Long Point, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
(aka The Old Marineland)

Diving with John H.

In With: 2900 psi
Out With: 500 psi
Max depth: 45 feet
Waves: 1-4 feet, swooping
Visibility: 5-10 feet
Water Temperature: Cool to cold
Total Bottom Time: 45 minutes

My instrument panel on the Duster is screwed up, so I decided to go diving after realizing that replacing the instrument regulator didn’t fix anything.

I called John H to let him know that I’d be down at Long point around 8:30 AM.

I took the “long way” around Palos Verdes and was there at 8:30 AM – so was John H.

It was about high tide and the waves were rolling in, long and sweeping over the rocks.

We were about to call it off, until John H. found out that the surfing conditions sucked too.

John H said, “I’ll go if you are up for diving.”

My machismo kicked in; we went.

We tried to find the lobster trap that I’ve been keeping tabs on.

It was too soupy, 5 to 10 feet; we were close, I could tell.

I motioned to John that I would follow him.

John H shot a 15-inch Sheephead.

I followed him around, losing him once when he took “a shot at something big with fins.”

He swears it wasn’t me.

I surfaced and followed the bubbles back down to him.

He shot an even bigger sheephead afterwards.

We went to the kelp bed on the “other” side of Pigeon Shit cave.

It was too soupy, so we headed back.

We saw lobsters in deep holes.

Easy out, but a little challenging.

I crawled up behind “friendship rock.”