Valley Scuba Community http://www.valleyscuba.com/forum diving, diver, Malibu, scuba, underwater, dive gear, regulator, wetsuit, dry suit, lobster, fish, ICE, DIR, Malibu diving, Diving Malibu, Diving Los Angeles, Sushi, Southern California, forum, bbs, scuba discussion, scuba, bulletin board, underwater photography, videography, photo gallery, diving, field guide, dive sites, dive boats, San Diego, rockfish, tech diving, rec diving, regulator, bc, jetfins, photography, underwater, nudibranch, gorgonians, La Jolla shores, La Jolla canyon, ikelite, endangered creatures, save the whales, best shots, gallery, diving, La Jolla cove, Hogan, Yukon, ruby e, nosc tower, dive news, scuba diving, diving, underwater, snorkeling, dive travel, water sports, dive gear, scuba equipment, California Shipwreck, Shipwrecks of California, California Wreck Divers, Shipwrecks Southern California, shipwreck, LA, wreck diving, ub88, ub-88, Olympic II, star of Scotland, star of France, moody, dd277, dd 277, wreck alley, s-37, s-37, valiant, scuba, Catalina, p-38, channel islands, Honda, destroyers, four stack destroyers, fishing barge, pacific coast steamship, Winfield Scott, master wreck diver, uss Hogan, dd178, dd 178, uss Gregory, dd802, dd 802, john c. butler, de339, de 339, ning po, ningpo, Ace I, Ace One, F.S. Loop, fs loop, airplane wrecks, Dominator, El Rey, Lake Mead, Colorado River, Foss 125, golden horn, Harvard, koka, La jannelle, sm-1, retriever, georgia, ruby e, cyane, st. croix, st croix, santa rosa, suejac, yankee blade, harbor, diosa del mar, gosford, monfalcone, newbern, nosc tower, sunken, history, maritime, presentations, archaeologists, treasure, salvage, underwater, dredging, scuba forum, discuss, chat room, new diver, dive travel, destination, resort, shop, underwater photo, pictures, liveaboards, regulators, Florida, Hawaii, night diving, training, Australia, Caribbean, scuba classifieds, dive review, trip, scuba board, wreck diving, deep diving, nitrox, doria, reef, shark, hurricane, Scripps canyon, giant sea bass, Northern, Southern California, scuba diving, gear, equipment, underwater photographs, photography, dive boats, links, list servers, weather, Redondo Beach, Vets Park, Vets, Veterans Park, lobster, Island Diver, DiveNSurf, DNS, Eco Dive Center, Scuba Toys, reviews, table, guide, Channel Islands, Catalina, Anacapa, San Clemente, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, Nicolas, Nick, Nicholas, Miguel, Farallons, Farallon, Monterey, Monastery, Island, Islands, Tanner Bank, Cortes Bank, Cortez, Farnsworth Bank, Osborne, Begg Rock, Wilson Rock, Richardson Rock, Bee, Gull Island, Abalone, Spiny Lobster, Yellow Banks, Reef, Kelp Forest, fish, scallop, sea star, sub aqua, subaqua, yellowtail, Bonita, sheephead, lingcod, halibut, kelp bass, white sea bass, black sea bass, calico, moray eel, urchin barren, eel grass, reef, Spanish Shawl nudibranch, anemone, snail, Scuba diving, scuba, scuba diving equipment, dive gear, Caribbean scuba diving vacations, Fiji , Bahamas, , Maui, Costa Rica, Belize, Australia, Honduras, vacations, trip and travel, new and used scuba diving equipment and gear, dive magazines, snorkeling, certification, lessons, training, cave diving, rebreathers, technical diving en Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:01:15 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.valleyscuba.com/forum/images/misc/rss.jpg Valley Scuba Community http://www.valleyscuba.com/forum Heisler Park 1/2/09 http://www.valleyscuba.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3359&goto=newpost Sat, 03 Jan 2009 05:57:35 GMT Weather: Overcast... Weather: Overcast (foggy?) and chilly willy!
Tide: LOW at 6:24 am @ 2.40 ft, HIGH at 11:53 am @ 3.93 ft
Time In: 9:33 am
Bottom Time: 56 min.
Depth: 30 fsw
Temp at Depth: 55
Viz: 30'
Surge: 0-3
Surf: Ankle slappers with sets of 2-3 at 2 feet
Swells: None
Current: None
Buddies: Allisyn S, Erika V, Donna S and Daniel O'hara (nice to meet you!)

