Long Point, CA
(aka The Old Marineland)

Dove With Nick

In with: 3000 psi
Out with: 700 psi
Maximum depth: 40 feet
Waves – 2 feet or so
Visibility: 10-15 feet
Water Temperature: Cool; cold in some places. 55 degrees F
Total Bottom Time: 50 minutes
Notable Event: Long Point invaded by a film crew; dealing with the bitch from hell at the Catalina Room.

I met Nick at 8:15 AM.

There was a security guard telling us that we had to park next to the Catalina room because they were going to film a Weight Watchers commercial.

Once we moved, we suited up only to have the bitch-from-hell Catalina Room manager tell us to leave.

She basically threatened to tow us.

One of the film crew told us to park on the other side of the parking lot.

“Hell no!” I said.

Cardiac Hill would have been only slightly more difficult than that trek.

Anyway, we entered the water probably around 9 AM or so.

Easy in; there were only mild waves.

We submerged and went just to the other side of the rocky jetty and then East to a set of reefs that I probably haven’t seen for a couple of years — back in the old “diving with Ed and Sergeant Miller” days.

We swam back at 1000 psi.

We saw the same stuff as before, but the environment changes from reef to reef at Long Point.

We exited; I tried to do the old “fins off in the water” trick, but I was so close to shore so I rode a wave in and crawled up.

The camera crew had made a sandy beach where there used to be rocks and grass.

Someone from the Fire Department watched our exit.

There were so many people at Long Point – all this for a 30 second commercial.

We degeared and took a walk down.

The crew had tents and cameras set up all along the trail down.

The cameras.

The scenery has changes quite a bit.

Nick at the sandy Long Point Beach; Cowa bunga, dude!

Looking up the trail from the rocky beach.

The parking lot is packed with cars and catering trucks.

Long Point, CA
(aka The Old Marineland)

Dove With Nick

The swell maps on Sandeaters.org made the visibility seem like it should be decent.

Daniel from Redondo Pier said it was 40 feet off of Redondo yesterday – at least the guy at the Dive Shop told him that.

We met at 9:50 AM.

Daniel was suppose to show up at 10 AM, but he flaked.

Nick said the security guard had just opened the gate.

I came to find out that all of my regulators leaked air.

For the next half hour we tried to make one good rig out of my two. Actually the second rig was Ed’s.

I ended up taking the bladder out of the auxiliary second stage to keep it from leaking.

We got in the water around 10:45; easy entry except for dodging the fishing line from the Mexican fishermen that were off the cove.

We swam to the rocky point off of Pigeon Shit cave and submerged.

Visibility wasn’t as good as I thought it should be – 15 feet maybe 20.

Nick had his camera, I was just a sightseer.

We went North, around the point.

It’s a slightly different environment than the one Nick’s used to there.

Reefs, sea weed, sea urchins, etc.

The exit was no problem.

This was a good, uneventful dive.

Ed fixed my rigs afterwards.

In with: 2700 psi
Out with: 500 psi
Max depth: 35 feet
Waves: 1-2 feet
Visibility: 20 feet
Water Temperature: Cool and Warm
Total Bottom Time: 50 minutes

We met “Victor” – a Long Shoreman crane operator.

He gave me $10 for loaning him a coat hanger to unlock his car.