I arrived at Veteran's Park to a gorgeous sunset, orange and red above a reflective sea and modest waves!! Phil and I chatted with Rayna and then Jeff amidst all the colors and warm light. Drysuits zipped, parking meters appeased, and once more unto the Beach for my final dive at this age (gulp!!).
I paused at the water's edge, gathered up all the wonderful birthday wishes sent by all of you, said a solid "ROCK ON!!!", and splashed into the sweet Pacific.
Waves came from nowhere to slap us silly and then finally let us pass (...what was that all about??...)
We planted vintage Marineland coral-heads on the ever-growing monument, found nudibranchs, elbow crabs, tiny horn sharks, modestly-Sarcastic Fringeheads, and dozens of patches of squid eggs. Dozens of female squid squirted about laying eggs sacs. It was a joyful wander over the Redondo mudland, packed with oddball creatures and we had a great time. Baby bat rays did fly-bys. Crabs scurried by carrying take-out calamari dinners. Dozens of Bay pipe fish, looking like flattened-out sea horses, fluttered gracefully among the eel grass clumps, willingly transferring to my gloved hand when offered. My digital age-counter rolled quietly over as we breathed in this world. We flowed up the sandy slope until we realized that 7 feet of water was the shallow end, and it was time to stand up.
It was a FANTASTIC way to turn a year older, in great company, with the sea all around me. Thanks for a lovely birthday dive, Phil! Mission Accomplished!
Thank you to all my friends on Scubaboard for making this a wonderful birthday, full of fun, laughs, great wishes, and the ocean.
OK... who's next???
Gratefully yours,
Claudette
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