Daily report for TsandM & WADiverBob

[Rick Inman]

Today’s dives: Mark, Anibal and myself at Lobos. Out of the two dives, only one of them was really good.

The other one was outstanding!

I arrived at the gate and got in line. I noticed a truck full of tanks and thought, humm, there must be a class here today.

Wrong. It was Mark’s truck, loaded with gear for our dives – 2 sets of doubles and a bunch of 80s and 40s.

The first dive was a trimix dive with about 30 mins of deco. We did a surface swim outside of the cove, dropped down, swam a short distance to Hole in the Wall, and then headed over to the Sisters. Vis was an amazing 60’ or so. At the Sisters, the purple hydrocorals surrounded by strawberry enemies were a splash of color so vivid I could hardly take my eyes (and light) away. The structure out there is incredible. The highlight of the dive, for me, was the school (pod?) of seal lions, about 12 to 15 of them, cruising by in beautiful form, like underwater ballet dancers. A couple of them circled around us just for fun.

On the second dive we went to Beto’s, a reef of great structure, lots of life and color. The vis had dropped to a mere 30’. This was a very relaxing, peaceful dive. About 65 mins. Anibal tried to navigate us all the back to the ramp, where vis dropped to just a few murky feet. We surfaced just a few yards away.

I met a few ScubaBoard-ers at the cove, including Doc Harry. Seeing all those doubles and stage bottles in the parking lot, I realized, Toto, I don’t think we’re in Spokane any more.

After the dives, it was off for some delicious Thai food, espressos, and good conversation. Then a sad goodbye to Mark, who has done so much to make this trip so wonderful. I can't thank him enough!

But it ain’t over yet! Tomorrow, Cali68 (Chris) and I are diving off The Escapade – which is, according to many, the best charter boat in Monterey.

Oh, and did I mention, we’ll be using the scooters?!

The final report coming tomorrow...

Pics:

#1) Do these guys look happy with each other?
#2) What in the world are we seeing here??
#3) The happy team right after dive one.
#4) A beautiful day at Lobos.

 

[TSandM]

Wow . . . Just wow.

Don't wear Chris or the scooters out now, y'hear?

 

[HBDiveGirl]

Thank you Rick, for the fabulous reports!

Next week will be my first small splash into the "shallow" end of Monterey. You've given me a peek into an amazing world, and many goals to shoot for.

It's a joy to read about your wonderful time with new friends. What a grace filled world.

Thanks!

Claudette

 

[Rick Inman]

What a grace filled world.

Yes, it is.

Claudette, you are too kind.

And Priscilla says, hello!

 

[mweitz]

Photo 1:
Rick: "No it's not"
Mark: Yes it is"

Photo 2:
The ONLY GI Approved Mickey Mouse hat in the world.

Photo 3:
Mark: OK, No it's not.
Sidenote, two married guys smiling looking at camera. Single guy checking out potential date off camera...

Photo 4:
No joke, one of the most beautiful places in the world

Rick, I actually had another set of doubles in the truck believe it or not.

 

[WADiverBob]

Rick... Nice Sat. update report. Nice pictures too.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

Rick: glad to meet you (I turned up at the dive shop this afternoon while Adm. Linda
and I were getting fills. Avatars with recognizeable pictures are a good thing.

But I think you need new glasses: It's Anibal (an ethnic variation on Hannibal), not
Annabell, and he's a guy. ;-)

 

[Rick Inman]

Rick: glad to meet you (I turned up at the dive shop this afternoon while Adm. Linda
and I were getting fills. Avatars with recognizeable pictures are a good thing.

But I think you need new glasses: It's Anibal (an ethnic variation on Hannibal), not
Annabell, and he's a guy. ;-)

Nice to meet you, too, Chuck. And thanks for the neck seal tip.

As to the spelling... What? Check again. I spelled it right.

 

[Rick Inman]

Well, we arrived for my dive on the Escapade 20 mins early, and waited forever for Cali68 (Chris), who finally arrived exactly 7 mins and 6 seconds late, which I was kind enough to point out.

We moved our gear to the boat quickly (needing to make up for lost time ).

Hope springs eternal. We pose with scooters. Sadly, I will not end up using mine.

Onto the boat, pay, sign release, boat safety briefing, and off we go. The boat is un-crowded with just 9 of us diving. Others on the board included ScubaBoard’s own Atticus and his better half. A nicer couple you couldn’t meet.

The Escapade is known as the fastest boat in Monterey, and it’s not long before we arrive at our dive site: The Outer Butterfly House Reef.

