The rabbit finds fossils.

[Walter]

I finally met Ber Rabbit today in other than a cyber setting. What a delightful young lady!

I picked her up at her hotel in Naples about 10 minutes before 6 this morning. It was like seeing an old friend as these first meeting usually are after chatting on line for so long.

We loaded her gear into my car and off we went listening to jazz and enjoying the conversation. Since we have the same employer, I gave her a quick tour of my work location as we blew by it on I 75. ("quick, look to your right")

Arriving at Venice Beach, we checked conditions from shore before gearing up.
The water was flat and clear.

Ber is an excellent buddy! She was always right by my side allowing me to find the best places for fossils. Viz was about 8 feet, so we passed on using the buddy line.

 

[SmokeAire]

So are conditions getting better at VB? We are planning another attempt at braille fossil hunting next week sometime.

Chuck

 

[MikeJacobs]

Yup, if conditions were more predictable I'd be over there a bit more. I still need my meg!

So are conditions getting better at VB? We are planning another attempt at braille fossil hunting next week sometime.

Chuck

 

[CBulla]

I miss diving Venice.. I am thinking I should plan something that direction in the not to distant future..

 

[Walter]

I wish I could predict how long conditions will remain good.

BTW, Ber found 80 teeth on her first ever try. Amazing!

 

[MB]

Glad you folks had good dives and good water! Sorry I missed the Ber and you - I'm waiting to hear her side of this story!

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Wow! Sounds like you both had a good time... what was the temp? (probably still a bit cold for me!)

 

[Walter]

Ber's computer showed 65, mine showed 59.

 

[Wristshot]

I wonder what she did to keep the water around her 6 degrees warmer than the water around Walter.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

What a delightful young lady!

The only correction I need to make is the temperature, my computer said 63 not 65 degrees. I can't help it my Ohio computer is an optimist! I wasn't doing ANYTHING to warm my own water, I thought the temperature was great even without gloves. I was able to prove I wasn't freezing by getting a 60 minute dive out of a steel 72, a first for me! Wish we had some water in Ohio that was that warm this time of year, I'd dive wet all winter!

The hardest part of this dive for me was resisting the urge to "mother" Walter and start hunting for teeth. I think I need to spend a little less time diving with students, that transition from instructor to plain old buddy didn't come easily.

It took me a little while to get the hang of finding the teeth so I contented myself with picking up stingray dental plates and barbs which were abundant. I was THRILLED when I found my first tooth, I think I dislocated Walter's shoulder when I yanked his arm to show him! I would have been happy with the one but we had 40 minutes of dive time left so I kept hunting. I noticed that most of the area is sand with a few fossil rich areas so I knew Walter was going to another "fossil field" whenever he started swimming instead of hovering. I'm no dummy, I follow the guy who knows where the goods are! I can't tell you how many areas we searched but there were times when I was picking teeth up two at a time while keeping an eye on the next tooth I was going to pick up if Walter didn't spot it before I got there.

I want to thank Walter for taking me out for my very first shark tooth dive which was also my first salt water beach dive as well as my first dive of 2004. I had a WONDERFUL time! I thoroughly enjoyed having Walter as a buddy, he really made my day!
Ber :lilbunny: