Logged SCUBA Dive #310

SECRET LOCATION: 42 65 74 77 65 65 6e 20 74 68 65 20 47 61 74 65 73 20 4f 66 20 4d 61 72 20 61 6e 64 20 74 68 65 20 6c 69 67 68 74 68 6f 75 73 65 2c 20 74 68 65 72 65 20 69 73 20 61 20 6c 6f 6e 65 20 70 61 6c 6d 20 74 72 65 65 2e, Palos Verdes, CA

Solo Diving, SoCal Buddy Diving

In With: 3000 psi
Out With: 600 psi
Max depth: 42 feet
Waves: Minor chop at the surface, slightly surgy on the ocean floor
Visibility: Five to 10 feet
Water Temperature: 62 degrees
Total Bottom Time: About 45 minutes

Once again Instructor John, Jim and me went diving off of the zodiac to hunt for bugs.

This dive was just like the last post, except Jim came with us; so if you want a detailed narrative of this dive, read my last post and pretend Jim came along.

Why we came back to this spot after the last time is a mystery to me.

The vis sucked, I only saw one lobster that was so small I didn’t even bother to pin it.

To make it very short – everyone got skunked!

Of note however, when I was getting my tanks filled at Dive N Surf, I met one hunter that swears the breakwaters at 3 AM are plentiful.

“Shortly after dark is too early, wait until 3 AM and the big ones will be out, it isn’t crowded, and the water is usually pretty flat,” he said.

Great, now I just have to figure out how to dive that early in the morning; Instructor John was not very enthusiastic.

On the way back, we also passed by a group of commercial lobster trap buoys in what was probably 60 feet.

Maybe the lobsters are deeper now?

We contemplated new spots that we may try out on the next outing.

Logged SCUBA Dive #309

SECRET LOCATION: 42 65 74 77 65 65 6e 20 74 68 65 20 47 61 74 65 73 20 4f 66 20 4d 61 72 20 61 6e 64 20 74 68 65 20 6c 69 67 68 74 68 6f 75 73 65 2c 20 74 68 65 72 65 20 69 73 20 61 20 6c 6f 6e 65 20 70 61 6c 6d 20 74 72 65 65 2e, Palos Verdes, CA

Solo Diving, SoCal Buddy Diving

In With: 3000 psi
Out With: 500 psi
Max depth: 42 feet
Waves: Minor chop at the surface, surgy on the ocean floor
Visibility: 10 to 20 feet at 30 feet, five feet at 25 and shallower
Water Temperature: 62 degrees
Total Bottom Time: About 45 minutes

We need to find a better spot where the legal sized bugs will be jumping into our bags; this was our quest tonight.

Instructor John went out a few days ago and couldn’t catch any legal bugs; in talking with some hoop netters, they are having the same problem also – lots of shorts, a few legal bugs, but no monsters.

Apparently, the Island Diver went out Wednesday and the boat caught 26 bugs among six hunters, but where?

We made a slow journey to our “new” spot due to wind chop.

The lights from a few shore divers and hoop netters were in the distance.

Vis was pretty good deeper than 30 feet, but I tried shallower.

At 25 feet and shallower, the vis cut to five feet; I patrolled around, looking under the kelp and between rocks.

I caught four bugs, all short; it’s amazing how big short bugs look when you haven’t spotted any lobsters for a while.

I thought that since this is a new spot we are exploring, I wouldn’t feel so bad if I didn’t see any legal lobsters – which I didn’t.

I surfaced fairly close to the boat, after peaking a few times during the dive to get my bearings.

Instructor John returned with two lobsters.

The bugs were legal, but not monsters; he caught them in 38 to 40 feet of water.

I pose with my catch – enough kelp to make sushi for a month!

This is the second dive in a row that I got skunked!

We talked about other potential spots that we need to try, but all add on to our travel time; but, as long as I limit, I’ll endure the voyage.

We made a slow trip back, riding the wind chop, and a fairly quick departure once back.

I was driving home on the freeway when Instructor John called me.

“Hey, I just got pulled over by the DFG,” John said.

“What? You’re kidding?”

“No I’m not, they spotted us putting our gear away but couldn’t get to us in time to hassle us in the parking lot,” John said.

Since John was the first out of the lot – I was busy finishing my beer – he got stopped police-style, red lights and all.

His two bugs were legal, but he left his fishing license and lobster report card on the boat!

The DFG officers were cool, and told him he wouldn’t get a ticket as long as he faxed them the information.