firemen was politely turned down.

Some women fainted at the sight of real firemen.

It took several minutes to load the thousands of dollars worth of toys into the fire truck.

The party started to wind down after the Firemen drove off; I left around 1 PM or so and headed for Christmas party number two…

My cage fighting friends were having their annual Christmas party.

The last time I was around this many drinking and dangerous people was 20 years ago at Walker’s cafe, when two rival biker gangs were about to fight over an order of french fries.

The guy to the far left is training for the Senior Citizens’ division of the UFC.

Logged SCUBA Dive #323

Old Marineland (aka Terranea Resort, Long Point)

Dove With Not So New Chris

In With: 2900 psi
Out With: 1200 psi
Max depth: 35 feet
Waves: Small swells, no sweat
Visibility: Anywhere from 0 to 15 feet in some places
Temperature: Cool (Maybe 55 degrees)
Total Bottom Time: About 45 minutes

Arriving promptly at 8 AM, the regular divers were already gearing up in the parking lot; word had it that, “Yesterday was 10 foot vis and it looks better today.”

I geared up and paired up with Not So New Chris.

At the water’s edge I realized that I forgot my hood, but being macho and too lazy to walk back up the hill, I continued on.

Entry off The Cove was easy and uneventful.

Vis was OK in some places – 15 feet at best, but 0 feet in some places; visibility was almost random as we went from reef to reef.

A self portrait – me without my hood on; notice how the cold doesn’t even phase me because of my machismo?

We weaved through the kelp forest and continued to explore the area South of 120 reef.

We came across a commercial lobster trap.

Inside the trap, a starfish has consumed the tail of a rotting, dead lobster; it doesn’t look like this trap has been pulled for a long time.

Chris and I did a little reconnaissance work looking for lobsters in the shallows.

We spotted a lobster!

Later, Reverend Al said that he saw five lobsters off of 120 reef.

It looks like trying for lobsters shallower might pay off.

I came across some sort of swirly ocean life – it looked like a ribbon that had curled up, but it was some sort of sea life.

A sea blob – I think?

Chris and I lost each other swimming through a patch of crappy vis – we met at the surface a few minutes later.

A patch of good visibility shows off the sea life at 120 reef.

Clam shells outside a hole – the sign of an octopus’s dwelling, but no octopus.

A sea urchin that is broken open causes a feeding frenzy.

That was the last picture that my camera took before “freezing” in the on position; it wouldn’t turn off, it wouldn’t take pictures and wouldn’t change settings.

For the first time, I realized that Microsoft must have programmed my camera’s operating system.

We headed back towards the cove after exploring the “finger” off of Pigeon Shit Cave and almost getting swept ashore by the waves that pound that part of the beach.

Our exit was easy and uneventful and the walk up the hill was a pleasure as always.

After carefully taking my camera out of the water proof case, I replaced the batteries, hit control + alt + delete and rebooted it.

Luckily, no “blue screen of death” and camera functionality resumed normally.

Debriefing started in traditional fashion; I got a spot on Chris’ outdoor stove.

Spicy links, steak and chicken fajitas were on today’s menu.

A guy pulled up in a Harley Davidson and recognized me as “Psycho Solo Diver;” he is a local diver by the name of John that stumbled across this blog several weeks ago and had been meaning to stop by.

I guess people actually read this blog?

Debriefing lasted until about noon.

I’m not sure about coming next weekend – the Divevet’s/Dive N Surf Annual Underwater Christmas Tree Decorating Event is next Saturday, along with another party I have to attend; I may be too “out of it” by Sunday.

If you’re local and a diver, get your ass down to Vet’s Park next Saturday.