First dive of the new year for at least 3 of us! Erika posted for dive buddies a week or so ago to go diving this morning at Heisler Park. I grabbed Alli and off we went. Plan was to dive the East reef and I had not been there yet. YEA! OK, lets see if I can get this story straight!??! LOL

We got to Heisler with plenty of time to spare since there was still no traffic on the fwy. Erika was already there. We went part way down the park to chat and look at the wonderful view and viz while we waited for the others. Donna showed up and we chatted some more. I love "catching up".

Now Alli and I knew that she was having a regulator problem before we set out. I thought it was her Primary, so I brought my back-up so that I could switch with her for the dive. So we took the opportunity (while we were waiting for Daniel) to change it out. The I find out that I misunderstood her and it was her octo that leaks. Ok, so I gave her a second primary. No biggie!

So now, Daniel has showed up and we are all getting ready. I put my tools and first stage away and started setting up my gear when I hear an ear piercing pop and a LOT of air flowing hard. I look over to see Alli reaching over to shut off her tank after the noise had made her jump 5 feet away. LOL I took off the first stage and replaced the O-ring. All set. I put my tools away again and continue setting up.

All of a sudden; POP HISSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!! AGAIN?????? I took it apart again and looked at the new O-ring. Erika came over and put it all together. She turns on the air and...POP HISSSSSS!!!!!!!! She figured that there was something wrong with Alli's first stage. So, I break out my tool kit and my back-up first stage and start replacing all her stuff onto it. She put it on the tank and...and...YEA!

OK. Now the other 3 are suited up and ready to go and the 2 of us still don't even have on our wetsuits. So we try to hurry and get caught up while Erika, who is the only one wearing a drysuit, proclaims that they will go down to the water and that they will wait for us on the surface 'cause it's getting hot. My reply was, "uh huh!" while I was processing the fact that the other 2 are going to freeze by the time we get out there.

So off they go while we scurried to get our suits on and remind each other to put weights in and...and...and... well, you get the picture! :-) Then Alli tries to put her glove on the wrong hand. :-D had to mention it!

Now we are ready to go. We make our way down the ramp. As I look out, I see that the trio is STILL waiting. I am kind of surprised. But that's good buddies for ya!!! Alli and I approach the sand at the bottom of the ramp and I stopped in my tracks. I had remembered that I locked my side of the truck but not hers. I was going just leave it but she proclaimed "My credit cards are in there". I was thinking about my credit cards and my PDA and my 2 empty tanks and...

So she starts back up the hill. I said "hurry" and expected her to turn around and start laughing at me. She didn't. She kept walking. When she came back down she says "THERE IS NO "HURRY" WHEN IT COMES TO THAT HILL"!!!! I lost it and started laughing.

So with everything that has gone wrong so far... we still entered the water. By the time we got out to the drop point, Donna and Daniel had descended and were looking around right below Erika. They were cold after waiting for 20 minutes. My thoughts; Ya think????

So I checked with Alli for PSI. I think she told me she about 2400 psi left. We told Erika that our dive would probably be short and we would break away from them early. We descended and had a GREAT dive. The viz was nice and clear, the surge was so mellow that I hardly noticed it at all.

We saw soooo many sheephead today. It was nice seeing them all. Now I now where they've been hiding. Erika found 3 smaller Giant black sea hares, 1 octo sleeping away that Alli found, Donna found a small Spotted kelpfish, lobsters, stars, cucumbers, 1 C-O sole, tons of Wartneck piddock clams and all the usual fish. We did come across a trap that had a crab in it for food. The trap was full of sheephead and rock wrasse. One of the sheephead was SO mad. We thought he (almost he) was going to beat a hole right through the trap so that they could all escape. :-) We wanted to help it but we know better!

