Veteran’s Park, Redondo Beach, CA

Solo Diving

In with: 3000 psi
Out with: 1000 psi
Max depth: 80 feet
Waves: 4 to 6 foot swells
Visibility: 10 feet
Water Temperature: Cold, maybe 57 degrees
Total Bottom Time: 35 minutes or so

It’s been stormy lately and it is forecast to rain tomorrow, so I decided to dive this morning.

I didn’t bother checking any other locations; I assumed it would be sort of rough anywhere, but that’s not always the case.

Dan and Chris from the Divevets were in the almost vacant parking lot.

Chris had come out reporting 10 foot visibility and the surf seemed sort of manageable.

I geared up and walked out.

In waist high surf I was hit by several large swells that pushed me back.

I was able to put my fins on, swim out and submerge.

Vis sucked; maybe 10 feet or less, but the bottom churned in the swells.

I thought about maybe canceling, but I proceeded down the canyon to 80 feet and then back up to 65 feet and then headed South towards the “monument” or “blocks” as some call it.

I couldn’t find the monument; I may have just passed by them within a few feet.

My camera stayed in my pocket this whole dive.

Once back up from the canyon, the swells became apparent.

The ocean floor at 35 feet was moving with the surge.

I slowly proceeded back to shore and was pounded by four to six foot swells coming back to shore.

Only a few divers were in the parking lot; most classes had been canceled.

I probably would have been better off staying dry.

Secret Location: 4f 66 66 20 74 68 65 20 53 70 61 6e 69 73 68 20 52 65 64 20 42 65 61 63 68 20 62 72 65 61 6b 20 77 61 74 65 72 20 74 68 65 72 65 20 69 73 20 61 20 73 68 61 6c 6c 6f 77 20 77 68 65 72 65 20 61 20 77 61 72 6d 20 72 65 73 74 61 75 72 61 6e 74 20 65 78 68 61 75 73 74 20 70 69 70 65 20 73 75 70 70 6f 73 65 64 6c 79 20 65 6d 69 74 73 2e

Off the Island Diver Boat

In With: 3000 psi
Out With: 1200 psi
Max depth: About 35 feet
Waves: Very choppy, boat was dragging anchor
Visibility: 15 feet or worse
Water Temperature: Cold!
Total Bottom Time: 40 minutes

Solo Diving

We anchored about 200 yards off a rocky shoreline in about 35 feet of water.

The idea was, since the depths have been crappy lately for lobsters, that they must be moving shallower.

There’s suppose to be some sort of pipe in this site.

I was the first one over board; Dan commented to the other divers, “He’s jumping off first to get all the lobsters – what a fag.”

I went down the anchor and attached the strobe for the other divers.

I trolled over endless stretches of pure, white sand.

I mean, except for a few guitar fish and a Pacific Electric Ray, that’s all I saw – sand!

I got as shallow as 15 feet, then went back out and ran across some sort of concrete flat.

I swam back towards the boat over the barren landscape and was going to head back in after twenty minutes until I spotted a short lobster.

I had hope, so I followed a sparse trail of small fish, a few crabs and two more shorts.

Then… still nothing.

After 40 minutes, I thought a beer sounded better so I headed in…

But where the hell was the boat?

I had peaked a few times during my dive, and with the swells, it was really hard to go anywhere.

The boat kept getting farther and farther away; it was dragging anchor and had moved about 200 feet towards the rocky shore.

I swam under water back to the boat; the others who did a second dive soon followed.

I pose with my catch for the night – two lobsters from the last dive.

No lobsters here and we all agreed – this place sucks!

Debriefing took place in the parking lot as usual but only lasted until midnight.