Disappointment in CA

[dazedone]

I went out to Catalina yesterday and there was 10-12 ft swell both on the way out and back. Everyone on the boat was a nice pale shade of green. I'm sure the beaches were getting beat to crap yesterday. You would not have had fun out there. Hopefully the swell will be down next weekend.

 

[DC-Loudsound]

Scott
We went out at Divers Cove on Saturday and aborted our dive after 20 minutes. Visibility was about 2 - 3 feet, big surge ... not a good day at all. Your instructor was right to call the dive. There will be other days ... and trust me ... you'll love it. See ya there ...

 

[jextract]

Hey Scott,
Took a boat to Catalina Saturday and it was a bit of a rough trip out there. Viz on the first two dives was only about 10 feet, although we found a great spot for the third dive where it was crystal-clear.

Sunday, tried a beach dive in Malibu that we called when viz was only about 2 feet. Don't feel like you missed anything. I used only about 500 psi of nitrox (at $8 a fill) before we called it off.

As you get more experience in evaluating potential dives you'll become an expert at picking out the small things that will tell you if a dive is worth going on. And whomever you dive with in the future you will need to have the cardinal rule expressly understood by everyone in the group: "any diver can call off any dive for any reason (or no reason) without any recrimination."

Congrats on picking up a great new hobby ... dive safely and enjoy yourself!

 

[saf_25]

Scott,
I know how you feel. My last 2 dives for OW certification a year and a half ago were suppossed to be held at Casino Point, and I was so looking forward to going to Catalina for the day and getting to dive again (having already done the first 2 OW dives, I couldn't wait to do it again!). I had been so excited about the trip, but a HUGE storm came through the day before, so we had to cancel. It was awful bcause it ended up being beautiful and sunny the day we were suppossed to go, but since it had rained the night before, conditions were still bad. To make it even worse, we didn't have another time to make the trip over to Catalina (it was towards the end of the year, so with the holidays coming up, scheduling for the class and instructor was tough), so we ended up finising our certification at Corona Del Mar. Talk about 2 extremes - beautiful, Catalina diving, vs. sand and not much else.

I was really disappointed and didn't fully understand at the time why it had to be canceled, but in the year and a half and 75 dives I've had since then, I realize that that was the best decision we could have made. Since then, I've been to the dive park a # of times, so that trip wasn't a once-in-a lifetime thing, just like Shaw's Cove won't be for you. But, diving in unfavorable conditions, especially when you're just learning, could be the end of the lifetime, or at least a not fun time. And, if it makes you feel any better - I had friends who didn't make the same call your instructor did and went diving in Laguna on Sat. Some of them had a very difficult time with the exit (30 minutes to get out due to waves/rocks) and 1 lost fin, so you weren't missing much!

Good luck with finishing up your cert - what shop are you getting certified with?

 

[pasley]

...The instructor is here, let's go! We walk over only to hear, "we're not going." Too much surge. So, we gotta wait until next weekend. I'm bummed because I've been looking forward to it...

Sounds like a good instructor. He got up, and drove all the way there, and decided not to make money today but to do it all over again another day. Good for him or her.

Beach diving can be a lot of fun, if done properly. The entry and exit though the surf zone does have hazards. The surf can really hammer you and has on occasion resulted in tragedy. If the waves are too rough, it is far better to be safe and dive another day.

...There were people diving but I understand he wouldn't subject us students to any hazard...

Each diver is different, with different experience levels and skills. Each diver needs to make the appropriate dive decision based upon those skills and experience. Some can tackle more risky dives, than others. What is relatively safe conditions for a diver with 300 beach dives, may be more than a diver with 5 beach dives (or in this case zero) can handle.

As a new diver you are not yet skilled at making an entry. If he had taken you out, the following would most likely have occurred. 1.) Someone very likely would have been hammered by a wave on entry. 2.) Once in the ocean the surge would have been 3- 6 feet (makes doing skills tough in a group). 3.) The visibility would have been 5 feet or less (again makes doing skills in a group tough). 4.) Someone in the group would have been separated from the group due to the low visibility. 5.) You would not have enjoyed the dive and would have come away from the dive either not liking diving, or at least not liking beach diving.

Part of learning to dive is learning when NOT to dive. By now, you have certainly picked up that common thread from the other comments.

 

[Scott Riemer]

Good luck with finishing up your cert - what shop are you getting certified with?

I'm getting my certification through Pacific Wilderness in Orange.

 

[dgallo]

Scott,

I got certified in March with PW. Mike is a great instructor.
My wife and I just bought all of our gear, and we're going to be taking the advanced class in July.

Are you going to be there for the beach dive this weekend as a make-up? Hopefully I'll see you there!

- David

I'm getting my certification through Pacific Wilderness in Orange.

 

[Scott Riemer]

Scott,

I got certified in March with PW. Mike is a great instructor.
My wife and I just bought all of our gear, and we're going to be taking the advanced class in July.

Are you going to be there for the beach dive this weekend as a make-up? Hopefully I'll see you there!

- David

Yes Sir! I will be there. We're (my buddy and I) are also going on the Mr. "C" on Sunday out to Catalina.

You are right, Mike is cool. I also hope to take the advanced class this Summer. Are you going to do the Catalina Weekend Class? That's what I'm planning on doing. Maybe we'll be in the same class?

 

[Gio]

Look at it this way: the viz would have been awful.....

 

[dgallo]

Yes. The wife and I are doing the Catalina weekend in July. Hope to see you there.

- David

Yes Sir! I will be there. We're (my buddy and I) are also going on the Mr. "C" on Sunday out to Catalina.

You are right, Mike is cool. I also hope to take the advanced class this Summer. Are you going to do the Catalina Weekend Class? That's what I'm planning on doing. Maybe we'll be in the same class?