Venice beach- night diving?

[lobsterboy58]

Hello, all:

New to the forum.

I will be in Venice early February on business from CA.

I'd like to dive for fossils while in the area. I've been to Venice before, always beach collecting only. I'll be working during the day, so I'd like to try some dives from the beach at night. Any local ordinances/other reasons why it might not be worth trying?

I'm used to surgy, crappy viz diving so that wouldn't be a problem.

I'm staying a couple extra days after to possibly do a charter with Florida West or try Peace River again- last year torrential rains the day kinda ruined that plan...

Any tips, cool tools to use underwater would be appreciated.

Art

 

[ReefGuy]

I'd just keep away from the pier. They shark fish there at night, and usually chum the water. I've posted some tips somewhere on finding teeth, I'll try to find them.

To find them, head directly west from the two white drainage pipes. You will hit a sandbar around 100 feet out. You'll want to drop down 20 yards or so past the sandbar. The bottom will either be barren sand, or lots of little rubble. You are looking for the patches of rubble. You will find them in the 13'-15' depth, and if you keep heading west again at 18'-21'. When you hit a patch, you can work them north to south, usually there's a slight current that will help.

I typically just pick them up off of the surface, but you can also fan or dig, if there is a slight current and the vis is good (otherwise don't bother). I've never found any large teeth by digging, but others have. Yesterday, I picked up 408 teeth right off the top, including a meg and 1/2 meg.

You want to pay special attention to the west side of any bottom structure (rocks, mostly), also if you come across "moguls" or sets of small ridges, examine between them carefully, they're usually a jackpot.

 

[Walter]

I've dived there at night. Not much point unless you just need to get wet. You'll find more fossils in the day.

 

[Tom Winters]

...They shark fish there at night, and usually chum the water.

Cool beans - why collect those gnarly old fossilized teeth when you can get nice fresh teeth? Just add a nice pair of pliers or Vise-Grips to your diving kit.
Now the trick is to get the shark to say, "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah" instead of you.

 

[idivedeeperlonger]

Cool beans - why collect those gnarly old fossilized teeth when you can get nice fresh teeth? Just add a nice pair of pliers or Vise-Grips to your diving kit.
Now the trick is to get the shark to say, "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah" instead of you.

No thanks, I quit playing "dentist"

 

[ReefGuy]

When you start finding the white ones, it's time to start paying attention

 

[UB]

I typically just pick them up off of the surface, but you can also fan or dig, if there is a slight current and the vis is good (otherwise don't bother). I've never found any large teeth by digging, but others have. Yesterday, I picked up 408 teeth right off the top, including a meg and 1/2 meg.

You want to pay special attention to the west side of any bottom structure (rocks, mostly), also if you come across "moguls" or sets of small ridges, examine between them carefully, they're usually a jackpot.

What was the vis like off the beach yesterday?

 

[ReefGuy]

Oops, sorry, I cut and pasted that. Haven't been to VB lately.

 

[2TH DIVR]

Well, seeing that they were surfing on Monday, the vis was probably 0.
I'm hoping for it to calm down so there might be some vis come Sunday or Monday.

 

[UB]

Thanks - I was hoping there might be some vis,..... but didn't think so.