When Alli reached 1400 psi, I signaled to Erika that we were turning around. I confirmed to take a 330 heading and waved bye-bye to the 3 of them. A moment later we were a group of 5 again. When we surfaced in 8 fsw, I commented that they didn't have to accompany us back. Donna proclaimed that she saw us call "turn around" and called "cold".

It was a really nice dive. I'm glad I went in. I have a sinus cold that I caught a couple days ago and it didn't bother me at all under there. This evening, I actually feel a little better, so far. :-)

Alli and I finished the day by rinsing gear and she bought me lunch and hot chocolate at Ruby's. YUMMMM.

Thanks for the wonderful day guys!!! pics of Donna and Erika did not turn out well. Sorry.

http://www.ocdiving.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=32503 ]]> So Cal Dive Reports 60FT UNDER http://www.valleyscuba.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3359 So Ends Another Year... http://www.valleyscuba.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3358&goto=newpost Thu, 01 Jan 2009 04:08:05 GMT ... on that note, don't forget to mail your 2008 lobster cards into the DFG before JAN 31 2009. The mailing address is at the bottom of the card. Also don't forget to get your new 2009 card before your next bug trip.

Oh yeah, happy new year everyone.

]]> News and Announcements tleemay http://www.valleyscuba.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3358 Casino Point Dive report 12/30/08 http://www.valleyscuba.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3357&goto=newpost Thu, 01 Jan 2009 04:06:33 GMT Sorry guys, I've been REALLY busy the last 2 months. I guess I have a LOT of catching up to do here on Valley Scuba (599 unread messages). WOW!

In the meantime:
Weather: Sunny and clear, to fogged in and CCCCCCOLD!
Tide: High at 10:00 am @ 5.33 ft
Time In: 8:46 am// 10:49 am
Bottom Time: 48 min// 36 min.
Depth: 93 fsw// 74 fsw
Temp at Depth: 55 both dives
Viz: 30 // 25 feet
Surge: 0-2
Surf: 0-1
Swells: FLAT! Not counting the wakes from the boats
Current: Pretty strong SE on Dive 1 // Kelp standing straight up for dive 2.
Buddy: Laura Dickey

Laura put out a call for a dive buddy to go to the park. The last time I was over at the dive park was March 2, 2008. A little overdue I think. Last year I practically lived there. :-) I called Catalina Divers Supply to make sure that the Pier was open by 8 still so we could get tanks and a wheel barrow. Carolyn informed me that the point was open from 8 to about 2 due to the Cruise ships at port. YEA!!!!! We can take our own tanks. :-)

Then I called the Catalina Luggage Co. to make sure that they were running. The guy that answered said "yes, we'll be out there for the first boat". So, we caught the 6:15 am from Downtown Landing. As we made our way across the channel, the sun was rising and it was a BEAUTIFUL day. The swells were less than 2 feet and the surface appeared smooth. As we got closer to Catalina, the surface looked like living glass. The reflection of the sunrise was just indescribable.

When we arrived, The truck for the luggage company was nowhere to be found. We walked over to the Mole and they were closed up tight as a drum. We waited for a few minutes and I tried to call them in hopes that the phone number would forward to someone's cell or home. But nothing! Not even an answering machine to bicker at. :-)

So we caught a cab. $7 each (tab included) is not bad to get bags, weight, tanks, AND us over to the point. :-D We slowly got dressed and met Eric, the new ops mgr for CDS. The point only had a 1/2 dozen people when we got there. By the time we entered the water (3 divers beat us in) there were a few dozen tourists wandering about. 5 of them were setting up for a Discover Scuba class.

We had a pretty decent surface current taking us the Sue Jaq, so, guess where we headed first? :-) The kelp was laying down so we did a drift dive (sort of) Not much to see but it felt REALLY good to be back in the park again! The topography had changed a lot since I had been there last. I figured it was the lack of algae plants and kelp in most spots.