I am psyched for this dive! We toss on our doubles and hit the water, ready to be handed our scooters. As I step off the boat into the drink, I feel some water go down the back of my neck. I mention it to Chris. As I swim over to receive my scooter, I feel a lot more water running down my neck. Oh, oh! I swim over and let the crew guy examine my neck seal.

“You’ve got a ¼ inch hole in your neck seal,” he tells me.

No!! This is a brand new neck seal I just had installed before this trip! I must have ripped it on the top tank bolt scooting into my harness.

I send Chris off with another team and climb back into the boat.

What a bummer! My diving is obviously over for the trip. Everyone is down enjoying the dive, as I sit sadly alone on the boat.

This sucks. Oh, well, I tell myself. There are always other dives. Maybe this happened for a reason.

Finally the divers begin to return from the deep, smiling and excited about the wonderful dive.

Good for you.

David even brought some kelp back with him.

During the surface interval, we moved to the next dive site. A couple of people suggested I try some duct tape on my neck seal. In fact, the captain of the Escapade, Jim, is said to be the expert in seal-duct-tape repair.

Soon Captain Jim is wrapping my neck in tape, shaking his head doubtfully at the lack of adhesive. But I don’t care. I am making the next dive.

I enter the water with Chris and David, and off we go – Chris with his scooter and David and I fining together.

What a great dive! We start out going through a beautiful 20’ long swim-through, which dumps us at 70’ along a ridge. We cruise down the ridge, enjoying the great vis (at least 50’) and the marine life. Chris is doing donuts around us, as we amble along.

Scooter-man going one way, buddy going the other.

Finally Chris comes over and passes off the scooter to me, and I am twisting and turning through the kelp, over the ridges and around the team. Fun!! I follow my teammates back through the swim-through.

Reluctantly, I give the scooter back to Chris.

It’s me. Good vis, bad trim.

Before I know it, it’s time to do our stops and end the dive.

Chris and David during the stops.

We surface. Chris points the blades of the scooter towards me and says, “Hey, Rick. Can you do me a favor and look at the blade and see if it’s nicked? I think I might have nicked it up”

“Sure,” I say, moving my face closer to the blade. Yes, I really am that stupid.

And of course, as I get within inches of the blade, Chris sticks the end halfway underwater, hits the fan motor on, and sends a shower of water into my face.

Very funny…

Back on the boat, and boy am I grateful to Captain Jim, who managed to help me salvage a great dive out of a disaster. No leaks! The duct tape actually worked.

Then back to the dock, and off to Turtle Bay for more fish tacos – Priscilla and I and Chris and David and his better and The Atticus couple. Food and diving talk and then espresso down the block with more good talking.

I took the doubles I was loaned to Aquarius to drop them off, and ran into our own Chuck Tribbit. We shook hands, talked about our dives, and he made a great suggestion on patching my neck seal instead of replacing it.

And that’s it. Now my gear sits out on the hotel room patio drying after it’s bath, and then it goes back into the suitcases. Tomorrow we fly home, and I am both happy and sad.

I’m ready to go. I am full. My gear needs some repair and my home and life are not here. But I have had the best six consecutive days of diving in my life, and I feeling at bit melancholy.

Yes, I have been blessed beyond expectations at the diving conditions here. Yet, what has really made this trip forever memorable was the people.

Jonathan, for teaming with me and loaning me his doubles for today’s dive.

Ben, for helping me hook up with others, calling me and seeing what else he could do for me, and for loaning me his awesome scooter. Thanks, Ben!

Chris, for taking me on the wild scooter ride at Lobos, suggesting and booking the boat dive today, for being a fantastic buddy, a funny guy (yeah, water in the face with the scooter fan, real funny…), for sharing some fish tacos (actually, he had a salad), and for the friendship. You are good people, good diver, and – did I mention? – a funny guy.

Yeah, real funny…

And finally, Mark. Who drove hours to drop off gear at my hotel for me; who supplied tanks and stages and a table and gas and anything else I needed; who drove many hours to dive with me, who taught me things I didn’t know (not really hard to do with me); who shared meals with me, offered me free passes to the Aquarium, and treated my like an honored guest. I cannot thank you enough. Really.

To all who were so kind and giving and welcoming to me, I owe not you, bit the many divers that I will have the pleasure of diving with in the future, and giving back to them the same special treatment you gave me.

My wife, Priscilla, thanks you all as well for all you’ve done to make this trip so amazing.

Thank you.

Rick Inman

P.S. Did I mention, Chris is a funny guy?

 

[mweitz]

I think I can speak for all of us when I say the pleasure was ours!

Mark