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    August 14, 2005

    Logged Dive #136 – Safety Diver For John’s OW Class

    Casino Point, Catalina, CA

    I dove as a safety diver with Instructor John’s Open Water class.*

    In With: 3400 psi
    Out With: 2400 psi
    Max depth: 45 feet
    Waves: Insignificant, High Tide
    Visibility: 20 feet
    Water Temperature: Cold at 45 feet
    Total Bottom Time: About 30 minutes
    *The names of students have been changed.

    I went free diving while the students were gearing up.

    I think I should take a few pounds off my weight belt.

    Leeza had problems with the skin dive.

    She was in near panic and John brought he back in.

    So we geared up in the water we went, all eight of us.

    The ninth person, Leeza, snorkeled on the surface per John’s instructions.

    I submerged first, then the three students from the later class, Young Hottie, Green Horn, Pedro and then John followed.

    John did basic check outs for three of his students, while the rest of us just floated around.

    Pedro was holding on to a metal disk and chain trying to stay down.

    It looked like some bizarre underwater trapeze act.

    After the check outs, we followed John to the Jacques Cousteau memorial.

    Some students were running low on air, so we headed back in.

    Pedro was doing his bicycle kick/dog paddle routine.

    Amazingly enough, he was able to propel himself.

    The tide was so high, that three to four steps of the stairs were submerged.

    August 8, 2005

    Rafting The South Fork Of The American River In A Single Day – August 6, 2005

    I haven’t been river rafting since 1985 when I took a trip to the Grand Tetons with my brother.

    Since I have been such a stellar help with John’s SCUBA diving classes, I was invited to go on his almost yearly (depending on rainfall) trip to raft the American River.

    John was a river guide twenty years ago and has all his own equipment.

    We left Torrance Friday morning and drove the entire day to Sacramento airport to pick up a rental car that we could use for the ride back up river.

    Our only stop was at the Catfish House in Modesto for some down home cookin’.

    Going cheap, we rented a couple nice rooms at a Super-8 Motel in El Dorado County.

    The next morning we dropped our return vehicle at the bottom of the river and headed up to ChiliBar to launch the raft…

    John inflates the raft.

    John inflates the raft as the others supervise.

    Group Shot

    Our group shot for insurance purposes!

    From left to right – Jeff W, John, Me and Allan – John’s son.

    We were soon off on our one day adventure that most commercial rafters break up in to a two day trip.

    One the first day, most commercial outfits start in the middle of the river and raft down the lower portion as it’s a lot calmer.

    The second day is when they start at ChileBar and end in the middle.

    Me at the front of the boat.

    There’s me looking as macho as ever.

    We see the next set of approaching rapids and John and Jeff laugh…

    John and Jeff laugh at the approaching rapids.

    Forgive me, but I don’t know the names of any of these rapids…

    Approaching a rock…

    Avoiding the rock…

    After shooting through the top half of the river, we ate lunch under the bridge at River Park Village…

    9k1.jpg

    River Park Village

    Some ducks try and crash our lunch…

    Ducks disturb our lunch.

    Back on the river we went…

    Allan looks at an historical mining replica…

    Historical mining replicas are all along the river.

    The front of the raft…

    The stretch after lunch is rather flat… and boring…

    Taking a swim.

    …I ended up taking a swim to cool off.

    I know it looks like I’m trying to fart, but I’m actually trying to hold the camera still for a self portrait.

    …and we eventually reach another potentially lethal rapid…

    Entering the rapid…

    Oh crap!

    Through a seat full of water!

    Up and over!

    Up and over…

    The day is winding down and we are all tired…

    Allan rests.

    Luckily when we reach the mouth of the lake, a bunch of jet skis are willing to tow us to the parking lot… for $10 cash…

    Towing rafts to shore.

    We packed up the raft and all the equipment and drove back up river to pick up the other vehicle…

    Rolling up the raft.

    We left early that morning for an uneventful trip back – that is until we broke down near Gorman…

    Broken down near Gorman.

    We were on the side of the road for hours until we got a tow to Gorman to await a flatbed for the ride back to the South Bay.

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