Kayak Diving SoCal

Sensations (January 28, 2012)

2012-01-29T05:56:00.000-08:00

For some time the weather has been, well.....winter-like. But on Thursday (1/26) Summer arrived ahead of schedule. Suddenly we had clear skies and temperatures in the high 70's low 80's. So there was nothing to do but get out on my kayak. Now, on Thursday I only had a short time. So I just took a short jaunt out to The Far Kelp, fifty minutes round trip (plus prep time).

But Saturday was just as nice. I was down to the beach by 0830. I launched at Marine Room restaurant, at the south end of La Jolla Shores, instead of my regular entry at the boat launch. This way you can park and you do not have to move your car.

I hear the snap, crackle, and pop stepping on the beached kelp as I take the kayak down to the shore, Sandflies buzz up and alight on my legs, the occasional annoying one that flies up my nose or in my ear.

Warm sun on my face, legs, and arms. A very gentle 1 to 2 knot wind brushes across bare skin. Cool water on legs as I enter, and a brisk wave floods over the bow of my kayak slapping me in the face. The smell of the remains of a wood fire on the beach waft past my nose. The skirl of shore birds wheeling in the air reaches my ears.

I paddle out again to the Far Kelp west of Children's Pool. I am hoping to see some whales, it is migration season. I have not seen any this year. Also there was a report of a White Shark to the south off Imperial Beach. To see that would be a great experience (as long as all I experienced was seeing him). So I paddle west as far as the last kayak fisher. Then I turn south to head towards Marine Street, Wind-and-Sea, and Bird Rock.

It has been a very long time since I have done a really long kayak. But I was feeling pretty good. So I just found a nice maintainable pace and kept going. Before I knew it I was past Marine Street, past Wind-and-Sea, and at Bird Rock. So I just kept going. I spotted some dive boats at Wreck Alley to the West of Mission Beach and pointed my bow in that direction. I made it all the way out there and that is when I took my first break. Travel time was about two hours.

On the way south, along the rocky, west-facing beaches the surf was big, and I had to stay far outside. The roar of the crashing surf was the only sound filling my ears.

After a short rest I turned about and headed back. The sun is now on my back and the wind in my face. As long as it is gentle this is nice, it it keeps me cool on hot days, and creates a false sensation of speed. Today, though light, the breeze was chilling me some. So I put on my shirt to cut down on the wind chill factor. Heading into the wind little wind-wavelets slap the bow of my kayak.

Once around the point at Children's Pool I turn east and head to the beach. Wind and the long swell pushing at my back I pick up speed a little. Just in time as after 3 1/2 hours I am getting a bit tired. Each time a swell passes beneath my kayak I am pushed forward and a bow wake splashes on the lee. The surf is no longer crashing in this protected bay. And so quite sounds become more prominent. The splash of my paddle, sea birds calling, and a whisper from behind me. Something is following me. I can hear it after each stroke. Oh, it just the whisper of my wake.

Last day of Christmas

2012-01-02T16:21:00.000-08:00

Monday, January 2, 2012.

My last day of Xmas vacation. Yesterday I did a dive with my buddy Mark K. condtions were nice, foggy.

So today I waited until about 1:00 PM and headed for La Jolla Shores for a paddle. The fog was just burning off at that time. To the South and west was the Fog Bank. To the north it was clear and blue. Air temp was a cool 64 degrees. Hit the surf at about 2:40 and headed straight out to the Far Kelp. It was kind of choppy with a wind frim the north of about 2-3 knots, just the occasional white cap, and a swell from the northwest of about 2 -4 feet. Just a nice day.

Once I got out past the kelp the fog had receeded and it was sunny, though it did not warm up much. But the sun on my back felt good. The wind dropped just a little so the chop was less. Headed North with the hope of meeting up with the Gray Whales.

On the way out I passed a group of Kayak tourist coming back in. After they passed I had the ocean to myself. No tourist (nto that they are bad), no fishermen. Just me and the birds.

I did not encounter any Whales today. On the way in a couple of Harbor Seals and a Sea Lion (juvey) came and checked me out.

