December '05 Dive Reports

[California Diver]

rick wheres the pictures???

 

[HBDiveGirl]

Captain Marvel: Man servant for HBdiveGirl. Came just to haul her gear and spit in her mask.

HBDiveGirl: Hard to get to know, she is so shy and unassuming. I was going to compliment her kicks but was afraid she'd blush and faint.

I will validate these assessments by posting the some pictures soon.

Rick, I worked my fingers to the bone for a year to create an intact persona of gregarious extrovert, and you've blown it to bits in two sentences.... I'll have to ditch this 'board name and start over... maybe have to go into some shy-diver-protection program.

*Sigh* It was good while it lasted *sigh*

Now, how do I break this to my regular dive buddies? They don't know the ever-increasing doses I was on to withstand the endless compliments .

At least I'll still have Captain Marvel to Shazam me out of trouble... although my mask was fogging a bit on Wednesday. Superhero spit ain't what it used to be, eh???

Let this be a warning to local divers! Beware the seeming innocence of visiting divers!! Some have x-ray personality vision... and digital image capability!

Hey!! WHERE ARE THOSE PICTURE VALIDATIONS!!

Oh, NO!! He was bluffing and now I've copped a plea!!!
"Shy, unassuming, and stoopid!!"
Oy, the humanity!! I'll just go faint now....

Rick, YOU are a delight. REALLY! It WAS a fantastic two days of diving, with unbelievably wonderful people. (Some more unbelievable that others:1poke: )

Thanks to my WONDERFUL BUDDIES, Scott and Mike! It was a fun honor to dive with you.

Thanks to ALL the great people that turned these good days into spectacular events!

I wish you a Happy 2006, and another year of great diving.

Claudette
(shy fading-flower formerly known as HBDiveGirl)

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Don't worry DiveChica. You'll always be Killer to me.

 

[HBDiveGirl]

Don't worry DiveChica. You'll always be Killer to me.

Hi Phil, Just wait until everyone finds out that MaxBottomTime is really 4'9", terrified of Navanaxes, and a weenie boat diver that can barely carry his tank across the deck!!!

Unless you want the whole ScubaBoard world to see behind the curtain, Stay Away From Rick Inman!! (...you've been warned ) He sees things that should NOT be seen...:scared:

Of course, you could always join me in the shy-diver protection program. Can you faint convincingly?

killerguppychica :bubble_fi

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Just don't tell anyone that I used to have Missy carry my pink gear for me.

 

[HBDiveGirl]

Just don't tell anyone that I used to have Missy carry my pink gear for me.

...now I don't have to :14: .

 

[DiverBuoy]

What happened to all the promised Dive logs from the rest of the folks who went to Catalina's Avalon Dive Park at Casino Point on Thursday from ScubaBoard? I feel cheated ... <sniff>

Here is the profile from the first dive (the deeper one):

Edit: Corrected picture format to fit space and be legible. You must have very large scale resolution to see the whole thing stretched properly.

 

[Rick Inman]

rick wheres the pictures???

Hey!! WHERE ARE THOSE PICTURE VALIDATIONS!!

Arrived home 5am... no sleep... at work right now... nap... then pictures...

 

[HBDiveGirl]

What happened to all the promised Dive logs from the rest of the folks who went to Catalina's Avalon Dive Park at Casino Point on Thursday from ScubaBoard? I feel cheated ... <sniff>

After arriving home, I fainted from all the pressure and attention, then recovered and scurried away to the safety of family in SLO, leaving all my dive data at home!! But wait!! YOU, Diver Buoy, posted all the data! So all I have to do is describe it! And it took me until NOW to figure this out??? I must have been more flustered by the brazen Mr. Inman that I realized .

