The Curse Of Dead Lobster Cove
With news that lobsters are being caught shallow, in about 50 feet, Instructor John and I set out on the faithful zodiac to liberate more bugs from their watery hell that they call life.
Before heading to King Harbor, I stopped by the Red Cross to donate enough blood to buy this year’s fishing license, ocean enhancement stamp and lobster report card – $58!
The weather was clear and the ocean was fairly calm with only very minor chop.
We anchored in 40 feet of water off of a secret location (near the end of Hawthorne Blvd.) in Palos Verdes when strange anomalies started taking place.
It was around 8 PM and it was dark, only one other boat was spotted in the distance – probably another group of lobster divers.
The running and signal lights in the zodiac suddenly shut off without explanation.
“It’s probably just some corrosion on the battery cables,” John said.
We worked for 20 minutes trying to get the lights on; there is no way we were going to leave the zodiac blacked out while we dove.
John finally said, “Go ahead and dive; if I can’t get the lights to turn on by the time you get back, it will be my turn and you can wait here with a flashlight.”
I geared up and turned my air on…
BANG! Psssssssssst!
My main high pressure regulator hose blew up!
My reserve regulator was on shore in my car to save space, but I had already checked my gear before loading it in to the boat.
I had my main regulator in for annual service three years ago and I know that hose was replaced – there’s no reason that that hose should have burst.
Luckily, it blew above water.
When a high pressure hose bursts, your tank empties very quickly and an emergency swimming ascent, alone, at night in thick kelp is something that nobody really should look forward to.
By the way, I ALWAYS dive with spare air as an emergency backup.
Was this a warning?
I said, “John go for it, I’ll DM your dive.”
“That’s OK, we’ll call the dive for tonight; I need to check these lights out,” John said.
The lights in the zodiac flickered back on!
John started the engine and pulled anchor.
We were off…
… for about 20 yards before the engine died.
We drifted around trying to get the engine to start… we had spark, we smelled gas, but the engine wouldn’t turn over.
It didn’t feel like the gas was pumping to the engine, so John removed the fuel line…
A good hard squeeze and out shot what looked like a piece of a lobster leg!
“This place is fucking haunted by some evil dead lobster spirit!” I yelled.
The engine started and we made a thankfully safe return to King Harbor.
Sometimes, nothing seems to go right on a SCUBA dive out of sheer coincidence; this is the first time I have felt as though something was telling us, “Hey assholes, leave us the fuck alone tonight!”
I’ve had two HP hoses burst. One was at the surface just seconds after my first deep dive, the second was in six feet. Both sounded like a seal bomb going off next to my ear. Each hose ruptured near the connection to the first stage. I immediately switched back to using hose protectors after the second bursting. I pull the protectors back every now and then to check for cracks or bubbles, but I haven’t had a problem with a hose in more than ten years.
BTW, HP hoses drain a tank MUCH slower than LP hoses, so if it happens under water you would likely have plenty of time to reach a buddy, the surface or close the valve if you’re diving doubles or a single with H or Y valve.
Here’s a chart from the TDI Advance Trimix book. It is for an aluminum 80;
0 ATA– burst disk failure = 72 seconds
4 ATA– burst disk failure = 72 seconds
8 ATA– burst disk failure = 72 seconds
0 ATA–Ruptured LP Hose = 83 seconds
4 ATA–Ruptured LP Hose = 83 seconds
8 ATA–Ruptured LP Hose = 83 seconds
0 ATA–Ruptured HP Hose= 22 min
4 ATA–Ruptured HP Hose= 22 min
8 ATA–Ruptured HP Hose= no data
0 ATA– Freeflowing Regulator= 255 seconds
4 ATA– Freeflowing Regulator= 155 seconds
8 ATA– Freeflowing Regulator= 91 seconds
Comment by Phil Garner — January 7, 2009 @ 9:50 am
Hi Jeff,
Yup, definitely sounds like one of those times when you were wise to heed the warning signs. I’m a firm believer in the fact that we are given warnings at times for our own good, and we are just asking for trouble when we ignore them. The bugs will always be there the next day. Happy Hunting!
Comment by Harry Blalock — January 7, 2009 @ 1:10 pm
Thats an intense night you had solo! The ocean god was def. saying stay the F out of me! I agree with Harry, we are given warnings at times… That night.. was def. one of those warnings. Hopefully your next hunt goes more smoothly. Thanks for the report!
P.S.: I dove 120 reef on Wed 1.7.09.. Vis was terrible and lots of current and swell. Let us know how this Sunday dive goes.
Comment by Frank — January 9, 2009 @ 12:42 am
I’ve had trips like that. They’re quite scary at the time, but they do make for good stories.
Misty Faucheux
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Comment by Misty Faucheux — January 9, 2009 @ 4:29 pm