In Reply to: Elaine Jobin posted by Chris on July 28, 2022 at 23:14:18:

Ahhh... Sadly. She was such a nice person and gave us such a gift of beauty in her photos.
Hey foks, do you ever think that we just never knew how lucky we were? We were living the dream.
I'm sure some knew and maybe Elaine did because she sure liked to have fun...
I have a few pics
to offer from a great trip with her.

That is Elaine... Anyone remember that trip?

I can't resist adding an image of some friend of hers. Not sure who it is though, but I recall that they were close buddies.

Enjoy the diving and never forget your friends or how lucky you are, M

A time to dive.
So many times.
So little time.
Such amazing times.

The time is when dawn is just wisps of red.
The air is crisp enough to make your eyes tear as you look for the island in the dim haze ahead.
Through your feet you feel the power of the boat and below that the sea.
The sky brightens adding golds and blue that shows you your destination.
Beauty and adventure await.
The morning chill can touch no more deeply than your skin.
The heady rush of excitement makes your life crystal sharp. You are ready.

There is photo time when you are waiting for your subject to move to the perfect position.
Then there is more time as you hold your breath and wait through frozen time for the the
surge to move the kelp aside. You hope and anticipate the picture will still be there to
lock in that special moment in time.

There is the time the Sea Lions decided to play so you gave them your snorkle and
they played with you. Long before they were done with their games, it was time to go.

The time is late at night when you awaken and go alone on deck to absorb your solitude, the
silent sound of the water, the lonesome cry of the gull, the crispness of the ocean cleansed
air, the stark beauty of the night broken only by the light of star and planet. It is a
magical time when you can almost hear the music of the spheres. You wish that you could
capture it in your memory for all time.

The time of a dive may be a tank or a day of diving. Both are far away from your daily cares.
It is a time of beauty, wonder and excitement. It may be a time of years when you revisit
place over and over and make it your own place. It may be a lifetime of diving that is just
a part of what you are. It may be times so beautiful and calm that it hurts to leave.

It's a time to hang suits, put away gear and go for a dive in the hottub. There is no south swell,
so things stayed calm as we left the island. People talk and then head for the bunks. After a few
hours they start to show up on deck again for the evenings finale. The water is incredibly smooth
and clear. Jellyfish can be seen as we pass. Porpoises come flying towards the boat from the sides
and then go for a ride on the bow waves. Baitfish fly from the water as the porpoise come upon them.
The club members are starting to get silly and try to take group pictures of the club. No one
speaks of the regrets about the end of the trip or the creeping hand of time that has changed us
all through the years of diving together. Still, the days diving has made us all so aware of our
life and memories of the past dives that have defined so much of our life, that we cannot deny or
ignore its passage. We will do this as long as we can and we will remember this magic as long as we
live.

The sun sets with a wonderous show of soft colors as we pass the east end of Anacapa Island.
The night falls gently. We all feel cold in the wind of the boat's passage through the glassy
water, but no one wants to leave, for the moment and the beauty are something special that
will surely be gone before we can come back. Perhaps, the cold was from more than the wind.

It was a time to dive. It'd just what Elaine did.