An Actual (Shore) Dive Report

[MaxBottomtime]

While waiting on boat repairs, I've been walking along the beach a lot. For most of last week, the visibility under the Redondo Beach Pier was fantastic. I could see the pilings meet the sand at the end of the pier. I kept telling Merry I was going to make a beach dive. She laughed, but today I decided to go for it. I should have gone last week. Despite the small surf, surge and sandstorms made photography difficult. I remained near the pilings looking for anything interesting. I found several knives but without a game bag, I wasn't going to put them in my drysuit pockets. I did bring back a line cutter and small anchor. The highlights were an octopus out feeding and a two inch long lobster.

 

[lexvil]

Sometimes great diving to be had at overlooked or scoffed at sites.

 

[Johnoly]

Great pictures and topside looked flat!
Are these sand dollars in your picture? I don't think we get them here in WPB/JUP.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

That's what they look like while alive. The white shells found on beaches are dead.

 

[blue steal]

I didn’t know you could dive next to the pier. Dove vets Saturday and vis was 15’.

 

[Ghost95]

We're the sand dollars standing up like that on their own?

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Yes. That's the position they're in while alive and catching drifting food.

 

[Ghost95]

That's amazing. In Florida I have never seen sand dollars stand up like that. I wonder if it's just sand dollars in the Pacific that do that.

Thanks for the photos.

 

[Ken Kurtis]

I didn’t know you could dive next to the pier.

I was under (no pun intended) the same impression. A couple of my guys got detained by Redondo PD a couple of years ago when emerging from a night dive under the Redondo Pier.

 

[Ken Kurtis]

YUP - NOT LEGAL
I just checked with both Redondo PD and the Redondo Harbor Department and diving under the Redondo Pier is NOT legal. I also asked if there was a line of demarcation that indicates the beginning of "not legal" and the answer was, "Oh, that's a good question." I would think in general terms that if you're entering/exiting a hundred feet or so south of the edge of the pier, you'd be OK. Closer than that, you may get asked, "What were you doing?" Based on your entry/exit pix, I think you got lucky that you weren't spotted Max.