Malaga Cove, Palos Verdes Estates, CA
(aka The Nursery)

Solo, Night Time, Lobster Diving

In With: 2700 psi
Out With: 1200 psi
Max depth: 15 feet
Waves: 1-4 feet
Visibility: six feet
Water Temperature: Cold, but warmer than the air temperature
Total Bottom Time: 45 minutes
Lobsters Caught: 0

Neither Nick or John H could make it; so, being so macho, I went anyway.

Nobody was around Malaga Cove.

It was dark, the parking lot was pretty much deserted.

It was low tide so I went in on the sandy side of the coast.

It seemed darker than I remember it being.

I had been there earlier to check out the conditions – it was flat as a pancake, but the waves were picking up.

I had a slight problem putting my fins on.

I swam out where Rossler pool is, well, I don’t know what it’s called now.

I submerged to 15 feet.

It was a little spooky – nighttime solo diving; kelp looked like lobsters, sharks and the boogie man.

I caught three lobsters, all too small.

There’s something to say about Darwinism.

The really big lobsters that I saw fled as soon as they sensed the light.

Some really small lobsters – who I felt like screwing with, actually charged my light.

I hereby declare Malaga Cove, “fished out” of lobsters.

I had taken my main light’s strap off my hand to measure a lobster.

I forgot about this and had to dive for it when I let go of it coming onshore.

Out with little problem, other than the above.

It is very shallow for a long way in the sand.

Malaga Cove, Palos Verdes Estates, CA

Night diving, lobster hunting with Nick

In With: 3000 psi
Out With: 1000 psi
Max depth: 15 feet
Waves: 1-2 feet
Visibility: 5 feet
Water Temperature: Cool
Total Bottom Time: 50 minutes
LOW, LOW TIDE!

It’s been very rough the last week.

I went down to Malaga Cove after work to check on the conditions.

Tom from American Diving was leaving with two other divers and a lobster.

Tom advised, “It’s good, but no tide… go diving.”

I called Nick; we agreed to meet around 7 PM.

We were the only divers there.

In the water – off the sand – at about 7:20 PM.

Since it was ultra low tide, the sand was a must.

We went South-West searching for lobsters on water that didn’t get deeper than 15 feet.

We caught several shorts, but released them.

One big, legal one got away; I think it was the only legal one I saw.

Fifteen shorts sighted for one legal I think was the ratio.

My mask leaked until I fixed the purge valve.

We exited with no problem.

We met some other divers going in – one was a woman!