Date: 3/21/09

Location: Vallecitos Point, La Jolla Shores

Visibility: 15 to 20 in the canyon, 5 to 15 shallow

Temp: 54F

Bottom Time: 86 minutes

Max Depth: 73 fsw

Surf: 1 to 2 with an occasional 3 ft.

Surge:  1 to 2 ft shallow

Buddies:  Kim, Terry, Pirate John, Spencer, Soraya for shore support.  Steve, Calvin and Allison kept reappearing all morning.

Pulled up at 6:59:31.3 am to see a menacing gang of shifty divers parked near the lifeguard tower. I was pretty scared because the most infamous of Scalliwags Pirate John was staring at me in a very intimidating fashion as I drove by.  I cautiously got out of my car and prepared for the worst, but having made it for the first few minutes without any serious trouble, I knew I was probably being accepted by the gang and they might even watch my back all morning.

After trading a few lighthearted insults we geared up at a relaxed pace, and trudged across the sand.  The surface swim was uneventful but interesting because we had a northerly current to about 50 yards out, then a southerly current until our lineups at the end of Scripps Pier and the lifeguard tower.

We dropped down through a layer of light brown gunk to beautiful vis in the canyon at about 70 feet, and started finning south for the point.  Now at my seventh or eighth dive since my absence from the LJS barrio, I felt my perception broadening away from my gauges and gear and onto the underwater scene and life surrounding me.

We arrived at the point in good order and there were plenty of critters.  Highlights for me were the White Spotted Porostomes, a San Diego dorid, an octopus and a little school of juvenile delinquent painted greenlings trying to bully an adult.  There was also a nice cluster of market squid eggs but few of the eggs actually contained squid.  I poked around at my leisure, enjoying zero gravity and nice conditions.  About five minutes to decompression I turned the dive and headed east across the sand.  I had plenty of air at that point so I took my time crossing the sand dollar beds, and spent a full ten minutes watching a pipefish trying to hide from me in a patch of eel grass.  I surfaced in four feet of water after a nice long 86 minute dive, and exited the surf without incident.

After the dive we enjoyed a hearty breakfast at Honey’s on Balboa Avenue, conveniently located near San Diego Underwater Adventures.  Perhaps the best part of the dive, aside from seeing Pirate John again after a long time, was that I was finally feeling more relaxed, had much improved buoyancy control and a decent SAC rate.  Thanks for inviting me Kim and including me in the dive all, I truly had a fantastic morning!

Oh yeah, the camera housing arrived yesterday and it's freakin' cool looking.  And intimidating.

Date: 3/10/09

Location: Shaw’s Cove, Laguna Beach
Visibility: 20 in the shallows, 15 give or take elsewhere

Temp: 58F

Bottom Time: 86 minutes

Max Depth: 43 fsw

Surge:  1 to 3 feet, very manageable

Tide:  High and dropping

Ruth Harris and Bob Arnold continued the Lagunanian tradition of excellent hospitality toward San Diegoites as I visited for a very enjoyable dive today at Shaw’s Cove .  On the drive up I stopped at Heisler Park to relieve myself of my morning coffee and immediately noticed two dramatic improvements.  First, Heisler Park has been completely re-landscaped with a crowning jewel of what has to be the most beautiful beach restroom facility in the United States, perhaps even the World.  Second, it is being paid for by the doubling of parking fees in metered spots.  Fortunately, we no longer need to carry rolls of quarters to park in Laguna, because they have conveniently installed meters that now take all major credit cards!  It cost me around $17 to take a leak, but hey, the increased revenues probably pays the salary of the highly talented City of Laguna Beach Deputy Director of Beach Bathroom Interior Remodeling. ;-)

As I pulled up to Shaw’s and began suiting up, Ruth arrived and Bob soon after.  Ruth is as charming in person as she is online and I was quite impressed with her high degree of organization and efficiency when it comes to beach diving.  Most impressive was a tank holder that her husband Larry had installed inside her vehicle.  Perhaps she is willing to share some photos of that!  Bob immediately proved to be a very pleasant and engaging fellow, and as an added bonus he looks something like a very handsome version of Uncle Fester.  He was also quite willing to share his extensive knowledge of videography and photography, and encouraged me to perhaps spend some time and money on those most noble diversions.

Following a very pleasant surface swim, we dropped down and headed under the archway and into the crevice.  Shaw’s was quite different than what I had remembered from three years ago, perhaps because visibility was so good.  The structure was, as always, quite impressive.  Right away we spotted a large Cabezon, and a plethora of Hopkins Rose.  As we made our way through the crevice and back out onto the sand, we spotted octopus, lobster, Black Dorids, Rock Wrasse, lots and lots of Blacksmith, Garibaldi, juvenile Garibaldi, Blue-banded and Black-eyed Gobys and Senoritas.

Ruth proved herself the Queen of Shaw’s Cove as she expertly navigated us through the crevice and out to Shelley of Shaws, which was very impressive and I had never seen.  She almost coaxed a curious octopus out of a crack with her bare hand without even touching it, and that was quite entertaining.  She also was able to capture a picture of a Zebra Goby, a difficult thing at Shaw’s, and performed her signature happy dance.  For those that have never seen it, the happy dance is somewhat like an underwater Cha-cha with a bit of Salsa mixed in.  All the while Bob was poking about behind us, taking video and still shots, and pointing critters out as he discovered them.

Perhaps two of the biggest highlights for me was seeing a tiny Teardrop Crab, which I had never seen, and seeing a male Painted Greenling guarding a nest of eggs.  Ruth later told me that the male and female trade off guarding the eggs, and I briefly wondered if there had been a historical Painted Greenling Equal Rights Amendment allowing the female Painted Greenlings equal opportunity and equal pay and spurring the males to be more of a help around the nest.  Who knows, since Painted Greenlings can’t talk.

Anyway, if you have read this far than you really should be out diving.  After a nice long, relaxing dive, we exited the surf without incident and climbed the stairs.  Bob generously offered me a cup of coffee as we chatted, and before long I thanked my new friends for an excellent morning and bid them adieu.  They did their best to coax me into a second dive, but duty was calling.  Hopefully, when these fine Lagunanians come to visit us San Diegoatians we can provide them with such gracious hospitality.  Thank you again Ruth and Bob – I had a great time!