Hello OCal - I want to do a night dive Monday 4/17

[Mark Vlahos]

Crescent at 7 Monday evening, color me there!

Mark Vlahos

 

[Robert Phillips]

Wow, I really need to spend more time in this forum! Ken PM'd me this last week and I thought it was a secret little stealth OC dive, and here is Ken advertising! And Mark is going to be there too!

My gear is in my car and I will be heading south as soon as I get off work at 6:30.

Ken, you have my number in case you get lost driving behind the Orange Curtain!

PS: Mark you are going to be very cold!

 

[Mark Vlahos]

Wow, I really need to spend more time in this forum! Ken PM'd me this last week and I thought it was a secret little stealth OC dive, and here is Ken advertising! And Mark is going to be there too!

My gear is in my car and I will be heading south as soon as I get off work at 6:30.

Ken, you have my number in case you get lost driving behind the Orange Curtain!

PS: Mark you are going to be very cold!

My new (to me) dry suit is off getting ZipSeals installed so I either do the one dive in my very warm wet suit or I rent a dry suit. Hmmm, gotta think about renting... I could use those X-Shorts over the rental dry suit... But then; I have had the wet suit down to 49 degrees. I guess I will just surprise everybody.

Mark Vlahos

 

[OCdiving Deb]

Did you guys make it out last night? How was it??

 

[Mo2vation]

It was so mellow.

The entry was brainless... ankle slappers with our local guide (RJP) leading the way. We used the rocks on the right side of the cove for cover, then just slid in. The near shore vis was amazing. I could count sand until we got into about 10 or 15 feet of water.

We kicked out with intention of dropping onto DeadMans - but we revised the plan as it was getting dark - so we dropped about even with the Sea Lion rocks.

Robert had us on an easy plan - rocks on the right, sand on the left.... reverse to return.

We did a 38 minute dive to about 45 feet. It was f-f-f-52 degrees (dry gloves rule...) We popped up, kicked in.

It was very mellow, without major issues and lots of fun. Fish, lots of octos, more scallops than I ever remember seeing in one place, huge Tube Anemones and your basic assortment of reef fare.

I was telling Mama Smurfglove on the kick back in - its wacky to dive a reef at night. All the night diving she and I do is usually over sand and structure (Vets, Roger, etc.) I haven't been on a rocky reef at night since Lobster Season closed. Kinda cool.

I really liked it. I'm gonna be back down very soon to do it again.

The divers were Marky V, Robert, HBTriOx and me.

My first time at this site. I loved it. I want to kick all the way out to DeadMans next week some night and drop on the reef.

Loved it.

---
Ken

 

[riguerin]

It was so mellow.

The entry was brainless... ankle slappers with our local guide (RJP) leading the way. We used the rocks on the right side of the cove for cover, then just slid in. The near shore vis was amazing. I could count sand until we got into about 10 or 15 feet of water.

We kicked out with intention of dropping onto DeadMans - but we revised the plan as it was getting dark - so we dropped about even with the Sea Lion rocks.

Robert had us on an easy plan - rocks on the right, sand on the left.... reverse to return.

We did a 38 minute dive to about 45 feet. It was f-f-f-52 degrees (dry gloves rule...) We popped up, kicked in.

It was very mellow, without major issues and lots of fun. Fish, lots of octos, more scallops than I ever remember seeing in one place, huge Tube Anemones and your basic assortment of reef fare.

I was telling Mama Smurfglove on the kick back in - its wacky to dive a reef at night. All the night diving she and I do is usually over sand and structure (Vets, Roger, etc.) I haven't been on a rocky reef at night since Lobster Season closed. Kinda cool.

I really liked it. I'm gonna be back down very soon to do it again.

The divers were Marky V, Robert, HBTriOx and me.

My first time at this site. I loved it. I want to kick all the way out to DeadMans next week some night and drop on the reef.

Loved it.

---
Ken

Now repeat out load, "I was wrong … I was talking out my @$$ ... OC diving really does rock!"

Glad you folks had a good time.

 

[Mark Vlahos]

We could have stayed down longer, but I thumbed the dive early. I am still figuring out the weight I need with different dry suit underwear. I was a bit light, as I burned off the air in my cylinder I thumbed the dive when I needed to pick up some rocks to stay down. As it was I was too light for a safety stop and ascended directly to the surface, it was a controlled and not too fast ascent. Not a huge deal as I was WAY inside recreational limits with plenty of bottom time left and I was using NITROX. Even though; I would still rather have done the safety stop. I had bumped up my amount of lead with the thicker underwear, but I did not bump it up enough. I figure I would have been about four pounds light if I had taken the cylinder down to a more reasonable ascent pressure

It was still a pleasant dive and fun was had by all.

Remember, ANY diver can call the dive at ANY time, for ANY reason, without repercussions! Well this was just one of those times. We all came up safe and sound.

Mark Vlahos

 

[ChrisM]

Remember, ANY diver can call the dive at ANY time, for ANY reason, without repercussions! Well this was just one of those times. We all came up safe and sound.

Mark Vlahos

words to live by. sounds like a nice dive

 

[HBDiveGirl]

words to live by. sounds like a nice dive

It WAS more than nice.

Before sunset, Crescent Bay was filled with romping dolphin and leaping sealions. Seal Rock, with its frill of cormorants, was beautifully silhouetted by the setting sun. We walked into clear cold water.

The gorgonia abounded and the octopuses were out hunting, trying to be invisible to the giant blue-gloved bubble-blowers with the flaming spotlights.

Ken found a great hermit crab... living in an absolutely STRAIGHT calcareous tube, about 4 inches long (9cm, but don't tell Ken...shhh...) It was THE funniest thing to watch the animal pop out from the end of what looked like an empty straw, and then start to walk around dragging this relatively huge tube!!!! I was gasping with laughter into my reg!!! Never have I seen a hermit crab in a straw!

The water was clear until we would pause to examine something more closely... then thousands of swimming larvae clouded the water around my light and I literally could not see through the water until I moved on!!! Wow... pretty cool.

Lovely sunset as we entered the water. Beautiful stars when we ascended...Until 21W of beastly-flame melted my retinas. I did a successful Braille exit and could begin to see more than a big purple glow by the time we hiked up to the cars.

I like Laguna. Thanks, Robb, for guyding! Thanks Ken and Mark for a fun dive on a lovely evening.

hbSmurf'Chica
(sporting the Blue Gloves of Blissful Dry Warmness)

 

[ChrisM]

It WAS more than nice.

Before sunset, Crescent Bay was filled with romping dolphin and leaping sealions. Seal Rock, with its frill of cormorants, was beautifully silhouetted by the setting sun. We walked into clear cold water........

sigh.... I have NOT been diving enuf