Just nice to be out on the water

Tess, Visiting From Seattle

2011-10-16T16:08:00.000-07:00

I went kayaking today with my dive buddies, Mark (right) and Debbie (center) and their friend Tess, from Seattle. We met at 10:00 and they picked up their kayaks from one of the rental places along Avenida De La Playa in La Jolla. While they were doing that I got my kayak down to the beach and got it ready to go.

Mark and Debbie rented a tandem kayak. Here they are over against the cliffs and cave area east of La Jolla Cove.

It was a pretty calm day. Not much of a swell and the surf was just small ankle slappers over at the Boat Launch. There is still a very heavy Red-tide. So visibility below the surface was only a foot or two. So it was not possible to see anything of the reef

It was calm enough to paddle into the Caves. But since we were not with a guide Mark, Debbie, and Tess were restricted from going into the Caves. Being on my personal kayak I was able to. I took a quick excursion into Emerald Cove and through the pass-though cave, which is about 50 yards to the right of this picture of all three Tess in the foreground, Mark & Debbie behind.

Tess is a kayaker back in Seattle. She is used to Sit-in kayaks. She usually goes on lakes and rivers. This may have been her first time on a "Sit-on-top".

From there we took a trip out to Buoy "A" in the kelp. Saw a couple of Harbor seals. Then paddled back in to shore. I went into the beach first to help the others come in through the surf. It was so small that everyone made it in without any help, and no-one tipped.

Over to El Charro's for some Shrimp Burritos.

Having spent 4 years in Seattle it was fun chatting about it. Reminiscing about all the things to do places to visit. Told Tess about the kayak tour place on Alki Beach that I went when there last year.

Another great day at Sea & Shore.

Kayak dive anchor Rock

2011-09-24T16:52:00.000-07:00

Kayal Dive #4
Anchor Rock from LJShores
Descent time; 0940
bottom time 37 mins
Max depth 71
Vis 20

I met up with new kayak dive buddies today - Gus and his son Brian.

We met at the Avenida De La Playa boat launch at 0800. Set up the kayaks and paddled out to the dive site. While still at the shore we observed that the Pelicans were diving for fish near shore and there was a harbor seal playing in the practically non-existent surf.

Started off a gray day but that is good. Cool for paddling. On the way out we observed the large pod of Dolphins I have been seeing lately. (I am going to imagine they are the same ones I have been seeing.) We met up with a returning kayak fisherman who had landed a two foot Humbolt Squid. We hope to see one. We anchored our kayaks and got in our gear.

The surface water is a nice watery chocolate brown from the Red Tide. So the descent was dark with no visibility. About 30 feet you could feel the thermocline and the water temp dropped to about 55. Then the vis opened up to about 20 feet.

We explored all around Anchor Rock. All regular reef inhabitants. I saw at least one yellow Treefish. Upon ducking under the water we could hear the Dolphins pinging their sonar. They must have been all around us. But they rarely come close to scuba divers. They were probably just out of visibility, just like the White Sharks. Anyway, we had a great dive on the Rock and in the adjacent kelp bed.

A nice relaxing paddle back to a shore discussing the dive and possible future dives. After loading up the kayaks and dive gear off for some shrimp burritos at El Charro. Sun was starting to peak through the marine layer for a nice meal in the sun watching the tourist kayakers walking down to the beach.

Paddle to Ruby E and HMCS Yukon dive sites

2011-09-18T19:09:00.000-07:00

This morning I launched my kayak from Mission Bay and proceeded out the channel to open ocean. Gray and overcast with a nice breeze keeping it cool. I had not decided where I would go at first. Point Loma kelp bed or Wreck Alley. My hope was to see some blue whales. I am not sure if I can get out far enough in my kayak to see them. But one report from a local weatherman said he spotted some from Torrey Pines. This suggests that is is possible. And I have seen gray whales in close to shore.

Exiting the Channel I spotted some dive boats out at the Ruby E. So I decided to head there. A little wind chop but the swell was small. At the Ruby E I stopped and chatted with the divers there. They then set off for a second dive at Point Loma kelp beds.

