Dove Monastery 10/29

[fuzzybabybunny]

I have never eaten it alone and also don't solo dive, tried it only once at lover's point in 20 feet. End result was a paranoid state that everything that moved was a shark or sea monter that was going to eat me.

I will not forget that paranoid dive and I was only in 20 feet, it was the worse 1 hour dive I have dove. That was back in 2007 when I thought diving was like surfing a solo event.

Conclusion, diving with a buddy has more than just safety, you get to tell them after the dive that they diving stinks, I like to poke fun on my buddy and tell him, that his trim and bouyancy is off, when of course it's really me out of trim... LOL

I moved to the bay area 2 years ago from Ohio. Before this, I had freedived in Hawaii and Arizona very briefly and in the diving well of my college's swimming pool.

First time I set foot in the water over here was at Lover's Point, at sunset. Seeing kelp for the first time, it completely freaked me out. The vis was 10 ft. It was dark and murky. I don't remember how long I stayed in the water for, but probably not long. The next day I jumped in again, only this time in the daytime, and I forced myself to get comfortable with the kelp. Saw the cool little snails living on it, the patterns in the leaves, the crispness of the stalks. I crawled into a mass of them and stayed until I was comfortable.

Later I played around with seals and sat at the bottom observing all the fish swimming by. I stared at the undulating seagrass for minutes at a time, mesmerized. Swam around the oblivious scuba divers. I would freedive Lover's for hours on end, come out of the water, sleep in my car at Lover's, and repeat. All solo.

I've done the same with hiking and backpacking and roadtripping. Needless to say I'm comfortable, but still wary, when I'm solo. I guess I'm a pretty introverted guy...

 

[ad6e]

Yes, be careful! Deep dives can be trouble. I was narced at 90ft once using air. I didn't see it coming. I just "woke up" and wondered why my reg was in my hand and why I had just exhaled and filled my mouth with water. Use Nitrox. I did a dive to 140ft using 26% mix and it increased my bottom time from 6 to 7 minutes. (Phantom dive, Subic Bay Philippines) Now I use it whenever I can.

Sounds like you had a great dive though .. wonderful!

 

[diddler]

Conditions:

2ft waves, easy entry, crawled out.
Vis: ~30ft

I noticed a sunken... bouy? Or some sort of marker or sign at 100ft. I could not make it out. A decorator crab was hanging on its face but when I gently removed him off I still couldn't make out the words. Warning or Beware? Anyone know when I'm talking about? Cylindrical bottom with a flat square sign sticking vertically off of it.

About the plaque, this is a link to the relevant thread on Scubaboard. You're probably not going to find a better collection of information than this:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/norcal/69124-monastery-memorial-plaque.html

Glad to hear it's still there, it's been over three years since it's
"re-sinking" and I haven't been to Monastery in a year and a half or so.

As to the solo diving, you're getting a lot of good advice. Many things could have gone wrong... I'm not saying "You got lucky" just that things could have ended up badly. Always remember that people die at that beach every year, when the conditions are -ideal- it is still an "Intermediate" skill level dive site at best. When they're not ideal then you're running anywhere from Advanced to (literally) lethal.

Have I been diving solo? Yes. I did a 2 hour 20 minute dive once at Del Monte. When I did it I had three fully independent air sources, three methods of buoyancy control, 2 lights, 2 masks, 3 cutting devices, etc. I went into the dive with prior planning and forethought, training and the ability to use all of this redundant gear should the need arise.

Personally, I believe solo diving without at LEAST a fully redundant air source is a poor choice. Deliberately going deep with gear that you're questioning is ill-advised. Doing that while bouncing off the absolute maximum depth limit while at a dive site like Monastery is bordering on suicidal. My comfort level would have gone completely out the window.

 

[Joe_Diver]

I feel that the question of solo diving should be a matter of personal choice and that automatic disparaging value judgments on those who choose to do it are counterproductive.

While not encouraging anyone else to follow my lead, I routinely go down solo to 160'+ at Monastery on a single tank with no redundant anything. BUT... I maintain my own regulator scrupulously and have total confidence in all of my equipment. And I've done over 3000 dives in all kinds of conditions. The way I look at it, I'm at far greater risk driving down Hwy 17 to Monterey than when I go out solo at Monastery.

 

[andrewy]

Joe @ 3000 dives you can have it your way any time because you probably seen it all.
At 30 dives , you simply have no idea of what can go wrong and how to get out of a jam.
on my 6th dive (yes day after my open water i also went to 145ft on single AL80 air, in HI on some wreck., albeit with 2 instructors.., would i try it now again? no way!. however with proper equipment, training, experience and mixes, perhaps.. except its boring and i cant share experience with no one.

 

[ad6e]

"on my 6th dive (yes day after my open water i also went to 145ft on single AL80 air, in HI on some wreck., albeit with 2 instructors..,"


Say What?? What dive shop did you walk into?

I can't imagine any self respecting shop taking a newbie to that depth on his first real dive after basic OW training. That said, I know it happens. Hope they gave you a crash course in deep on the boat ride out.

I had something similar happen to me in HI. I had a 15 year lapse in diving and walked into a HI dive shop. They took me to the Corsair wreck at 105ft with no questions. My previous dives were with a J valve and May West. I had no idea what a BC was, but I learned quickly.

Your comfort zone may have little to do with safety. In my early days I did some dives that .. well, let's say I'm happy I'm still alive today. Yet, they felt safe at the time. As I've gotten older, my comfort zone has become more realistic.

 

[Gombessa]

I had something similar happen to me in HI. I had a 15 year lapse in diving and walked into a HI dive shop. They took me to the Corsair wreck at 105ft with no questions.

That's the exact same dive I was offered immediately after my OW certification! I opted out, but on later trips to Oahu I ran into several newly certified divers who did exactly that.

Still, I would say a 12-minute-bottom-time, follow-the-DM hand-over-hand-on-the-line hop to 105ft, as imprudent as it already is for a new diver, is still very different from what's being discussed here.

 

[andrewy]

yeah i was told that i'll get high and stupid and watch out for sharp metal and that we do 50ft stop and then 15ft one. other than that i dont remember, that was in 97

 

[emttim]

132' solo dive at Monastery with no buddy and < 50 dives. Wow, I thought I was taking risks when I was contemplating diving solo at Breakwater with < 50 dives about a year and a half ago.

Everyone already touched on most everything else so I'll be brief.

1) You're gonna get yourself killed doing that sort of stuff. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when.

2) Why dive solo anyway? You don't need a pony bottle if you have a good buddy and they're far more useful if something goes wrong since it never hurts to have an extra pair of hands around. Hell, last time I picked up a random buddy off here I got engaged. Wouldn't hurt you to grab a buddy. Although if you're already married, I hope to god she never finds out about this trainwreck of a dive...you just may give her a heart attack.