scc135:
... planning on some Anacapa diving on the Spectre with calboatdiving.com on 4/13 - 4/14 and maybe 4/12....
Full Thumbs-up for the
Spectre.
- Short boat ride (1'15") so you get 4 full dives in a day.. one hour each if you're geared up and ready to step off when the gates open.
- Great variety on Anacapa Island, with good topography and likely two dives in fully protected areas (no hunting or taking of any fish) so the life is big, plentiful, and fearless.
- Best lunch in the fleet (BBQ tri-tip and chicken).
- You may even get to dive with sealions, which is unforgettable fun. They look at you and spin. If you spin too... the game is on and they'll play with you until you're exhausted. IF you don't spin, they may drop you like last week's newspaper and go find someone who knows how to play.
- Big dive stations with plenty of space for your gear.
- Fast fills. Usually $110 all inclusive food and air. Worth every penny.
I'm also thinking about joining ecodivecenter.com onthe Pacific Star on 4/15. If anyone could give me some yea or nays on the quality of these guys (they seem good by a quick check through the search function), I'd appreciate it.
Ok.. you asked. Other's mileage may have varied, and I'm counting on those with differing experiences to chime in.
EcoDiveCenter : I was scheduled to dive with them last Sunday. It would have been my first dive on one of their charters. (I've gone on commercial boat dives twice a month for the past 3 years.) I boarded the night before, since it was to be a midnight departure for Santa Barbara Island (5 hour motor trip.) They announced an unusual dive plan, one I've never heard of in 3 years of intensive diving: One anchorage spot for the entire day. All three dives at the same site. We would need to be in the water at 0630 and on the way home by 1130, "...so people can get to their TV's for the SuperBowl." When I questioned this, the shop owner replied, "Well, you can't please everyone. Some people want to get home for the game. They aren't real divers yet, they're just OW students. You can't please everyone."
I got agreement for a refund, loaded my gear back into my car, and drove home.
As I say, YMMV. Ask about their dive plan, and whether the entire day is being planned around an OW class.
Pacific Star: Lovely boat, nice deck space, wonderful camera table, good food, comfy galley, and nice crew. Convenient free parking (or very cheap parking). Sweet owners: David and Sonja are delights... truly! You'll LOVE all that.
On my past two experiences with them, their compressor was the slowest most excruciating tank-fill experience I've ever had. With a full boat, you need tanks filled efficiently or your three one-hour dives are going to become 60 minutes, then 48 minutes, and then 33 minutes. It was frustrating. Has anyone else had this experience? Perhaps they have upgraded their compressor? I hope so. I LOVE the Pacific Star. But I like longer dives and faster fills.
Also for those who live in SoCal, if I get off the Spectre at 5PM, can I make it down to Redondo beach by 9PM to get on the Pacific Star? I hear driving is downright horrid in LA, especially if you're driving by yourself. Google Maps says one hour, but you tell me...
I live about 5 minutes away from the Pacific Star. I dive the Spectre about once a month. I take the coast route through Malibu because A) it's beautiful, even at night because of the lights along the coast, and B) it keeps me off the freeway which is ugly and prone to accident-induced traffic jams. On a Saturday night, the drive should take you 90 minutes... perhaps 2 hours max if surface streets in Santa Monica and the beach cities gets a bit busy. PM me if you want driving directions.
Why do you need to be on the Pac Star by 9PM? If you're Catalina bound, the boat would depart at 7AM Sunday. If going to Santa Barbara Island, they would depart around midnight. If you are planning on sleeping on the PacStar while it's in the Redondo Harbor, bring earplugs unless you sleep well with noise. It is docked next to some wonderfully active night spots with live music. You will be part of the party whether you wish to or not. Earplugs can help. It's a very nice bunkroom and I like it... it's just a bit noisy on weekend nights.
-edit-
I just saw the wrinkle's beach dive. What about 4/12-4/13 with calboatdiving.com, wrinkle's beach dive on 4/14, then get on the pacific star on 4/15 for some more boat diving? Hmmmm... I think I could do that..
The Wrinkles dive event is a great way to meet fun local divers. Keep tabs on the thread once it gets active (probably right after the March Wrinkles event ends on March 11th.) Make sure you chime in if you are coming so you can link up with other divers. Some people drop in for parts of the day... others stay all day. It's great fun!! I think the site in April is Veteran's Park. You can almost see the Pacific Star dive boat from the Parking Lot at Veteran's park. Nice timing!!
P.S. Bring dive lights. Even during bright daylight dives, a solid dive light will vastly improve your enjoyment of diving here. Many wonderful creatures live in crevices and under kelp and ledges. Without a light, you would miss half the fun. A 4C battery light is good start. Smaller lights are OK, but brighter is better during the day.
Cheers!
Chime in with plans as your trip approaches. I'm out of town that weekend, but you'll find many friendly local divers whose schedules may match yours.
Claudette
