hbchica:
Thanks for an energetic, smart, and anything-but-boring dive, Ken. That was great!
Claudette
Wed night I got nailed in the surf. So did HBsandmouthgurl. On Thursday I could hardly walk - totally twisted my knee in full dive gear. On Friday I could limp around a bit. I iced it several times on Friday, and was determined to go on Sat AM (I never dive on Sat AM's... so this was rare and important to me.)
I push back the dive time 30 minutes so I can go by my fav Panera and get she and I a couple of 4 cheese souffles.... the breakfast of champions. I roll in and pick up HBsandinhergeargurl at about 7:30, and we're off to OML.
We pull in and walk down. As we're walking down, I can see TONS of water moving about cobble beach. We walk to the point and waves are pounding, surf exploding, and we're all "NO."
I'm thinking about Cobble Beach, and all that water (low tide is just ending, and the water is coming back in...) and I look at 'dette, she waves off the dive. (I still think she may have gone in with a buddy that two good legs... she says no.) We're off to Vets.
At Vets, its mashing. I've only seen it like this one other time. 3 - 4 is being kind - remember, that's 3 - 4 from surface, so that 5 - 7 over your head when you're chest deep on your walk out... I mean YIKES. We leave Josh and his buddies and we head in. We slip through a crack in the door... I mean the door was closing, and we run up to it, turn sideways and get through. I couldn't believe we got in. Friggen panting we kick out, and I'm thinking this HAS to settle down during our dive - so I push the exit out of my head.
She says it looks good.... I'm all "huh?" - still panting and thinking how I can't believe we got in... I look down and I can make out weeds and stuff on the bottom. COOL!
We drop, and its chilly. Vets is usually high 60's at the drop in. Hmmmm? We drop in 18 FSW.
We have a great dive - clearest I've ever had on a day dive there. Just astounding. HBbestbuddyevergirl is sticking to me like glue, and we're having a great dive. We get to 105, see some Nudis, some fishies, and viz for days (no lights required...) Loving' it.
I forgot my Blue gloves.. so I'm diving in her ratty, hol(e)y, torn and oft mended 3mm gloves. BURRRRR... its like 54 for almost the entire dive. Clearly the incoming tide and the huge swing is drawing clear COLD water from the deep canyon. Benefit: amazing viz. Detrement: COLDNESSNESSNESS
As we're coming back, we hit 60, then 50, then 40... and I'm thinking "where the hell is the thermocline... it would be nice to hit that famous Vets warmness anytime now..."
We get to 38 and the surge hits. I mean we're getting tossed. 38 feet, and we're getting bounced 10 - 15 feet at a time... I start thinking about the exit.
At 28 and we do some drills. All good. Drilling in the surge was challenging, but I like it.
Has anybody seen that thermocline? BURRRR
When we get to 18, I stop her and write a note in the wetnotes: "Lets ascend here, outside of the breakers, so we can time the exit better...." I figger we dropped in at 18, lets come up so we can figger out this
Victory at Sea exit.
We do a very, very slow ascent from 18 to 15. 15 to 10... at 10 feet it still friggen 54 degrees. Are you kidding me???? We do a very, very slow ascent from 10 and at about 7 or 8, it starts to get warmer. Nice.
We pop, and we rise a good 4 or 5 feet on an incoming swell. My heart is racing, as I have one good leg and one that's about 90%, but won't take much of a twist. I'm totally praying. I'm seriously scared, but psyching myself up, not out. I'm confident, but not 100% sure I can get out without getting hurt again.
We bob outside the breakers for probably 2 or 3 minutes, discussing the out. I'm still praying, only now outloud. HBnowyourthinkingurl spots the skin diving class... about 15 - 18 people in wetsuits, fins, masks and snorkels on the sand. She suggests we kick over and exit near them, as if / when we get pounded there will be people ready to get us out. Genius. Just solid thinking.
We kick over until we're roughly in front of them. I look back to the horizon and I see flatness. I'm stunned. This is the mother of all Lulls.... I say "I'm going in..." I start kicking like a muthah. She gives pursuit.
I'm kicking and kicking, but I can't find the bottom. Dammit... why can't I touch yet. Then I brush the bottom. Then I hit it harder... I stand up and start walking backwards as a set is receeding. A lot of water is going out, pulling at my knees and hips. I get to the shelf (this evil channel - like a moat you hit on the way in from Vets. You nearly always stumble over it.) as the next real set starts to come in. I know I'm gonna get plowed.
I ball up - bringing my knees to my chest. I'm corked / lifted over the shelf and I drop my feet... I'm on firm sand. NO WHAY. Fins still on, now I'm walking backwards towards the parking lot... I'm totally out. HBcanyoubelievethisexitgurl is in front of me. She essentially does same and is also exiting - walking backwards with fins on (we've done nearly 100 beach dives together, and we NEVER exit with fins on...)
We're going all Michael Jackson moonwalking backwards up the shore. The class is about 5 feet from us. I'm thinking three things:
- Grace - this exit is a gift of grace.
- I need to grab Claudette's valve so she doesn't stumble out... oh wait, she's in perfect control
- OK Ken... don't Bonk in front of the class... keep it together for another minute
We get the fins off, spin around and walk to the showers. Completely humble and grateful for an amazing exit. I can only imagine how cool and experienced it looked, but we were wrecks on the inside (I know I was...)
When we meet up with Josh and buddies in the parking lot, they're all standing in a pile of sandy gear. They never got in.
This dive - with its close call entry, amazing viz and grace-extended exit taught me a lot. I was speaking with Claudette over lunch about it. She and I work real hard to hone these skills, and sometimes it pays off. Today it did. There is no luck in good. But its good to be lucky.
And still better to be blessed. And we were. I'm still humbled by that exit. Wow.
Yet another great dive, 'chica. You seem to be around in all my best dives... what's the deal, there?
---
Ken
I was part of that class, and felt like a real wuss after most everyone else managed a skin and a scuba dive, while I just worked on building up my confidence (and courage) by playing in the surf zone with one of the divemasters.
