2/5/2006 - Am I the only one?

I sometimes feel as if I'm the only one who gets bored easily diving at Catalina Island. There is good visibility, healthy kelp and plenty of nice rock formations, but the lack of variety gets to me every time I dive there. Yesterday was no exception. I went on a lobster hunting trip with Hilary and her favorite dive buddy Mike. I can see why she likes diving with him. He is very friendly, soft spoken and seems to appreciate being there. I read a post on a dive bulletin board before the trip that we would not be going to the same old boring sites. Instead, we would be going where the lobster hunters would be happy. The best laid plans...

We began our day at Eagle Reef, a pretty sight seeing spot. Nobody brought any bugs back onboard. I even was admonished for making a 1:17 dive. Next, we went to Seafan Grotto. It is unique because of the swim-through cavern, Gorgonians and nearby walls. It is fairly sterile as far as marinelife goes. No lobsters were brought abord here as well. Finally, we went to Isthmus Reef, where nearly every Open Water class in SoCal goes to get certified, including mine. I saw a few bugs, but nothing legal. The Captain told us there would be bugs piled up at the bottom of the green buoy in 90 feet. Mike, Hilary and I surface swam to the buoy and dropped down. I stopped at 121 feet without reaching the bottom. There were squid eggs everywhere, but no lobsters in sight. Mike and Hilary ascended the anchor chain while I headed back toward the boat at 70 feet. I saw a few shorts along the way, but was so bored that I just returned to the boat. My head cold I had all week was returning and I really wasn't having fun, which breaks my #1 Rule of diving. I reached the swimstep at the same time as Hilary and Mike and we all decided to forego the final dive.

The divers who did go in were treated to a strong current. The crew couldn't get the outboard started on the chase boat, so the DM had to swim a current line out to haul in the divers caught down current. A few divers came back with bugs this time, but nobody had a limit of seven.

I enjoyed the trip and the company, but I think I got spoiled having my own boats before and being able to dive spots most people never see. I loved being able to share one of them, the Caissons with Hilary last month. I'm also spoiled by having my favorite dive site, Marineland only six miles from my house. The amount of marine life there is vast and plentiful compared to Catalina. I just have to deal with the surf and sometimes poor vis.