10/3/13
Service Club 10 am
Water Temp: 80 deg
Seas: Flat; Incoming Tide
Viz: 25+ feet at 25 foot depth, scatteredly less with decreased depth
Finds: A dozen or so 1” mako teeth, one 2” meg, three golf balls, one ladies left pink shoe
After reading this thread almost daily for the past few months, I decided to do a beach dive off of the Service Club access area in hopes of meeting some of the respected forum posters such as the infamous 2th Divr, dkramer, Aristakat, Rickelpickel and all others whom creatively post here.
I arrived at the parking lot about 9:30 am and found another diver getting suited up. Was he the 2th Divr? Dkramer? A yak diver? I didn’t want to sound too over anxious but quickly struck up a conversation and found that while the gent was familiar with Scubaboard, he was not a poster. I suited up and took the short hike down the wooden walkway to the beach.
The 80 degree temp was a bathtub for this yankee and the absence of jelly fish also contributed to the joyous initial submergence. Quickly finding a small tooth while snorkeling out to depth, my heart raced and my thoughts went to dreams of the big megs we hear of being found out there. I myself, was lucky enough to find a 5”er out in the Boneyard, 2 years ago, off my 22’ boat. An awesome tooth but alas not a beach dive and especially not off a kayak (this diver will always have a lot of respect for any and all yak divers!)
As a boat diver I found the dive flag tethered to my vest reminiscent of a night crawler festooned around a fishing hook suspended in the water by a bobber. The tuna fish sandwich I had in my bathing suit pocket which I had packed for lunch but forgot to take out in the parking lot certainly added to the curiosity of the many fish I saw out there. A human chum machine I was, trailing bits of sandwich much to the delight of the pinfish, sheeps head, and many unidentified yet recognized species.
When I swam out to what I felt was 20 feet deep, I traded the snorkel for my regulator and headed for the bottom. My dive buddy was myself again. A severe violation some may say but I never go alone in depths over 30 feet. Don’t tell SSI or PADI I have sinned. I always say a few Hail Mary’s when I get back to the boat (or the shore in this case) when I dive alone so I still have a chance for heaven.
Heading west, the bottom terrain varied seemingly every 20 yards. Sandy, silty, shelly, rocky outcroppings, then what all the tooth divers like, boney with scattered rocks and shells! My pocket soon began to feel the weight of the 1” mako teeth I began to find. I questioned if I should bring out the shell bag, but didn’t want to jinx myself as previous successful tooth dives were always a result of keeping the finds in either my BC or bathing suit pockets. Besides, only one pocket was occupied and that was with my soggy sandwich. I looked a bit ahead and wham! The 2” meg was standing right up in front of me! I giggled like a child under the water which I often do when I know no one can hear me. I grabbed the tooth, put it in my pocket and gave myself the big “scuba High Five”. My dive buddy also congratulated me (lol.)
I surfaced and found that I was about a quarter mile out further than the end of Sharkey’s pier and about a half mile south of the same. I resubmerged and quickly realized that I wished I had eaten the soggy sandwich while on the surface. I think Sharkey’s plays subliminal music to make you hungry. I put my hunger out of my thoughts and headed east this time knowing that would surely take me back to the beach. My finds continued to be fruitful. A trio of golf balls occupied my catch for a few yards but after discussion with my dive buddy determined that who needs some salted old golf balls anyhow. I placed them in a row for a future diver whom will no doubt wonder how someone could hit so consistently and get the balls so neatly in a row, let alone, under the gulf.
A hundred yards later I came upon the pink ladies shoe. “Wow”, I gleamed, “now I will find the other one and my Anniversary of 24 years on Monday will be blessed with the women’s best friend, a pair of shoes”. That thought soon perished as I failed to find the other one and someone kept yelling to me that if I wanted to make it to 25 years, I had better stick to the shark teeth in my pocket.
The shore quickly came upon me and my friend whom I met earlier was also coming ashore. I showed him my finds and we traded stories of huge fish and close calls. We parted friends as all the divers I have ever come across have came to be.
I am glad to be able to post to this forum and hope that someday the famous posters, Aristakat, dkramer, 2th divr and the like will recognize me either in the dive shops or on or under the water. In the meantime, I have left youse 3 golf balls, 1 ladies pink shoe and a lot of big megs. I always seem to leave the big ones for the other divers.
Low tide, calm seas, viz was about 6 - 8 ft. & water temp was 78. Twas a pleasure meetin' ya Katch & enjoy the rest of your vacation!
