Posted by Chris on March 20, 2005 at 12:38:09:
Last Wednesday March 16, 2005 I could not resist temptation and decided to ditch my responsibilities and go out bug hunting on the Pacific Star.
They had 2PM last chance bug dive to Catalina.
Besides itching for a bug dive, I wanted to try out the boat, especially with the new owners Dave and Sonja Harvey.
The last time I was on the boat was in 1998 when I went on a two day trip to the Farallon Islands.
I got down to the King Harbor about 12:20 pm parked near the boat. There were large stacks of commercial lobster traps sitting in the parking lot. They had a very unique stench.
The harbor patrol had also just removed a large log from the water just outside the harbor.
The LaCilento brothers were running a bit late, so we did not leave the dock until about 2:20 pm. It was a very roomy load with only nine divers.
Our first dive was at Isthmus Reef just before 5 pm. I headed deep and picked up a nice 2+ lb. bug at 137 ft. I saw many bugs at shallower depths, but they were to fare back in their holes. On that dive I was the only one to get a bug.
Our next dive was at Eagle Reef. I was the first one in, maybe 10-15 minutes ahead of other divers. I saw many bugs, but the bigger ones were still in their holes. Thus I came back empty handed. However most divers who went in later did well.
After that dive Sonja had made a very nice corn beef and cabbage dinner.
Our last dive was at Cherry Cove. I went deep, shallow and covered a huge area. I only saw shorts. Only one bug cam back that dive.
It was a very nice trip that I truly enjoyed. Dave and Sonja seem very concerned about their customers and want them to have a good trip. I would certainly go their boat again.
pictures & text © Chris Grossman, diver.net