Dive 10, Redondo Beach, how I hate thee.

Dive Location: Veteran’s Park, Redondo Beach, California, USA

Original Dive Date: November 09, 2009

Gosh Darned it!!!  I need therapy after this dive!!! 

I started off super excited to be able to break in my new reg (BREAK IN, NOT BREAK!).  And the new spring straps that chris bought me for my fins!! I was flubbing setting up, but chris stated it was just me out of my element, OH WAIT, NO IT WS BECAUSE REDONDO BEACH SUCKS!

A bunch of Divers told us not to go out cause the surf was too ruff, but we dont listen to other people and we went out anyways, getting in I had an issue or two but quickly leared the flow and got better at the situation.

I was warned before the dive that I wouldnt see a lot of wildlife, but I did see a ton, OF DEAD ANIMALS!  EVERYTHING WAS DEAD! it was depressing, the one animal that was alive was a large crab about the size of a bowling ball that Chris decieded to duel with his dive knife.  I yelled at him and he showed me that he was navigating with a broken compass.  Next stop, Davey Jones!

After the depressing Dive where the only thing discovered was some dudes credit card, We asscended and headed twords the shore, where the waves got bigger and I got heavier.  Chris said to take off the fins, and I did….And got washingmachiened and an asthma attack all at once!  In a panic my hands let go, and my fins ran away into the ocean. After almost passing out on the shore I got up and could not find the fins, they were taken by the pacific, and for what?!  Defending its creatures!?  Picking up the trash?!  Not eatting Fish!?  I am disappointed in you Pacific.

 

Type: Recreation   Bottom Time: 30 min Safety Stop Time: 5 min Duration: 00:37:00   Maximum Depth: 69 ft Avgerage Depth: 50 ft Start Pressure: 3,000.0 psi End Pressure: 700.0 psi

Entry: Other   Sea: Moderate to Heavy Weather: Sunny Current: Mild   Depth Temp: 60.0 °F Air Temp: 65.0 °F Visibility: 30 ft

Dive 9, Equalize Early and often….

Dive Location: Casino Point, Avalon, Catalina Island, California, USA

Original Dive Date: October 18, 2009

Honestly, nothing exciting really happened on this dive…..This was the dive that almost ended my scuba life (and real life, until you read the next dive I am about to log)

While my buddy and I decended the 50 base feet we were supposed to go, I will no longer trust him iwth the depth gages since he doesnt look at them and uses his EARS as a gage! I could not equalize….So slowly I started going up only to look down int the water and see my budy’s fins, kicking through the kelp.  SCREAMING for him to come back and banging on anything that made noise, it took him a good three min to realize I am gone!  After he came back and I equalized, we went down and started our dive.

Blah Blah Blah, saw the same fishes that are always there, yadda yadda yadda…..Chris thought it was a good idea to teach me the skills on my new BC without warning me.  Now in the long run, I understand that this was smart on his part to force me to do this since I need to know what to do if something were to come loose or break underwater….BUT NOT WHEN I AM ALREADY TICKED AT HIM FOR DITCHING ME!  HE would continuously unbuckle my BC in random spots, and when I got them back together, he would do it again!!!  FREAKING ANNOYING!  I told him to stop under water, but he didnt, so I got pissed.  (Ironically one of the only photos that came out that weekend was me underwater giving him the thumbs down to tell him to stop it!)

But the good thing was this dive my reg worked, so it wasnt all a bust.  I still hate Chris.

 

Type: Recreation   Bottom Time: 35 min Safety Stop Time: 5 min Duration: 00:40:00   Maximum Depth: 75 ft Avgerage Depth: 70 ft Start Pressure: 2,400.0 psi End Pressure: 500.0 psi

Entry: Stairs   Sea: Calm Weather: Fog Current: Mild   Depth Temp: 70.0 °F Air Temp: 70.0 °F Visibility: 30 ft

Dive 8, For logging purposes only.