I could see some boats out at The Yukon. So I paddled there. Once there I chatted with the divers there. Was told the Yukon is now completely over on its Port side. I don't know when that happened. I could be a while ago. I have not dived there for quite some time.

After this break I headed back to Mission Bay. No whales or even dolphins this day. But a nice paddle

Dolphins

2011-08-28T00:21:00.000-07:00

On August 8th and 9th I went paddling out to the Far Kelp bed northwest of The Children's Pool in La Jolla. There had been some reports of Blue Whales not too far from there. I was hoping to see them. I did not. But while out there on both days I got right in the middle of a large (60 plus) pod of Dolphins. They may have been Common Dolphin but I am not sure. Here are a couple of pictures.

Moody Blues

2011-05-24T12:40:00.000-07:00

May 22, 2011

Sunday evening I packed up the kayak and headed down to Huphrey's By The Bay for the Moody Blues concert. A quick paddle from Bessemer Street to Humphrey's to settle back with all the other boats for the concert.
It was supposed to drizzle some. But, except for about ten minutes just before the concert started it stayed dry.
They played all their hits and some less known (by us casual fans) deeper tracks. Most recognizable songs performed were; The Story in Your Eyes, In Your Wildest Dreams, Tuesday Afternoon, Nights In White Satin, The Other Side of Life, and Higher and Higher, to name a few.

Once upon a time,
Once when you were mine,
I remember skies,
reflected in your eyes.
I wonder where you are
I wonder if you think about me.
Once upon a time in your Wildest Dreams.

Surf's up

2011-04-30T21:12:00.000-07:00

I packed my dive gear and headed for La Jolla Cove. There was a large swell coming in from the west. Swell was breaking on the outside reef of Boomer and breaking in the Cove as well. So I went to La Jolla Shores to check conditions there. North of the Lifeguard tower surf was shoulder to head high, and the surfers were out in force. A few of my buddies and I watched a class try to get out in the surf. After fifteen minutes or so most of them had not made it out of the surf zone. And a few were pushed back into the beach. So they decided to go to breakfast. I went back home and exchanged my dive gear for my kayak.

I went down to Bahia Point in Mission Bay. I launched my kayak and headed north. I decided I would see how much of the Bay I could circumnavigate. First I went around Bahia Point into Santa Barbara Cove. Then out around El Carmel Point. Back hugging the shore into San Juan Cove. Turning east, with the wind at my back I passed the Catamaran Resort. Passed Riviera Shores, through Fisherman's Channel and under the Ingraham Street bridge. Then I headed back north again past Crown Point Shores. I skirted the edge of the wildlife preserve to Campland By The Bay. I then took a short paddle up Rose Creek Inlet, between Mission Bay High School and Mission Bay Park. I went until the rock weir at Grand Avenue. Turning about I headed back to De Anza Point. On the way there I spotted a Blue Heron fishing along the shore. His head feathers were nearly purple.

Mid way along De Anza Point I made a mad dash across the channel between it and Fiesta Island. Need to avoid the ski boats and Jet Skis. I timed it right when traffic was clear. Then I ran down the west shore of Fiesta Island. I stopped for a ten to fifteen minute break on Fiesta Island. That was two hours into my paddle.

When I got to Stony Point on Fiesta Island I headed across Perez Cove under the south portion of the Ingraham Street bridge. I followed the bridge over to the south shore of Vacation Isle. Then back across to Ventura Cove and Bahia Point.

A total of about nine miles, in just under three hours. Sometimes the wind was at my back sometimes I was headed into the wind. The wind picked up when I was crossing in front of Fiesta island. And it was producing some decent size wind waves, directly from my starboard beam, causing wind spray over my gunnel.

A satisfying paddle on a beautiful, sunny San Diego day.

Spring Break

2011-04-04T12:32:00.000-07:00

After a few months off I got back on the water today. A nice sunny and warm Spring morning. A little bit of wind chop from the west, nothing to extreme. Just nice to get back on the sea. Out to the far kelp bed. Then north to the outer ecological preserve marker buoy. Traveled in to Scripps Pier. Then south along the coast to the boat launch. Half a dozen sea lions rafting outside, plenty of seaguls, terns and pelicans enjoying the schools of bait fish.