When we approached the Sue Jaq, the largest school of Blacksmith I've ever seen appeared out of nowhere! These fish were at 95 fsw and kept going to the surface (so it appeared). They were everywhere and seemed to have nowhere to go in a hurry. They kept coming, I peeked over the bottom edge of the ship to see how many more were there. Almost gone! WOW! Cool though. :-D We watched out NDL's and looked around on the Harbor (sheltered) side for a few and the headed back.

On the way back, we were accompanied by a larger Bat ray just strolling along like we were not there. That made my day, I'm done. :-D

I found 2 Mermaid's Purses. 1 empty and 1 with an embryo. Good luck little one! Lots of Fragile stars out here as usual. MANY female sheephead and we were even visited by one of the smaller Oscar's. I had to surface to see where the stairs were. We had only past them be a few feet. The weeds are covering Cousteau's plaque so I didn't find it.

Easy out with high tide. Love it! Quite a few questions on the way out from the tourists. We got our tanks over to the fill station and noticed the fog rolling in like a Tsunami Wave that was breaking at the top. Within minutes, our sun was gone. we were pretty cold from the dive so we were hoping it would come back. It didn't.

We did dive 2 out to the Kismet (et all). We surface kicked out so that we could descend on the Can line for current sake. But there was no current anymore. 1/2 way out there, I hit a "wall" of kelp. My tank felt so heavy as I just sat there waiting for Laura to untangle me. With each handful she grabbed, I felt lighter and lighter. :-) Time to swim forward for a few more feet. :-D

After a short rest at the can. We descended. The first thing we saw was a chrome bumper. It looked like it came from a van. I REALLY wanted to bring it up and throw it away but...Oh well. We explored all 3 boats with not much to find. a few fish and some stars and cucumbers. We made our way back to the shallows and I started to figure out what was so different about the topography. So much of the sand was missing.

I have seen the sand shifted here. But this was a LOT. Things were unburied that I had never seen before. In one spot, that we went over on both dives, there was pieces of old rotted wood everywhere. More pieces of electrical-like looking insulation and other metal parts. If you would have dropped me down on topped of this and then told me to find my way back to the stair, I would have thought to myself "where the heck am I?".

Other than that, this dive was uneventful. I looked at Laura and asked if she was cold, 'cause I was. She said yes and we agreed to come in early. We had more questions from more tourists on the way in. I love trying to convince people to take a Discover Scuba Class. Especially when I'm standing there, almost freezing. :-) "Yeah, it's great. You really should try it!!! :-D

We ate lunch and had some Hot cocoa (packed lunch) and decided to call it a day. 2 very nice dives. BRRRR

W got packed up and I called the Catalina Baggage Co. This was at 1:20 pm. The guy told me that they were not doing any pick ups until 3 pm. I asked him why? He said his guy that is doing the pick ups and deliveries is on a break. WHAT!!??. I told him about yesterday's phone call and this mornings happenings, and now he has only 1 guy working and he is on a 2 hour break??? He said "sorry, there's nothing I can do". I exclaimed that his customer service was down the drain and that our business just went, AGAIN, to the Cab Co. and I hung up.

We got a REALLY nice ride from the cab company back to the Mole, exchanged our 6 pm tickets for a 3:45 ride back, and slowly watched the fog clear. The ride back to the mainland was very crowded as the largest Express was PACKED from all the Holiday vacationers going home. It was a very smooth ride with patches of fog. The sunset was a pretty orange as the fog tried to hide it as it set. at one point, the sun looked like an orange hamburger with the streak of fog very thickly portraying the burger. :-) I must have been hungry.

Thanks for the nice dives and the great company Laura. We have to dive more often!
]]> So Cal Dive Reports 60FT UNDER http://www.valleyscuba.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3357 2008 Recap/New Years Resolutions http://www.valleyscuba.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3356&goto=newpost Thu, 01 Jan 2009 04:01:13 GMT 90 dives, 6,114 minutes... 90 dives, 6,114 minutes underwater, and a grand total of 267 dives in the log book.