Dive Location: Casino Point, Avalon, Catalina Island, California, USA

Original Dive Date: October 18, 2009

 

Honestly, I waited too long to log this dive and forgot most of this.

Did I talk about how much I hate weightbelt retrievals….BECAUSE I DO!

I am only logging this dive so I can keep my numbers up and get my advanced down! KthnxBye!

Type: Recreation   Bottom Time: 35 min Safety Stop Time: 5 min Duration: 00:38:00   Maximum Depth: 78 ft Avgerage Depth: 70 ft Start Pressure: 2,400.0 psi End Pressure: 200.0 psi

Entry: Stairs   Sea: Calm Weather: Fog Current: Mild   Depth Temp: 70.0 °F Air Temp: 75.0 °F Visibility: 30 ft

Dive 7, A lesson about unbalanced Regs

Dive Location: Casino Point, Avalon, Catalina Island, California, USA

Original Dive Date: October 17, 2009

 

Sooooo I might have screwed up and saved the deepest dive for last this day!….oops….But I wasnt leading so whatever! 

Doofus forgot how to put on a BC apparently so I sat at the bottom of the ocean for a few moments while he adjusted his equiptment.

Afther that, it was a great dive, we saw fishes….Chris was trying to walk on water and while I heroically saved his foot from the squorpion fish (YOU ARE WELCOME!) (ok so I didnt want chris to step on the little guy who was calmly hanging out in his home) I got yelled at for trying to shake the fin of the fish whose life I saved that moment. 

I caught a fish on this dive!  With my bare hands, like a champ!!  I dont think the fish liked it all that much but i released him after i gave him a backscratch. 

On the way back I decided to finally look at my gadges….in a panic it read 0 PSI!! I started slowly exhailing and realized that the gadge was going back up to 500psi!  WTF?! we started our way to the top, and the whole reg decided it didnt want to work….I got pissy…long story short, I survived and didn’t get bent, because I rock!

 

AN UPDATE:

I later learned this was actually a product of a loose hose and an unbalanced regulator, now after this situation has occured, I have stopped using unbalanced and only use Piston Balanced Regs. 

 

Type: Recreation   Bottom Time: 25 min Safety Stop Time: 5 min Duration: 00:30:00   Maximum Depth: 75 ft Avgerage Depth: 70 ft Start Pressure: 2,400.0 psi End Pressure: 400.0 psi

Entry: Stairs   Sea: Calm Weather: Fog Current: Mild   Depth Temp: 70.0 °F Air Temp: 75.0 °F Visibility: 40 ft

 

Dive 6, Catalina Take Two!

Casino Point Dive Park, Avalon, California, United States

Saturday October 17, 2009 10:00 AM

 

 

This was our first dive out in Catilinia for October. Chris had to help out teaching a class so I tagged along for the weekned (Can you really turn down diving?!) We tagged along the back of the class to make sure there were no floaters or panics.

I recieved my awesome new saweet Aires Women’s BC and pink “I look like I train Shamu on the weekends” Henderson wetsuit (which I thought was super cold but found out the zipper kept falling down….it was a collllld weekend for me!) So I looked all snazzy out in Catilina (The only thing sexy about scuba diving is me!!….and the girls who ware heels to the dive parks….WTF?!).

I finally got my chance to show him a new pair of sunglasses I got from Arabia….NBD!!!

All in all, prob one of the best dives ever since I didnt need to do any stupid skills and got to have the freedom and fun of a buddy dive! (In all honesty I dont know how to end this log since I have cooler stories on the other dives this weekend!)

 

  

Type: Recreation

Bottom Time: 30 min

Safety Stop Time: 5 min

Duration: 00:35:00

Maximum Depth: 55 ft

Average Depth: 50 ft

Start Pressure: 2,400.0 psi

End Pressure: 500.0 psi

Entry: Stairs

Sea: Calm

Weather: Sunny

Current: Mild

Depth Temperature: 72.0 °F

Air Temperature: 75.0 °F

Visibility: 40 ft

 

 

Dive 5, A Certification well earned…with a prize!

