Logged SCUBA Dive #309

SECRET LOCATION: 42 65 74 77 65 65 6e 20 74 68 65 20 47 61 74 65 73 20 4f 66 20 4d 61 72 20 61 6e 64 20 74 68 65 20 6c 69 67 68 74 68 6f 75 73 65 2c 20 74 68 65 72 65 20 69 73 20 61 20 6c 6f 6e 65 20 70 61 6c 6d 20 74 72 65 65 2e, Palos Verdes, CA

Solo Diving, SoCal Buddy Diving

In With: 3000 psi
Out With: 500 psi
Max depth: 42 feet
Waves: Minor chop at the surface, surgy on the ocean floor
Visibility: 10 to 20 feet at 30 feet, five feet at 25 and shallower
Water Temperature: 62 degrees
Total Bottom Time: About 45 minutes

We need to find a better spot where the legal sized bugs will be jumping into our bags; this was our quest tonight.

Instructor John went out a few days ago and couldn’t catch any legal bugs; in talking with some hoop netters, they are having the same problem also – lots of shorts, a few legal bugs, but no monsters.

Apparently, the Island Diver went out Wednesday and the boat caught 26 bugs among six hunters, but where?

We made a slow journey to our “new” spot due to wind chop.

The lights from a few shore divers and hoop netters were in the distance.

Vis was pretty good deeper than 30 feet, but I tried shallower.

At 25 feet and shallower, the vis cut to five feet; I patrolled around, looking under the kelp and between rocks.

I caught four bugs, all short; it’s amazing how big short bugs look when you haven’t spotted any lobsters for a while.

I thought that since this is a new spot we are exploring, I wouldn’t feel so bad if I didn’t see any legal lobsters – which I didn’t.

I surfaced fairly close to the boat, after peaking a few times during the dive to get my bearings.

Instructor John returned with two lobsters.

The bugs were legal, but not monsters; he caught them in 38 to 40 feet of water.

I pose with my catch – enough kelp to make sushi for a month!

This is the second dive in a row that I got skunked!

We talked about other potential spots that we need to try, but all add on to our travel time; but, as long as I limit, I’ll endure the voyage.

We made a slow trip back, riding the wind chop, and a fairly quick departure once back.

I was driving home on the freeway when Instructor John called me.

“Hey, I just got pulled over by the DFG,” John said.

“What? You’re kidding?”

“No I’m not, they spotted us putting our gear away but couldn’t get to us in time to hassle us in the parking lot,” John said.

Since John was the first out of the lot – I was busy finishing my beer – he got stopped police-style, red lights and all.

His two bugs were legal, but he left his fishing license and lobster report card on the boat!

The DFG officers were cool, and told him he wouldn’t get a ticket as long as he faxed them the information.

Logged SCUBA Dive #308

SECRET LOCATION: 41 74 20 74 68 65 20 67 61 74 65 73 20 6f 66 20 6d 61 72 2c 20 4e 6f 72 74 68 20 6f 66 20 74 68 65 20 6c 6f 6c 69 70 6f 70 20 74 72 65 65 2e, Palos Verdes, CA

Solo Diving, SoCal Buddy Diving

In With: 3000 psi
Out With: 500 psi
Max depth: 35 feet
Waves: Pretty Flat
Visibility: 15 to 20 feet
Water Temperature: 65 degrees
Total Bottom Time: About 45 minutes

This is the same spot that I went to Sunday for my second dive, where one of the divers caught six huge lobsters in 30 feet of water under the low lying kelp.

Tonight was a one tank dive off of Instructor John’s zodiac with “Jim” and me; we arrived at this location around 8:30 PM.

I submerged, determined to find some big bugs at 30 feet.

There must be more left?

I pinned, measured and bagged one within 10 minutes and continued on, not going shallower than 25 feet, nor deeper than 35 feet.

I missed a few, maybe legal ones, but I am rusty in my technique with six months off.

45 minutes later I surfaced and did a fairly short surface swim back to the zodiac where Jim was already aboard; I had bagged one lobster.

Jim had four way-legal bugs.

I boarded and took a picture with my bug, holding it as close to the camera as possible to make it look huge…

I set it down to remeasure… it was close.

The gauge fit “snugly” over the carapace, which is a legal size bug.

When Instructor John got aboard, we measured it with his gauge – hmmm.. is it worth a $1400 fine?

I threw it back.

John caught one, Jim four, I got skunked.

It’s sort of like going to Las Vegas and watching your friends win fortunes while you lose your ass; what am I doing wrong?

The bugs in this location have been spooked for the last few days and are well adapt at fleeing at the slightest detection of light.

John and I agreed, we need to find another spot, but Jim gloated, “When you’re down there, just think to yourself, ‘Where would Jim go?'”

Last season at this time, John had caught 21 bugs – this season, so far, only five.

I’m getting the feeling that my problem is either old age, or I’m really unlucky, or really unskilled.

Jim found his bugs in 15 to 20 feet of water, not under the kelp, but between the rocks.

Next dive, I’m bringing garlic as a good luck charm.