2004:NorCal or SoCal diving trip??? (AUGUST)

SoCal:

I would be interested in a SoCal trip.. Not too far from the PNW.. Lots of flights daily. Could be down and back before anyone realizes I'm gone.
MV, I have to agree with Mike.. Dumb fish thought you were feeding them.. I had a similar experience in Hawaii... If I tried to waved them away they kept coming back..
Hope your daughter is willing to dive Cal and battle the fish again..

SoCal:

Would be interested in a SoCal divesite.  Something preferably off a boat.  Trudging down the rocks/ steps, then the surf/ swells surge etc with all the rubber, weights and tanks just ain't fun for me.

SoCal:

I already dive Monterey in No Cal and I have always wanted to do one of the So Cal boat trips, I've heard they are awesome. I also think So Cal is just a little warmer than No Cal. If the August timing is right, I'd join.

And I echo the off a boat preference, for pretty much the same reasons.

I think I remember that the boats in Monterey require proof - log book proof - that you've had cold water diving experience in the recent past. Maybe one of the So Cal group can comment if that's a requirement there as well.

The only people who have ever looked at my log book have been other curious divers.

SoCal:

I would be interested in a SoCal trip.. Not too far from the PNW.. Lots of flights daily. Could be down and back before anyone realizes I'm gone.
MV, I have to agree with Mike.. Dumb fish thought you were feeding them.. I had a similar experience in Hawaii... If I tried to waved them away they kept coming back..
Hope your daughter is willing to dive Cal and battle the fish again..

This would count as warm water diving for you.

SoCal:

I would be interested in a SoCal trip.. Not too far from the PNW.. Lots of flights daily.  Could be down and back before anyone realizes I'm gone. 
MV, I have to agree with Mike.. Dumb fish thought you were feeding them.. I had a similar experience in Hawaii... If I tried to waved them away they kept coming back..
Hope your daughter is willing to dive Cal and battle the fish again..

This would count as warm water diving for you.

I guess I would leave the dry suit and the hood at home then.. Bring on the warm water diving

I was reading WW's post about spear fishing on the FG trip, and her statement that spearfishing is not allowed on SD trips w/o special arraingments, sparks this concern about the possible SoCal trip. If dive boat/s are used, depending on the number of divers, most likely SD would only reserve part of the trip. The rest would be booked either by another dive group or shop, or kept as "Open Boat" for anyone else to join. This is fairly common out here, where most of the live aboards have 25-30 divers. It may be something to be worked out. I do have to admit that there are fewer and fewer spear fisherers on trips, but they are around.

SoCal:

I would be interested in a SoCal trip.. Not too far from the PNW.. Lots of flights daily.  Could be down and back before anyone realizes I'm gone. 
MV, I have to agree with Mike.. Dumb fish thought you were feeding them.. I had a similar experience in Hawaii... If I tried to waved them away they kept coming back..
Hope your daughter is willing to dive Cal and battle the fish again..

This would count as warm water diving for you.

I guess I would leave the dry suit and the hood at home then.. Bring on the warm water diving

I'd pack the dry suit, just in case. But that's me, I use mine all 12 months here, cause I'm 50, got my AARP card and a CWW.

Hi,
I would like to dive SoCal in Aug. if it is later in the month. Got to recover from Utila trip. Anyone going on that one?

How about a trip to La Paz or even Loretto Baja sometime?
Valerie

I'd be interested late in August (we'll be up in the mountains the first week of Aug), as long as it's a boat and not shoredives. Ya really gotta live there to take advantage of the times when the vis clears near shore. I'm eager to spring for one of the bigger boats so I'm not cramped in a 32" x 6' bunk like some of them.

Pretty please, a boat that has a rinse bucket for cameras, too, if it's not just a day boat.


Drysuit time for me, fer sure. This link at CDN is reasonably close to the temps I've found out there, plus or minus a few degrees:

http://www.saintbren...ingCatTemp.html
or
http://www.ndbc.noaa...est_inset.shtml for the area NOAA buoys


I hit San Diego 2 weekends ago, and it was marvelously bad: 3 to 8' vis. After the first dive, I didn't take the camera(s) down again, as there wasn't much point in photographing mud. First dive was the Yukon, and I had a wide-angle lens on so I could get some exterior shots of the wreck, and Boy! was that a mistake. It didn't work worth a darn on the close-ups I was forced to shoot. We had around 5' vis on the NOSC Tower, and 3' or less on a night 'braille dive' at the Ingraham Bridge rubble. At least the lobsters were out that night, doing a conga line.

Thanks for all the input...so far its looking good for later August but not the last week since we do a Labor Day trip and I'll need a few days to recover from the CA trip before heading out again.

And yes we'll do the boat thing...and probably Catalina Island with Dr. Bill for an easy shoredive by our very own 'host with the most'!

If I go will Dr Bill sign my BC?

If I go will Dr Bill sign my BC?

BC yes...BUTT...probably not....unless you are a fish!

p.s. it helps to be 'munching or mating'!!!

WW:
Suggestion if you are going to take a group to Catalina book it now. July and August are the busiest and currently the Hotels are booking now with individuals and groups.

Hi all,

Here is my 2 cents worth of input about diving in So cal.
Since I have dived here for over a decade now, I am very familiar with the majority of dive sites, conditions, options and the most desirable way to dive.
Personally, I do not recommend beach diving if most of us have to fly in order to get here. Waters in August may be warm, but that would also guarantee high surf, significant surge and visibility limited to a few feet.
In order to be able to get the most of your money and enjoy gorgeous So Cal diving, being on a boat is the only option.
We have been blessed with many commercial dive boats and some that actually offer as much as 3 day excursions that offer all amenities as bunks, food and unlimited air fills. Some offer Nitrox as well.
We could reserve space on such boat and if some can stay longer, there are boats out of San Diego that offer a minimum of a 2 day trip, including Wreck Alley.
One of the Boats that I patronize on a regular basis is the PEACE dive boat (www.peaceboat.com), which incidentally has a 3 day trip in August that includes 3 different Channel Islands including Catalina.
Farnsworth Banks on the back side of Catalina is considered as one of the world's 5 best dives.
Hope to see some of you here this summer.

Dahlia

p.s. it helps to be 'munching or mating'!!!

Speaking of Munching & Mating......
I am eagerly awaiting availability of Dr. Bill's DVD!