Casino Point Dive Park, Avalon, Catalina Island, California, United States

Original Dive Date September 20th, 2009

 

I AM CERTIFIED!!!!!!! FULL FLEDGED NOW LIABLE FOR MYSELF CERTIFIED!!!!

While doing my “Solo” Dive….Still with my ADD buddy (I took the class alone so they paired me up with a random) I showed him what the ocean had to offer. I

took the lead unvolentarily but took the job as my own. (I am a narcasist so things like this make me feel good about myself)

While showing him the wonders of the underwater world, octopus, lobsters, creepy grayfish….I expirenced the rare occurance of the Vet Seal Underwater Arabian

Sunglasses….with a small clicking noise I noticed this happened and became defeated in my pranking skills. After looking for the wildlife I will call “Speedy” He

had dissapeared….only to reappear infront of my face, Face to Face. I nearly freaked…but it was cute!

Nothing too exciting happened this dive. I got lost for a second, but Speedy was there to show me home.

PS- I AM CERTIFIEDDDDDDDDDDD (I also almost failed the written test, thanks Dyslexia!)

Type: Recreation

Bottom Time: 20 min

Safety Stop Time: 3 min

Duration: 00:20:00

Maximum Depth: 50 ft

Average Depth: 40 ft

Start Pressure: 2,400.0 psi

End Pressure: 1,500.0 psi

Entry: Stairs

Sea: Calm

Weather: Sunny

Current: Mild

Depth Temperature: 72.0 °F

Air Temperature: 82.0 °F

Visibility: 50 ft

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dive 4, Learning to choose a buddy wisely.

Casino Point Dive Park, Avalon, Catalina Island, California, United States

Original Dive Date September 20th, 2009

This is the last dive I needed before I became OW Certified….OWWW OWWWWWWW!!!

I learned in this dive that it is extreamly important to be picky who your dive buddy is! While trying to keep up with my dive master, I also had to keep a close eye

on my dive buddy who was easily distracted by wildlife and the enviornment. I was constantly swimming back and forth to get the buddys attn to show him that

we are to keep swimming….he would be poking a sea cucumber or lifting up a rock….I fealt like a guppie and was just irritated the whole dive.

I did get to play with a fun trick that is new to me and prob super old and now that I know it, it will be deemed harmful to the fishes like my cheeze wiz trick.

Taking a raw egg and cracking it underwater. You can do this and play with it for a little while and the egg will keep its shape…But watch out for moochy little

fishies cause they will come up and eat your egg, and you will be sad because they ate your breakfast for tomorrow. Fishes have no respect for people…they

always just take take take. Also, do not forget to wash your hands after or you will get salmanela if you put your hands in your mouth. My dive master didn’t say

that, but my mom did.

We also found the Jaque Cousto plaque which I found out was tradition to kiss it for new divers… I asked my instructor to kiss the plaque first and he told me that

it is only for new divers, which in my language means that the older divers piss on it at night….I faked kissing it, I figured I have already put kelp in my mouth this

weekend, I have put enough of catalina island in my body.

The most important thing about this dive, I learned how to pee in my wetsuit for the first time ever….It was swell. It just happened to be right next to the Jaque

Cousto plaque….This was before I knew I had to kiss it…I sware

Type: Certification

Bottom Time: 42 min

Safety Stop Time: 3 min

Duration: 00:42:00

Maximum Depth: 41 ft

Average Depth: 40 ft

Start Pressure: 2,400.0 psi

End Pressure: 500.0 psi

Entry: Stairs

Sea: Calm

Weather: Sunny

Current: Mild

Depth Temperature: 72.0 °F

Air Temperature: 82.0 °F

Visibility: 50 ft

 

 

 

 

Dive 3, Curents and Breathing….not always buddies

Casino Point Dive Park, Avalon, Catalina Island, California, United States

Original Dive Date September 20th, 2009

 

I basically Should have died in this dive….It was my first current dive.

