12/25/2005 - Christmas Dive

I try to dive every holiday, which means a day off work for me.  Today was no exception, although I spent all week thinking it wouldn't happen. I've been fighting a cold for close to two weeks. The five dives I made in a leaky drysuit last week probably didn't help.  We also had huge waves pounding the SoCal coast all week. They subsided enough to allow for a dive at Marineland this morning. Being a south facing shoreline with a point of land extending far enough to protect the cove helped keep the surf away. We had no surf at all at our entry/exit point. Because of the waves at the point, I decided we should dive the East reef today. It was surgy, the vis was low and my suit still leaked (a little) but it was great being able to dive today. The visibility was 0-4 feet, so I never turned my camera on. Susan was hoping to restock her freezer after a lobster dinner last night that fed her entire family and friends. No luck there either.

After over an hour of looking closely at anything that resembled a dark spot in  front of us we exited in an area that normally crushes divers and spits them back out. Susan and I merely walked out. No worries.

After rinsing gear and packing it away, she brought out the goodies. She usually supplies cookies for her dive buddies, but today was special. She brought leftover fudge and krumkakas from the party last night. For those who haven't tried them, krumkakas are a Norwegian delight. They are basically ice cream cones that are crumbly, buttery and very sweet. After the snacks, Jeff, Claudette and Greg joined me for a walk in the park. We came home with a few more souvenirs of Baja Reef to add to the Monument at Redondo Beach if the waves ever calm down on that side of the peninsula. It was a perfect way to spend Christmas. Diving, hanging out with friends and avoiding family.