Secret Location: 4f 66 66 20 6f 66 20 74 68 65 20 68 69 6c 6c 20 6f 66 20 67 72 65 65 6e 20 74 72 65 65 73 20 77 68 65 72 65 20 74 68 65 20 67 61 74 65 20 68 61 73 20 61 20 6d 61 72 2e

Southern California Buddy Diving With Instructor John

In With: 2700 psi
Out With: 500 psi
Max depth: 50 feet
Waves: Pretty Flat, no current
Visibility: 15 feet +
Water Temperature: 55 degrees, sort of chilly
Total Bottom Time: 35 minutes

Finally, I am back in the water after several weeks; it feels nice to finally go SCUBA diving again!

I met Instructor John at the Marina; we were motoring out of the harbor on his zodiac around 7:40 PM.

We submerged at our secret location and went our own separate ways.

I went South bound, sort of towards shore; The vis was pretty good and clear.

Within the first 10 minutes I had bagged two fairly small lobsters and trolled for more.

I came across a sleeping Bat Ray that scared the shit out of me.

I peaked on the surface twice to get my bearings – this is the place where I lost site of the zodiac on opening morning.

Before swimming back to the boat, I remeasured my catch – they were both short!

Again, these things must shrink in the air; I threw them back and swam back to the boat.

John came back with three lobsters that he caught in the first five minutes when he went to check the anchor.

I have to start making “checking the anchor” a habit.

An uneventful, but pleasant night of SCUBA diving; I’m glad I still remember how.

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.