In Reply to: Golden Doubloon no longer with us posted by Max Bottomtime on January 09, 2009 at 17:48:29:

Aaarrrrggggg matie... Arrrgh, she be scrap, but in another time, she's still a proud comfortable dive boat with some absolutely beautiful woodwork... just a
little faster than before. I have written articles starting with "A Time To
Dive" that are my best attempts to capture not a dive or a location, but a time
of California diving. The time I knew of the Golden Dabloon was the time of NASDS
when her skipper was Eddie Tanaka. This was when Massa Wantanabi ran Aloha Dive
Shops in Burbank and Northridge. This was a time of an interesting caparaderie.
Say anything you want about their NASDS diving (Fara Fins, Baily's wetsuits and
Supervision masks), these were the nicest people you could imagine. Did you ever
know Roddy or Anita Winton from the Northridge shops or sit on those tall uncomfortable stools in Burbank Aloha? These were all parts of a great dive community
that extended from a dive shop in Burbank straight to the wide aft deck of the
Golden Dabloon. This was the time of one of the nicest dive communities I have
ever known of. They were all great people. This was where I explored Santa Barbara
Island on beautiful sunny days. This was when I first dove Eagle's Reef. My first trip
to San Nicolas was on the Golden Dabloon. I remember that amazing day at Nic. What an
adventure! My first visit and still my biggest bug.... bigger hair. I remember on the
way back when Eddie said "Oh, I remember why we don't go to Nic, we don't have the
range". We got back on one engine by 11PM.
Usually it was a relaxed trip. Sitting at Santa Barbara Island it would be glassy
and clear in the kelp beds. A pair of divers would approach and someone would drop
the winch/crane and pull up their At-Pak while they were in the water. There were
luxuries to the old girl. Just don't let Eddie borrow your tank. He's gonna use it
to light the Bar B Que. Then again, those were some good Bar B Ques, slowly cruising
back, watching the sunsets with friends.
Enjoy the diving,seahunt

Figure that bug is far bigger than it looks. That skinny me weighed 240 pounds.