OP
So a Recap of my San Diego diving...
Well I rented a couple of tanks from Dive California Wednesday eve. and took them over to La Jolla Cove. I got there before 8:00 on Thursday and walked around scoping out the situation. There was a free diver that had just gotten out and I went and asked him about the entry at he bottom of the big straight stairs and if the sand was right there or if there were rocks. He said it was an easy entry there and all sand. I asked if divers were usually there during the week. He said he had just seen a guy that he see all the time.
I went up and located the guy and introduced myself. He asked if I was from some dive shop. I said no, I am just looking for a buddy to dive with. He got all snotty, telling me that if I was to dive with him I'd have to sign a waiver and pay the big bucks. Out of curiousity, I asked him how much. $70.00 for one guided dive and $140.00 for two! I laughed and told him that was OK, I'll probably just solo dive.
So I hung out for a while and his customers showed up. Turns out he had 5 divers to take out! So I got my gear out on the lawn and just took my time, waiting for them to all gear up so I could see where they entered and were they went to descend. He gets all the divers down the stairs and they prepare to go in. He desn't make sure everyone is properly geared up and I watch as this one guy gets in without his mask on. I am watching this and at the same time, thinking "Add air to yuou BC!!!" The guide starts yelling at him, where is you mask! He holds it up and starts to try and put it on but his head is barely out of water. I keep thinking "ADD AIR TO YOUR BC!" He finally gets his mask on, still barely floating, no reg in his mouth and a wave tumbles him in the surf. He finally lands on his hands and knees and crawls out where the surface support guy grabs his first stage and tank and helps him up the beach. He completely bails on the dive at that point.
So I see the rest of the group does make there way out to Buoy A and decends. I chat with a lifeguard that walks by about a dive plan and I decide that is what I will do, enter at the bottom of the stairs, kick out to buoy A and descend.
So long story short, I gear up, head down the stairs, put my fins on at the beach, mask squared away, back into the surf and when it drops off, land on my back and start kicking out. Easy entry. Was able to get out by buoy A and descend, it was max of 34 fsw, vis was 5 - 12' with a huge surge. Really though, it was pretty fun. I don't get motion sickness and just went with the surge and had fun with it. Saw several Giribaldi and other life. All in all, a decent dive under poor conditions.
I got back to the beach and decided I would not do the second dive as the conditions did not warrant it. But the water was fairly warm, 67, and I was able to get a 50 minute solo dive in.
Yesterday I went out on the Marissa for a three tank dive. I buddied up with the other solo diver on the boat. Turns out we were very compatable and excellent buddies with each other. I don't recall all of the dive sites but they did call one, Dino Head. We located the head and had a good dive. Our first dive was fairly low vis in random kelp that was not so great, but the next two Dino and whatever the third one was, had lots of structure and lots of life to see.
All of these dives were using my new to me, set of Hollis F1 fins. My legs are sore today! But man I do like them and at $88 for yellow tipped F1's, they were a deal.
Well I rented a couple of tanks from Dive California Wednesday eve. and took them over to La Jolla Cove. I got there before 8:00 on Thursday and walked around scoping out the situation. There was a free diver that had just gotten out and I went and asked him about the entry at he bottom of the big straight stairs and if the sand was right there or if there were rocks. He said it was an easy entry there and all sand. I asked if divers were usually there during the week. He said he had just seen a guy that he see all the time.
I went up and located the guy and introduced myself. He asked if I was from some dive shop. I said no, I am just looking for a buddy to dive with. He got all snotty, telling me that if I was to dive with him I'd have to sign a waiver and pay the big bucks. Out of curiousity, I asked him how much. $70.00 for one guided dive and $140.00 for two! I laughed and told him that was OK, I'll probably just solo dive.
So I hung out for a while and his customers showed up. Turns out he had 5 divers to take out! So I got my gear out on the lawn and just took my time, waiting for them to all gear up so I could see where they entered and were they went to descend. He gets all the divers down the stairs and they prepare to go in. He desn't make sure everyone is properly geared up and I watch as this one guy gets in without his mask on. I am watching this and at the same time, thinking "Add air to yuou BC!!!" The guide starts yelling at him, where is you mask! He holds it up and starts to try and put it on but his head is barely out of water. I keep thinking "ADD AIR TO YOUR BC!" He finally gets his mask on, still barely floating, no reg in his mouth and a wave tumbles him in the surf. He finally lands on his hands and knees and crawls out where the surface support guy grabs his first stage and tank and helps him up the beach. He completely bails on the dive at that point.
So I see the rest of the group does make there way out to Buoy A and decends. I chat with a lifeguard that walks by about a dive plan and I decide that is what I will do, enter at the bottom of the stairs, kick out to buoy A and descend.
So long story short, I gear up, head down the stairs, put my fins on at the beach, mask squared away, back into the surf and when it drops off, land on my back and start kicking out. Easy entry. Was able to get out by buoy A and descend, it was max of 34 fsw, vis was 5 - 12' with a huge surge. Really though, it was pretty fun. I don't get motion sickness and just went with the surge and had fun with it. Saw several Giribaldi and other life. All in all, a decent dive under poor conditions.
I got back to the beach and decided I would not do the second dive as the conditions did not warrant it. But the water was fairly warm, 67, and I was able to get a 50 minute solo dive in.
Yesterday I went out on the Marissa for a three tank dive. I buddied up with the other solo diver on the boat. Turns out we were very compatable and excellent buddies with each other. I don't recall all of the dive sites but they did call one, Dino Head. We located the head and had a good dive. Our first dive was fairly low vis in random kelp that was not so great, but the next two Dino and whatever the third one was, had lots of structure and lots of life to see.
All of these dives were using my new to me, set of Hollis F1 fins. My legs are sore today! But man I do like them and at $88 for yellow tipped F1's, they were a deal.
