Butt kicked in So. CA rough surf

[Fuzzmutton]

Hi uspap!

Yeah, we saw pictures of all the "wonderful marine life" that we could see if we dove there . Diving LJS was like diving over the surface of the moon! Finally, when we got out to the wall we startled one lone giant black sea bass (we startled HIM...HAH!), I was like WHAZZAT?!!! Then ZOOM! he was gone. We saw lots of yummy lobsters and I started salivating so much I had to purge my reg. We saw a few fish but not much else.

Maybe this summer we can do Monastery if you have the time? My husband has just used up all his vacation time. We are going to try to hit some different spots in Monterey on the weekends in the meantime, as a way of "building up to it". I'm such a weiner:shakehead

 

[uspap]

I will see what I can do. You just have to build the confidence. I'll get some pics up of Monastary. You will love it. I don't mind working with the both of you. You can do it. Keep in touch.

 

[fabasard]

Since Fuzz started this thread from California, let me extend a "My GAWD you people are brave/awesome/stupid (stick your own adjective in here)". I did a cold-water dive around two weeks ago about 12/29. We were doing a boat dive into all of 15 feet of water (yeah, 15). We waited to get to the site to don our gear, so I don the suit, feeling more like a penguin and less like a seal, and my fins, its COLD and I'm sweating (I’m thinking I'll just hop over the side and stop this). Well, I DID. The water was about 58 or so, no more overheating, now I am trying to warm up, and my gloves were of NO use whatsoever, my dive partner loaned me a pair of gloves (penguin gloves), but he is a rescue diver and his fingertips are shot, water is leaking in like a sieve. My BCD is passed over the side to me. I do the water donning and get into the BCD, I’m fatter than I used to be and I am wearing the aforementioned penguin suit, BCD just barely fits, but I can't find the clasps for chest and cumber bun because I can’t feel anything in penguin gloves. I finally get it all situated and start down, I am used to Caribbean waters (you know, swim trunks and nothing else type water and you can see for 15 miles in every direction) . I start down and am weighted for those warm waters. I can’t get down because I am wearing the suit. My partner gives me more weights and off I go, I get down and can’t see the bottom , I am HATING this. I literally cannot see the bottom and have lost orientation. I tried for about 3 minutes to orient and could not. I gave up, got back on the boat and waiting for my partner (we were doing artifact rescue as soloist, so “no” I did not leave my partner). We had planned to do 2 dives each that day, I lasted about 10 minutes to his 1 tank. It was a fiasco, so to you cold water divers, I say “God love ya, and you can HAVE IT!!!!”

 

[KMD]

TSandM-

You did Monastery with doubles? Courageous. That's why the tech divers had so much trouble getting in at LJS, they were getting knocked down/around in their doubles and most of them were men. I understand women have a harder time getting up and maneuvering (duh) with them on so with all that I've read about the wickedness of Monastery, that took some nerve. Did you do it again? Or would you do it again with doubles? Just wondering how hairy the entry/exit was. I have yet to try it (not skilled enough) and I'm curious.

On her second attempt she walked out of the surf like a pro with her head held high. I think that the experience at Monastery may have helped convice her that she can do doubles on boats. If you can walk out at monastery you can darn sure make it up a ladder on a boat.

 

[TSandM]

On my second attempt, I caught a set of smaller waves, is all

Getting back on the Escapade was what convinced me I could do doubles on boats. Now I'm chewing my fingernails about whether I can get back on the boat in the 85s instead of the 72s.

I watched my GUE instructor fall on exit in his doubles (trying to get over a log) and he had to crawl back into the water to get up and try again. So there's no shame to it!

BTW, I would think twice about trying Monastery in doubles again, but not because of the surf. It's because of that nasty, steep slope of loose sand you have to climb after you're out of the water. If I did do it in doubles again, I'd do the hike to avoid a direct assault on that slope.

 

[uspap]

I have a hard time walking out with my single 120. My knees are not what they used to be and that first step up the sand ridge is a killer. Doubles would be insane. Did you do North or South?

 

[TSandM]

South. Doubles were insane, but KMD, one of my two dive buddies, managed his AND picked me up out of the surf and righted me. (My other buddy was busy taking PHOTOGRAPHS of the whole fiasco.)

 

[Ben_ca]

Doubles at Monastery is do-able... you have to pick your days though.... there are a ton of techniques out there you just have to make sure you do not push your luck too far.

 

[PacketSniffer]

We've hosted many visiting experienced divers in SoCal to our local dive sites, only to have them pounded.

<raises hand>


Oops, I'm not local to SoCal....just visiting.

 

[PacketSniffer]

You always have one that is bolted to you if you get rolled and spit the back up, or the necklace gets pulled off, etc.

<raises hand AGAIN>