We had a great weekend down in Monterey. Dara, Jim, Peter, Shawn-Paul, Brian and I all rented one of the cottages at the Lone Oak Lodge for the weekend. A great deal, but seriously on the cramped side.
We all arrived on Friday night and enjoyed a great social gathering at the cottage. Note to self, less Gin and Cranberries with Dara before a dive day! The Johnson clan showed up and joined in the festivities and we all had a great time.
On Saturday morning we all headed to the Breakwater to meet up with other NCDers. We were joined there by Ryan and a quick cameo by Bruce. I was teaching an Advanced Open Water Course that included Kevin, Shawn-Paul and Denise. It was a bit hectic that day with all of the other divers down there, but the conditions were good and everyone got at least a couple of dives in.
In the afternoon, Denise, Peter, Ryan and I headed out for 2 dives aboard the Monterey Express, where we were met by Roy. The crew seemed to have some difficulties finding a good spot to anchor, but eventually we got situated and started our first dive. Poor Denise got really cold, but was kind enough to feed some fish that were passing by. I am sure they appreciated that kindness. Note to Kevin, how long will it be before Denise gets her drysuit? We sat out the second dive, but had some great chats with the crew. Meanwhile, Peter and Ryan, who had his doubles, were have a liesurely 1hr+ dive. Since the rest of us were all on board and the crew were in a hurry, they sounded the recall to get them back. It was St. Patricks Day and they wanted to go to the bar.
In the evening we split up into two groups for dinner before our night dive. One group decided on Vietnamese food. My group headed for an Irish pub with the intention of just having cornbeef and cabbage. After some consultation with the other group, it was decided to put off the night dive until Sunday, so we could have some beers. The festivities did end early, since we had to get up early the next day.
On Sunday morning, Kevin, Shawn-Paul and I headed out of two dives on the Monterey Express as part of the AOW class. The boat seemed to have the same difficulties anchoring as they did last time, but finally brought us to a decent spot. We got our dives in and Kevin showed that he was just as kind as his wife and fed another group of fish.
After the boat dives, we hooked up with the rest of the group at lover's cove for some afternoon dives. There is a great report of that day already posted. One bummer thing though is that I tore my neck seal and had to dive with my wet suit. Yes, I dove wet and whined about it the whole time, much to the amusement of my fellow divers. That night we did a night dive at the Breakwater, which turned out really nice.
The next day, brian, Jim, Dara, Peter, Shawn-Paul, a new diver named Andrew, and I met at pt. lobos. It was a great way to finish off the weekend.
We all arrived on Friday night and enjoyed a great social gathering at the cottage. Note to self, less Gin and Cranberries with Dara before a dive day! The Johnson clan showed up and joined in the festivities and we all had a great time.
On Saturday morning we all headed to the Breakwater to meet up with other NCDers. We were joined there by Ryan and a quick cameo by Bruce. I was teaching an Advanced Open Water Course that included Kevin, Shawn-Paul and Denise. It was a bit hectic that day with all of the other divers down there, but the conditions were good and everyone got at least a couple of dives in.
In the afternoon, Denise, Peter, Ryan and I headed out for 2 dives aboard the Monterey Express, where we were met by Roy. The crew seemed to have some difficulties finding a good spot to anchor, but eventually we got situated and started our first dive. Poor Denise got really cold, but was kind enough to feed some fish that were passing by. I am sure they appreciated that kindness. Note to Kevin, how long will it be before Denise gets her drysuit? We sat out the second dive, but had some great chats with the crew. Meanwhile, Peter and Ryan, who had his doubles, were have a liesurely 1hr+ dive. Since the rest of us were all on board and the crew were in a hurry, they sounded the recall to get them back. It was St. Patricks Day and they wanted to go to the bar.
In the evening we split up into two groups for dinner before our night dive. One group decided on Vietnamese food. My group headed for an Irish pub with the intention of just having cornbeef and cabbage. After some consultation with the other group, it was decided to put off the night dive until Sunday, so we could have some beers. The festivities did end early, since we had to get up early the next day.
On Sunday morning, Kevin, Shawn-Paul and I headed out of two dives on the Monterey Express as part of the AOW class. The boat seemed to have the same difficulties anchoring as they did last time, but finally brought us to a decent spot. We got our dives in and Kevin showed that he was just as kind as his wife and fed another group of fish.
After the boat dives, we hooked up with the rest of the group at lover's cove for some afternoon dives. There is a great report of that day already posted. One bummer thing though is that I tore my neck seal and had to dive with my wet suit. Yes, I dove wet and whined about it the whole time, much to the amusement of my fellow divers. That night we did a night dive at the Breakwater, which turned out really nice.
The next day, brian, Jim, Dara, Peter, Shawn-Paul, a new diver named Andrew, and I met at pt. lobos. It was a great way to finish off the weekend.