Posted by SLANG on October 15, 2001 at 10:55:32:
In Reply to: Triumph Over Travesty, or Murphy Is My Co-Pilot=Dive Report posted by DougD on October 13, 2001 at 21:57:15:
You were set up on the stern of the boat near the swim step ladder weren't you? I saw someone having problems and a number of people working on a first stage between dives -- sorry, didn't know that was you. I was set up one spot away from the port side gate.
You're right about not many lobsters going home; I think there was less than 10 for the whole boat. The first site wasn't that bad, though the kelp did make it a challenge to cover much ground. In some spots, if you headed away from
shore, the vis did get up to 15-20'; it was limited more by the dense growth of thin stalked kelp than the turbidity of the water.
The second site, south of the point, was very nice. Good terrain, vis, mild surge -- just not many keepers. I was only able to get in range of one definite keeper; and I made a succssful grab on him and pinned him to the ground. Unfortunately, when I lunged for him under the ledge, the rock knocked the reg out of my mouth. Since I was squeezed under the rock and holding my position with my other hand, I hoped to get him secured fast. But it soon became apparent I was going to have to choose between breathing and
lobster dinner. So I picked up Taco Bell on the way home.
On the issue of buddies, when it comes to hunting lobster, it doesn't matter how good your buddy system is. Because of the nature of bug hunting, the simple fact is if you are in a buddy team only one person gets to hunt, the other gets to follow. That's why the classic buddy system doesn't apply for many types of hunting.
All-in-all, a fun night (albeit, dissappointingly unsuccessful). It was a new boat for me, some familiar faces on the crew and the proximity of Redondo Beach Harbor helped make the PACIFIC STAR a pleasant surprise. I'll definitely schedule some more night dives with them before the season is over.
Better luck next time.
SLANG