I arrived at Terranea Resort a few minutes after 8 AM, to what was going to be my 500th dive.

There were maybe eight or nine divers there, but only three regulars – Reverend Al, BlueSteel and Libertarian Ted.

It was decided to go off the Point.

Unlike most other dives, I was actually waiting on the rest.

I was the first to enter and watched the others make easy entrances.

We swam out and dropped right on the statue…

Logged SCUBA Dive #500

Dove with Reverend Al, BlueSteel and Libertarian Ted

The Point, Terranea Resort, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, USA

In With: 3000 psi
Out With: 1000 psi
Max depth: 60 feet
Waves: Some surge but manageable
Visibility: 10 – 15 feet
Water Temperature: 69 degrees
Air Temperature: 75 degrees
Total Bottom Time: 46 minutes

The Lady of the Point, plus a new addition…

Photo by Reverend AL

Memorial rocks – “Shanon Wesserling Final Dive 2012” “Dennis Gunn 1940-2016 A great ??? a dive buddy”

I want a rock when I die.

We followed Reverend Al.

Amazingly, these pictures look like the hundreds of other pictures that I’ve taken here.

A block reef.

The Sun Stars are gone, but I have noticed these weird stringy blobs have been appearing more frequently.

This was a nice, uneventful dive.

When visibility sucked, we surfaced.

I tripped over a rock on exit, but everyone else seemed to have made it out just fine.

During the dive, we headed shallower earlier than usual; I still had 1000 psi in my tank, which is rare for a Point to Cove dive.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Nick, Jill (a.k.a. Jilly-fish) and their son Ben; they showed up just for my 500th dive and to check out the diving scene, which they’ve been missing for several years.

Jill brought Korean ribs, kimchi and potato salad; I had no issues being the cook!

My dive buddies for my 500th dive – BlueSteel, Libertarian Ted, Reverend Al and Myself.

Ben, Nick, Jill and Me.

Me and Ben as Reverend Al photo bombs.

We were amazed at what people will go to to avoid parking fees…

Parking Wars

During our debrief, some psycho Russian sounding chick, who was a passenger in another vehicle, got out of the car and ran to a newly vacant parking spot as someone else was trying to pull in.

She yelled, “You can’t park here, this is my spot!”

The driver who was trying to park yelled back, “Lady, I was waiting, I’m next in line – it doesn’t work that way here.”

The psycho woman actually sat down in the parking spot.

The guy acted like he was leaving and then started to back up into the space.

The lady screamed – I didn’t see exactly what happened.

The guy in the car yelled, “Call the police!”

“I am calling them right now,” she said.

During this time, the car that the lady came out of found another spot and parked; nobody appeared to be physically injured; obviously the woman is mentally damaged.

I think that was the same psycho woman that was yelling at diver Irish Andy a year ago, telling him that if he was done with his business at Terranea, he needed to leave so she could park.

Andy told her, “When I leave, I’m going to make sure you don’t park here.”

Thanks again everybody for all the years of diving – great memories.

Thanks again to Jill for the food.

Until next time!

While getting air on Saturday at New England Divers, I found out that Steve, the old manager of American Diving, died recently.

Me, Laurie and Steve – 2006

Steve goes back to the very first times that I have ever dove – I bought my original equipment from him.

I left pretty early today and expected to get to Terranea Resort about 7:45 AM.

However, the 405 on ramps at Long Beach Blvd. and Pacific Avenue were both closed; I had to back track and get on at Orange Ave.

Then, the transition ramp to the 710 South was closed, so I had to take the 110 South.

After all the last minute change of courses, I ended up showing up at 8:15, only to find everyone already geared up and ready to go.

I told them not to wait for me, and they had no problem with that.

Not feeling rushed, I took my time gearing up.

I decided to do a nice leisurely dive off the Cove to check out 120 reef and then maybe the Garden.

I made an easy entrance.

Me off the cove.

Vis looked to be good!

I submerged.

Logged SCUBA Dive #499

Solo Diving

The Cove, Terranea Resort, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, USA

In With: 3000 psi
Out With: 1100 psi
Max depth: 40 feet
Waves: Pretty flat
Visibility: 15 feet, less in some places
Water Temperature: 69 degrees
Air Temperature: 74 degrees, overcast
Total Bottom Time: 40 minutes

I submerged just outside the rocky finger off of Pigeon Shit Cave and headed to 120 reef.

Visibility wasn’t as good as I expected, but it was still very enjoyable.

I made my way through the kelp forest.

It’s nice to see the fish coming back in abundance – the marine preserve is working out, in my opinion.

I headed back after 25 minutes and swam to the Garden on the other side of the Cove.

Remnants of the old Marineland Pier.

Another school of fish.

I headed in as the others, who went off the Point, were exiting; everyone made it out easily.

Debriefing was a diver’s reunion – Joe R., Tony from Dive N Surf and even the long gone BlueSteel graced us with their attendance.

Of course, a lot of the regulars were there too – Reverend Al, Nice Bob and Ben.

Kenneth from Divevets even showed up for the debrief.

We cooked sausages on the ghetto grill as we drank beer, to all the snooty looks of the rich people trying to find a free parking spot.

We caught up on all the news since conditions have sucked for the past few months.

Apparently, Divevets has long ago peaked, and since they threw everyone off the message board, nobody goes there anymore.

The website administrator bailed state, others quit diving, others have developed health problems and still others have died.

I think I will just enjoy the times as they occur… nothing lasts forever, even though I have been dumb enough to think they will.

I plan to be back next weekend; Kenneth said he would bring his drone to document our entrance off the Point.