September 28, 2013

Everyone agreed, this is a good spot!

I just need two more bugs to limit, and that’s it!

I’d be done diving for the night, and could start enjoying the crisp clean and refreshing taste of American Budweiser.

I waited for over an hour, until my computer said I could go back under.

I had taken my socks, and shoved them in the heals of my booties to make my foot longer; my fins felt secure, they weren’t going to slip off on this dive.

Off the boat and back down the anchor…

Logged SCUBA Dive #450

Solo Diving/SoCAl Buddy Diving

Secret Location: 41 73 6b 20 66 6f 72 20 54 6f 72 67 75 74 20 61 74 20 74 68 65 20 73 70 72 69 6e 67 20 73 74 6f 72 65 2e
Catalina Island, CA, USA

In With: 3000 psi
Out With: 150 psi
Max depth: 83 feet
Waves: Flat
Visibility: 20 feet
Water Temperature: 62 degrees
Air Temperature: 71 degrees
Total Bottom Time: 30 minutes or so

I caught my sixth bug within five minutes, at 60 feet, after missing another pin.

I was pissed at myself; how could I miss 40% of the bugs that I grab for?

I’m either getting old, or I’m out of practice.

I went a little deeper that I thought, and after my sixth bug – first bug on this dive – it was slim pickin’s.

I think all the bugs must have been scared back home by now.

At 1000 psi, and at 80 feet, I decided to head back to the boat.

I knew what was going to happen.

It always happens when I have one bug left to limit and I’m low on air.

At 600 psi, I came across a fairly good sized bug at 55 feet, but I knew I couldn’t spend much time fighting it.

I pinned it, dropped my light, gave it a couple of karate-style chops to the carapace, before putting it into a head lock and throwing it into my bag.

OK, I have less than 400 psi now, but I see lights on the anchor line.

I swam toward it, but lost sight of the anchor.

I surfaced slowly and emerged about 20 feet from the anchor line.

My computer was in the yellow, screaming at me, and I have 300 psi left.

I swam to the anchor line, and submerged to 15 feet – I needed to do a safety stop, even if it was half-assed.

Three minutes later, I came back up, practically out of air, but my computer was in the green and I had my lobster limit!

Donna shows off her two bugs.

Me with my catch for the night.

My weigh in – Twenty pounds of lobster!

I pretend to strain, holding my bag up; in actuality, my cage fighting training has made it a simple task.

Rumor has it, in 2015, “Opening Night” is no longer going to start at midnight, but at 5 AM.

“A brilliant woman on the ‘Lobster Committee’ wants to move it to 5 AM, because there are too many problems with people getting hurt and killed when it starts at midnight,” one of the divers said.

“So, everyone will simply start earlier that evening, and you’ll have the same issues,” I said.

Liberalism is just so wonderful.

I actually, for once, got some sleep on the way back to San Pedro.

I took one of the lobsters out to drink, before heating up the boiling water at home.

Donna The Hot Biker Chick reveals one of her lobster catching secrets:

Advanced Lobster Hunting Techniques With Donna The Hot Biker Chick

September 28, 2013

Here is is, once again – the beginning of the California Lobster Season!

“Opening Night” actually begins at midnight, so it’s really “Opening Morning” – I was on a privately chartered 10 pack diving boat, currently named Asante (Previously named The Sea Bass).

The boat is still out of San Pedro.

We left at 9 PM, for the two hour ride over to a secret spot off of Catalina Island.

Donna The Hot Biker Chick was so happy to see I was on this boat.

World famous diver Bill Holzer joined us.

The lights of the harbor got smaller, as the ride got bumpier.

Some people held on for dear life.

At about 11:30 PM, the boat stopped; we were at our secret spot.

The Captain gave the dive briefing, “We are anchored in 40 feet of water, over sand… the lobsters should be in 40 to 70 feet of water either in the sand, or around the kelp…”

We’re over sand?

“Where’s the rocks and reefs?” someone asked.

“They’re way over there…somewhere,” The Captain said.

We’re over sand and kelp?

Crap.

I jumped in, swam to the anchor line and submerged.

Logged SCUBA Dive #449

Solo Diving/SoCAl Buddy Diving

Secret Location: 41 73 6b 20 66 6f 72 20 54 6f 72 67 75 74 20 61 74 20 74 68 65 20 73 70 72 69 6e 67 20 73 74 6f 72 65 2e
Catalina Island, CA, USA

In With: 3000 psi
Out With: 500 psi
Max depth: 74 feet
Waves: Flat
Visibility: 20 feet
Water Temperature: 62 degrees
Air Temperature: 71 degrees
Total Bottom Time: 35 minutes or so

I had a hard time keeping my fins on – my last few dives were in dry suits, with bigger shoes – my spring straps were way lose, and it felt like I was going to kick them off.

I kept going, carefully… I kept thinking, this dive goes against everything that I’ve been taught for opening night; deeper than 40 feet and over sand and kelp just seemed so wrong.

At 50 feet, I spotted one!

I didn’t want to get skunked, and I thought I was lucky to even see a bug.

I went for the pin, and that fucking bug shot from underneath me, so quick, I just grabbed a hand full of sand.

At 60 feet, I spotted one, no two… wait, three bugs!

Two were legal, the third I wasn’t sure about.

I went for the pin on the largest one; it was like grabbing a Fosters Beer can!

I put the bug in the bag, looked over, and the other two were still there.

BAM!

Second lobster scored!

Within 15 minutes I collected five bugs between 60 and 70 feet – all were munching on squid egg sacks, and they sometimes didn’t give a shit about my light.

I should limited on this dive, but I missed a few good pins either due to my own stupidity, or how the lobster was positioned.

I made it back to the anchor line by following the divers who were coming down the line.

I was the first diver back.

Eric F. and Bill H. made it back shortly after; both had limited…

Man, I was afraid that I would be the only one who didn’t limit on the first dive.

How embarrassing!

As the remaining divers made it back, some were not as lucky.

A couple got skunked, others had two or three bugs.

There was one guy on the boat with a mixed gas rebreather who didn’t get anything on the first dive – I’m guessing he was too busy fucking around with his rebreather to catch any bugs.

Watermelon to wash the salt water taste away.

So, should we stay, or find a “better” place?