Dive #1: The SuJac and The Great Reef Road back to the steps
Talk about waiting for great friends bearing unlooked for gifts!!! My Pedro boat had me at the Dive Park a full 2 hours before Rick, 'rat, and 'Buoy would arrive. But WHAT a DAY!! Brilliant blue sky, smooth water, no crowds, great winter light, and my internal tank topped off with Espresso and croissant from Gallaghers! I baked happily in the sun, remembering all the lovely dives we did the day before on the Island Time.
The cab finally came roaring into the Park, unloaded gear... gangs all here! But wait, half the gangs leaving to go get tanks/weights! So delightful Priscilla and I baked a little longer until... Rick&Co. returned... with 32% unlooked-for-wonderfullness, including a tankful for ME!!! We were all laughs and fun gearing up at the top of the stairs, finding out we had widely divergent opinions re: surface swims!! "Great social time!"... "Horror to be avoided."... "Great work-out/warm-up"... "ok... if I have to". Luckily the current practically swept us to (and up against the ropes!) of the far buoy near the SuJac. DIR-ness had taken over, and we were now two teams of two, with head2toe gear reviews and SADDDD plans. We plummeted like skydivers in the cerulean blue water, with perfect level-offs above the rocky bottom. Mike and I headed up through the lowest hole in the SuJac, then Rick&'rat followed and started off along the 70fsw contour line. There was so much to enjoy as we flowed along, golden sunrays dimmed by 70 feet of blue water, great schools of slivery mackeral and sardines, clouds of blacksmith clustering around senoritas awaiting cleaning, swaying kelp. It was fun, and it was easy because the teamwork was startling. Startling!! Eye-contact, light-signals, distance, depth allignment. The "formation" wasn't the "point" of the dive, but it made it work!! I knew where all 3 divers were at all times, got to see stuff they found, shared cool sleeping sharks I found, and could feel all the happy-beams eminating from each of us as we played our way along. (Yeah, only chicks get to say stuff like "happy beams!" Vive La Difference!) Eels, sharks, octopuses, giant black sea hare, camoflaged kelp fish... it was a beautiful collection of marine creatures. Less appealing were the ham-fisted rebreather students that nearly mowed us down.. twice!... and the wildly-fluttering, 30 degree roto-tillers rushing around like stampeding bovines. (We averted our eyes.)
I finished off the usable portion of my delicious 32%, and remembered why I prefer steel tanks while struggling to stay neutral above 14fsw. I kept "hugging" my d.s. trying to squeeze out ALL the air, until my kind (wetsuit-wearing) buddy asked if I was cold! Now, how sweet is that? We all hung out watching Rick hover like a kestral in 6 feet of surgy water, finally surrendering to the inevitable surfacing and laughs all around as we recounted the best parts of the dive. Priscilla nurtured us kindly through our 22 minute surface interval (100ft first dive. Bringing 32% was prescient, gentlemen! Thank you!)


Dive #2: The Swim Platform, Plaque, and Pipes, Oh My!
Oh boy! Another Surface swim, this time to the opposite side of the Park. Another perfect plummet, "Ok's" all around, and TA-DA!!... the swim platform almost immediately visible as a dark shadow about 40 feet away. As we arrived, the water visibility cleared dramatically... felt like looking through air to see all the cool invertebrates on the structure, and all the warm and skilled and horizontal divers threading their way over/around/through the clear water. How cool!
Mike signalled that he wanted to strike out toward where he thought the Cruzado plaque might be. My skepticism probably wasn't well hidden, but there is great stuff to see everywhere in the park, so the team of four moved on together. Could have knocked me over with a Macrocystis frond 3 minutes later as Mike pointed victoriously to the big brass plaque. We each took turns hovering to read it, waiting for the emotions of the moment to billow up within our hearts... and waiting... and waiting. Rick summed it up, with a signal that also means "let's turn the dive", but this time was clearly saying "whoa... big whoop.. that's it??" The thrill was definitely in the chase.. and Mike's "finding" skills. The clear water continued as we prowled (in outrageously coordinated teamwork) over the large pipes decorated with Gorgonia and octopuses. We were skirting the deeply creviced rocky reef in front of the Casino building, when Situational Awareness cascaded down the line and each diver noticed we were 5 minutes from our "BeOutOfTheWaterBy..." time. Quick surface location check, and we were single-filing directly toward the stairs so we could hurry-up-and-wait while Rick stopped time and became one with the Catalina waters for a last few precious moments. Mike and I were on the surface, 4 feet over his meditative head, figuring that since he wasn't tox-seizing, he was obviously just having a hard time letting go of the wonderful experience.
It was a great dive, with well-oiled-machinery teamwork on only the second dive with this newly assembled team. Wow. Who knew diving could be this much fun?? (GUE knows! Uh-oh.. I think I might have violated probation here... oh, well... I'll go and faint now...)

We doffed and packed gear while interrupting each other constantly to talk enthusiastically about all the fun of the day. Cab to the dive store, then to the mole, and ALL-TOO-SOON I was saying goodbye to my three wonderful teammates. Hugs and smiles all around as the sun threw golden winter light over all of us and we made for our respective boats. The rough return-crossing was enjoyable as I thought back over all the fun of two FREEKIN' AWESOME days of Catalina diving... with great friends.

Thank you, ALL!
Claudette

 

[wetrat]

Arrived home 5am... no sleep... at work right now... nap... then pictures...

Could you make me look like Brad Pitt? Thanks, Rick. Beautiful dive report Claudette - as usual!

John