Posted by Eric S on January 27, 2002 at 09:21:34:
In Reply to: Re: 2002 Van Damme Party posted by finfan on January 26, 2002 at 11:09:14:
I'm glad you asked these great questions.
The cost of my campsite last year for 3 nights was $36. This was big enough to have a 10' x 16' two room tent, 4 cars, and I believe up to 8 people are allowed in the medium size sites. Some sites are smaller, and there are a few that are bigger. There is also a group site which allows 50 people but only 15 cars, so this site doesn't make much sense for people coming from many different areas.
As far as other costs, the showers take quarters, the beach parking lot is free but fills up quick (the campground is right accross the road so the beach is within walking distance).
The bathrooms have regular flush toilets that are kept decently clean, and there is a game cleaning station in the campground. They do come around at 9 pm or so and ask you to please taper down the noise but there is also big fire pits on the beach where people can carry on into all hours of the night if they so choose, Just clean up all your beer cans and Jack Daniels bottles!
I do highly recommend that you bring a kayak because much of the best diving is not within beach diving reach. This is a spectacular place to kayak with tunnels and caves that you can paddle through. If you have a boat of any kind bring it. During a typical weekend there could be 10 15 boats moored out in the Van Damme cove. I have a huge dory that I will bring, which will be available to anyone who want's to ride in it. Boat launching is done 2 miles south at Albion harbor (for $10) and you could launch a hard hull boat up to 24 - 26 feet or more easily. Last year the water laid down flatter than a pancake with no wind and vis in excess of 20 feet, which is excellent for up here. Normally the vis averages about 8-15 feet but we're used to it. The water temp is always a reliable and balmy 48-53 degrees. Many people use dry suits for scuba diving but a good 2 piece farmer john is all you need. For ab and free diving I'm using a Picasso open cell suit which allows me to stay in the water all day.
Van Damme is definitely a family campground with many things for the non diving spouse and kids to do while you're out diving like spending all your money in the quaint town of mendocino, with all it's victorian charm, restaurants, shops and art galleries.
For the ab diving part, there are abs everywhere. Typically, you can find abs from 3 feet to 40 feet deep. It is very easy to get a limit of legal 7" abalone, for the bigger ones a person may need to hunt around a bit. Right in the main cove itself the populations are picked over, but just a short kayak or boat ride away puts you in the thick of it. There are also many other sites both north and south by car where you can beach dive and get huge abs. One of these I must mention is the town of Elk, about a 20 minute drive south on hwy 1. The spots are too numerous to mention but if you pick up a copy of Bruce Watkins' book: Guide to Diving Northern California there is a wealth of info in there.
If you are not that familiar with free diving, I would practice in a pool and even the ocean down there to become more comfortable with the concept. It will make your experience up here much more enjoyable.
The rules have drastically changed for abs this year. The new limit is 3 per day and 24 per year. You must have an ab punch report card and ab stamp affixed to the back of your licence. You can only have 3 in your possession at any given time, this includes what's already in your cooler back at camp. The abs must remain in the shell until being prepared for immediate consumption. See the DFG regulation book for complete details.
For the camping part, bring everything you would normally bring for camping and some extra warm clothing because the fog can really roll in there and it can drizzle.
Hope this answers some of your questions.