Casino Point, Catalina Island, California

Dove as a safety diver with Instructor John and his Open Water students Stan The Macho Man and Tuasopo (a diver that never earned a C-card).*

In With: 3000 psi
Out With: 1600 psi
Max depth: 60 feet
Waves: 1-2 feet
Visibility: 15-20 feet and silty
Water Temperature: 60 degrees Fahrenheit
Total Bottom Time: About 20 minutes
*Note: Student names have been changed.

Bonnie and Clyde sat this dive out.

This is a third “just for fun dive” that doesn’t count towards the student’s certification; apparently, you need four 20 minute dives over a two day period.

I again took up the rear, basically following Stan The Macho Man; we saw “Oscar The Sheephead” and a large spider crab.

This was a short dive because we waited a while for air and needed to catch the boat back.

The tide was coming in.

We lost each other once.

John is a fast paced diver; no sitting back to “smell the roses” diving with him.

No problems with the exit; excellent boat ride back.

Casino Point, Catalina Island, California

Dove as a safety diver with Instructor John and his Open Water students Stan The Macho Man, Tuasopo (a diver that never earned a C-card) and a married couple Bonnie and Clyde.*

In With: 3000 psi
Out With: 1700 psi
Max depth: 60 feet
Waves: 1-2 feet
Visibility: 15 feet at best
Water Temperature: 60 degrees Fahrenheit
Total Bottom Time: 22 minutes
*Note: Student names have been changed.

His class seemed pretty “jazzed” from the last dive, especially Stan The Macho Man who high-fived John.

I again took up the back of the class.

Visibility sucked for Casino Point; “viz” has really sucked in general lately.

According to John, if you can get all of your students under water on the first dive, it’s easier on the second one.

Stan The Macho Man kept giving me the “thumbs up” sign whenever I would gesture and ask if he is OK.

I kept thinking, “Why does he want to go up? He seems like he’s enjoying the dive and doesn’t appear to have any problems.”

We went to a sunken barge and a sunken ship; there’s an opening in the ship that we all went through.

The group became separated a few times because of the visibility and other divers were mistaken as part of the group.

Stan The Macho Man came down, found me as I was looking for the group and gestured to ascend; the group was going in.

I went back down and got Bonnie who separated from the group.