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Dive Summary: A 40-minute dive to 80ft at Anchor Farm in challenging (< 5ft) visibility. The dive itself was a reminder of several key lessons in preparation and equipment management. The two most important reminders: you can never over prepare for a dive, and the ocean always keeps you humble.
Lesson 1: Fatigue & Preparation Don’t Mix: It’s not ideal to sign up for an early boat dive after hosting a Halloween sleepover. I arrived tired, disorganized, and immediately realized I’d forgotten my rock boots. No matter, the neoprene socks attached to my drysuit would suffice for a boat dive. But this lack of focus was clear in my gear prep as well: I had neglected to label my Enriched Air tanks after picking them up. This created unnecessary uncertainty for a 40-minute dive planned at 80 feet, where the difference between air (35 min NDL) and 32% (50 min NDL) is significant.
Lesson 2: Test Buoyancy Changes in a Controlled Setting: My primary in-water issue was buoyancy. I had just switched to a stainless steel backplate to compensate for increased ballast requirements of my new drysuit. I thought I had the math worked out correctly by dropping 4lbs in trim weights while adding 4 with the switch to a stainless steel plate from my old Deep Sea Supply (RIP) Kydex plate. This was a mistake. I miscalculated by about 2-3 lbs. A deep dive with (turns out) low visibility is not the place to test a new setup. I was light on descent and, more embarrassingly, was positively buoyant enough that on ascent (with 1000psi) that I had to use the anchor line to manage my ascent (a no-no in GUE circles).
Lesson 3: Know Your Computers’ Settings: This was my first dive with a new Shearwater Perdix 2, backed up by my Garmin Descent Mk3. Mid-dive, they gave conflicting information. At 35 minutes, the Garmin warned of approaching NDLs and entered deco, while the Shearwater (and my own dive plan) correctly showed 10+ minutes remaining. Back on the boat, I realized my error: I had left the Garmin on a conservative gradient factor from a pre-flight dive the week before (75 vs. 85).
Dive Notes: Despite the self-inflicted challenges, the dive site itself was beautiful. We dropped down the line into green darkness. At the bottom, the massive anchors, covered in Metridium, loomed out of the 5-foot viz. We finned a slow, clockwise pattern around the structures about 3 times, accommodating several macro photographers in the group. A good dive, but a better classroom. Lessons learned.
Given the challenges of the first dive, I opted to sit out the second dive of the day. I believe in over 2,000 dives, this is the first time I’ve done that.
Final dive. Before entry, I realized the first stage of my Atomic regulator was leaking in a bad way. Had to use a spare regulator fromt he boat (which ironically was also an Atomic). Strange diving without my long-hose setup. We tried to fin around the point to the North, but the current kicked up quite a bit as we did so we retreated to the cove and spent the majority of our time in the shallows. Saw a playful harbor seal and found a small cavern along the shoreline. Lovely end to the day.
Second dive of the day. A place called Goat Harbor. Beauitful kelp forests abound. More horn sharks. A handful of moray eels. Some very large lobsters. Apparently this area is one of the more aggressive marine protected areas, even than adjacent areas around Catalina. In this area you can see Giant Sea Bass, but we weren’t that lucky on this dive.
First dive of the morning, I was excited to be back in Catalina for the Fall conditions after my dives here earlier this Spring, and the hopes of the fabled visibility. Truthfully, I didn’t feel like the visibility was significantly better, but I happy nonetheless. I buddied up with a local sport diver who turned out to have a great eye for finding things. This first dive we saw a small two-spot octopus, a horn-shark, and of course a myriad of reef fish. Stunning light coming through the kelp forests and a toasty 63 degree water. This was also my first real open-water dive using my new dry suit. Ended with quite low psi, but with the LP85 tanks the captain is OK draining down to 200 psi or so. My SAC rate wasn’t great, mostly as I was still figuring out the balance of air in my wing vs. drysuit.
Even shorter 2nd dive, if you can call it that. However, technically hit the requirements for the Drysuit course. Huzzah!
Drained my tank to 500PSI to do a final buoyancy check with my HP100 tank. I dived with 16 pounds of weight (I’m typically at 12 in my 7mm semidry). Needed 2 more pounds after the final weight check. So, with current undergarments ideal weight for me is ~18 pounds.
With the drysuit, may decide to switch to my stainless steel backplate. That would mean I need to carry 12 pounds of weight, but would need to work out how much has to be ditchable. Currently I dive with 4 pounds ditchable and I can comfortably stay at the surface with a failed wing with 8 pounds still attached.
I believe the rule of thumb is a competent diver that is properly weighted can remain at the surface with 10 pounds of residual negative buoyancy in the event of a wing failure.
First open water dive for my PADI Drysuit course. At McAbee. Visibility was, without exageration, under 5’.
So stoked to finally be in a drysuit (although ironic today was the warmest day in Monterey I’ve dived this year). Our instructor tried to take us out to the pinnacle that sits offshore at about a 32 degree heading. Kicked insanely fast, hence the high SCR.
Had to don and doff my BP/W at the surface, as well as disconnect and reconnect the drysuit inflator hose.
Called dive short given such poor visibility.
Pool session for my PADI Drysuit course, at Diver Dans. Excited to be in a drysuit finally. Not excited to wear a drysuit with full undergarments in an 86 degree pool.
SAC: 14.652 l/min
SAC: 14.758 l/min
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First dive of the day from the Escapade with BAUE. We tried to make it around to Carmel but turned back to due larger than expected swells right at the navigational buoy marking Point Pinos. Oh well, we’ll get there eventually. Had a more successful dive here than my first time around. Lots of Redfish (what a shock!), lincold, copper rockfish, vermillion rockfish, and more.
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A milestone: my first boat dive in Monterey. A second milestone: my first time diving with the Bay Area Underwater Explorers (BAUE) since earning my GUE certification earlier this year.
We attempted to make it around Point Pinos to the Carmel side, but had to turn back due to strong swells. Ball Buster is apparently named this due to steel balls you can find around the pinnacle from old trawler boats.
After a giant stride entry, we descended quickly to 90’ along the anchor line and took a counterclockwise route around the pinnacle. After a lot of shore diving along Monterey, it felt nice be in deep water quickly, though as the only one in a wetsuit, I felt the cold as well as the compression of the neoprene.
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