As an asthmatic who forgot to take her preventic my air consumption was outragious!!! I had to learn hand over hand and pull my way back to the dock using kelp

as a guide.

I must have lost my fins at least 5 times durring this dive, I got to the point were I put them as physically tight as possible (I later found out I lost 3 toe nails from

doing this, but I would rather ruin a pedicure than my life)

No wildlife was seen since I was too busy worrying about me and my buddy.

Type: Certification

Bottom Time: 32 min

Safety Stop Time: 3 min

Duration: 00:33:00

Maximum Depth: 59 ft

Average Depth: 50 ft

Start Pressure: 2,400.0 psi

End Pressure: 200.0 psi

Entry: Stairs

Sea: Calm

Weather: Sunny

Current: Strong

Depth Temperature: 72.0 °F

Air Temperature: 82.0 °F

Visibility: 50 ft

 

 

Dive 2, Sea Cucumbers and ADD

Casino Point Dive Park, Avalon, Catalina Island, California, United States

Original Dive Date September 19th, 2009

Skills Practiced: Buddy Checks, Beach Entry, Free Decent, Safety Stops, Mid Water Slow ascent, Beach Exit

Observations; was entagled in kelp and my buddy left me hanging, since I did not have a tool on me I was forced to chew my self to safety. Years of Being a

vegitarian, I have never tasted something so nasty as kelp. There is a super cool memorial plaque for a fallen LAPD down at about 50 feet that I found, I was

going to check it out, but someone decided to decend on top of me.

 

 

Type: Training

Bottom Time: 25 min

Safety Stop Time: 3 min

Duration: 00:30:00

Maximum Depth: 50 ft

Average Depth: 45 ft

Start Pressure: 2,400.0 psi

End Pressure: 1,000.0 psi

Entry: Stairs

Sea: Calm

Weather: Sunny

Current: Mild

Depth Temperature: 72.0 °F

Air Temperature: 82.0 °F

Visibility: 50 ft

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dive 1, in the Deep Blue Sea….

PREFACE

 

For the first few logs, I am just copying them from my Dive Exchage Site…You can tell as I get more and More into Diving, my intrest for the little orange fish and sea bass that Attack you becomes less and less the story basis.  I actually can’t stand the logs that just talk about what fishes you saw, that doesnt make your dive unique!

LOCATION: CASINO POINT, AVALON, CATALINA ISLAND, CALIFORNIA, USA 

Original Dive Date: September 19th, 2009Type: Training
Bottom Time: 48 min
Safety Stop Time: 3 min
Duration: 00:00:00
Maximum Depth: 39 ft
Average Depth: 35 ft
Start Pressure: 2,400.0 psi
End Pressure: 600.0 psi
Entry: Stairs
Sea: Calm
Weather: Sunny
Current: Mild
Depth Temperature: 72.0 °F
Air Temperature: 82.0 °F
Visibility: 50 ft

My first offical open water dive that was not in a pool, watching fat kids jump off a diving board. (I will never breed)

Dive Skills learned: Buddy Check, Mask Clear, Emergency Ascent, Beach Entry, Line Decent, CESA, Regulator Clears, Regulator Recovery, Neutral Boyancy,

Dive Tour, Flats find, Mask Removal, Alt Air Use, Weight Belt Removals (I HATE THOSE!!!!) Safety Stops(18ft), Line Asscent, Beach/stairs exit

Wildlife Seen: Geribaldi, Opal Eye, Kelp Bass, Sheep Head male and female, Blue Banded Gobbies, Lobsters, KELP…..LOTS OF KELP!!!!

Things I could have worked on, I could pay attention to my Dive Master, He yells at me for petting the fishes….Plus Weight Belt removals are annoying….