What a GREAT year this has been!
Barely any red tide.
Lots of good beach diving this year.
Did my 1 st dive at Reef Point.
Dove for the 1st time with: Martha Edge, Laura Dickey, Steve Leebobo, Cindy and Keith Shaw, Debbie Karimoto :-D, Kevin Glenn, DJ Gilbert, Jeni Smith, Russell Posin (Mitchell's son), Tim and Jodi from Phoenix, Scott Watson, who else?
Saw my first ever: Black dorids (now I see them all the time), Janolus Barbarensis x3, a Giant Pacific Seahorse (3 inches tall, at most), 3 butterfly rays, I know there's more!
I got to witness how fast a 1 inch abalone can move when it is not interested in the food you are trying to feed it. :-)
I got to use my lift bag for the first time to remove an illegally made plastic lobster trap from Shaw's cove.
I had the honor of introducing divers (new and old) to beach diving with hopes that they will return.
We got to take a Wreck Diving Class in San Diego.
I lost a fin off the Lois Ann (before the dive) and got it back 4 weeks later. Pretty lucky huh?
We started our DM class.
Dove in San Diego Bay for the International Beach clean up day.
Dove Avalon Bay for their clean up day.
Dove Chamber Day/Eve
I met new friends that I HOPE to dive with soon along with those that I know, that I have yet to dive with (some of whom I still have not met).

My New Years Resolutions?
To have another year filled with as much fun and gifts as the ocean will allow me to have!
To make more friends and share more stories.
To finish my DM class and hopefully find the right Course Director to mentor me through to instructor.
ENJOY it all!
 ]]> News and Announcements 60FT UNDER http://www.valleyscuba.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3356 Happy New Years !! http://www.valleyscuba.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3355&goto=newpost Thu, 01 Jan 2009 03:39:41 GMT *!! Thanks for being...
!! Thanks for being part of Valley Scuba !!

I wish you a healthy, wealthy and adventurous 2009



:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
]]> NON Scuba Discussions ICE http://www.valleyscuba.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3355 What did you get for Christmas/Hanukkah/Etc... http://www.valleyscuba.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3354&goto=newpost Mon, 29 Dec 2008 18:23:51 GMT Hey everyone ! I hope... Hey everyone ! I hope everyone had a great holiday.

I got a sweater, snowboard binding, a warm jacket, dozens of cards and emails. Most important I got to spend time with the one's I love !! ]]> NON Scuba Discussions ICE http://www.valleyscuba.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3354 Has it rained lately? http://www.valleyscuba.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3353&goto=newpost Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:57:29 GMT Hey everybody! Merry... Hey everybody! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

I'm on vacation in cold & windy Indiana at the moment, but I want to do some diving when I get back on the 31st. How have conditions been, and has it rained at all over the past week?

I'm hoping I can get one more day of use out of my 2008 fishing license... ]]> So Cal and Travel Dive Planning Shoupart http://www.valleyscuba.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3353 Leo Carillo - 12/21/08 http://www.valleyscuba.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3352&goto=newpost Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:03:41 GMT I know it's cold, but if you can make the transition from your clothes to your wetsuit, it's worth it! Leo Carillo 7am & 41 degrees! Flat as a pancake-- not one wave to speak of. It's so cold out now, that even after loading up my gear & driving a 1/2 hr to perfect conditions, I still had to talk myself into getting into my wetsuit, but boy was it worth it! The best viz I've EVER seen here; and I've dove here at least a dozen times-- 35' to 40' incredible. Loved it. When you can see whole vistas, the diving is so incredible...

Still a few nice bugs around, but they were ensconced in deep holes, so I could only admire the big guys. I was able to grab a couple of legals in shallow holes and fight them out. So, if the rain goes away, let's get out there!
Happy Holidays!
-Tom:hug:

Dive Location: Leo Carillo
Buddy(ies): Solo
Bottom Time: 60mins
Max Depth: 35'
Avg Depth: 28'
Viz: 35'-40'
Temp at depth/surface: 55 degrees
Dive Type: Hunting
Gas Mixture: Air
Weather: Clear
Waves: 0-1ft
Surge: 0-1ft
Swells: Calm
Current: None ]]> So Cal Dive Reports Echoingtom http://www.valleyscuba.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3352