Whale Watching Season

2011-01-09T16:49:00.000-08:00

I went out kayaking to the outer kelp bed off the Children's Pool in La Jolla, It is getting to be Whale Watching Season. First thing, right in the surf was a small pod of dolphins. They had swum off by the time I had gotten through the non-existent surf. So I paddled on out to the Far Kelp Bed. That was Thursday, January 6 Spent some time waiting for the sight of any whales. None today. A lot of Sea Lions in a raft (that is a group of sea lions). And some swimming alone.

On my way back to shore I met up with a guided group. The Guide said that they had seen five gray whales on Sunday. So although I saw none today. I will keep checking as often as I can.

Day on Lake Pacifica

2010-10-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

I know it has been some time since I posted to my kayk blog. But that does not mean I have not been out. Recently I went camping and kayaking with a fun group of people out to Lake Moreno. And just yesterday my friend Cindy and I went kayaking at La Jolla in Lake Pacifica.

Here are some pics from the day.

The Caves Area

The Slot

A nice paddle out to the kelp bed off Children's Pool

Kelp Fried Egg Jelly Fish.

Probably about 10 feet below the surfac

e. Seal In the Kelp.

Thanks to Cindy McVey for all the photos,

Concerts on the Bay

2010-08-08T19:10:00.000-07:00

August 6th 2010

This is something else I like to do on my kayak. Humphrey's has Concerts by the Bay. Many boaters and kayakers motor over in whatever small craft they can find. Some come in small ski crafts or fishing boats. Some motor over in dingies or zodiacs. And some come in kayaks, canoes and even small inflatables. What ever they come in it is sure to be a fun party.

This evening Ringo Starr and his All Star Band were playing. Featured in this band besides Ringo are Edgar Winter (Frankenstein), Gary Wright (Dreamweaver), Rick Derringer (Hang on Sloopy) and others.

I packed up all my kayak gear, picked up some KFC and some Samuel Adams, and headed down to Bessemer and Scott Street to launch my kayak. I got down there about 6:15 PM and set up to go. The concert started at 8 pm. I paddled over and found a great place. I was right up front and could see the stage fairly well.

I think I was about 100 feet from the stage.

In just a short time I would be surrounded by many boaters and kayakers. Boaters coming to the concert are the friendliest group of strangers you will ever meet. I was right next to a family having a reunion in their small zodiac. Three of their teenage boys were up front a bit. One of them is a huge Edgar Winter fan.

Notice the girl to the right of the pic with long black hair.

(more later)

Ringo Starr and everyone came out on stage and after a brief intro and a shout out to all us freeloaders (which got a big cheer) the music got started. Ringo played quite a few of his more popular song including Yellow Submarine, With a Little Help From My Friends, and More. That's Ringo center stage. Forgive the poor quality. It is hard to get a decent pic in the dark on a rockin' & rollin' kayak.

Then Edgar Winter did Frankenstein.

The white blur in front of the drum kit is Edgar Winter.

Rick Derringer did Hang on Sloopy, and Gary Wright did Dreamweaver. Ringo did some other songs including a new original from his latest album. I can't recall the title.

There was some entertainment in the crowd also. One very big Ringo fan was sitting next to the girl with very long black hair in front of my group. (Yes, by the beginning of the concert they had become "my group". The family having their reunion said I was now part of their family.)

He kept yelling out "Ringo, Ringo" and flicking his Bic lighter. Soon he turned to a flashlight and was using that to express his enthusiasm for the show. During one point I noticed a little commotion coming from that group. I asked my neighbor what happened. He told me that the guy dropped his flashlight in the water. It was still visible on the bottom.

My comment at this was; "that is not the only thing that will likely end up overboard." And sure enough it was not long until there was a big splash and some sputtering followed by a ripple of laughter as well as waves as the Ringo Starr fan rolled his kayak. Everyone was encouraging him to retrieve his light. I think he must not be a free diver. He never got it.

Anyway, It was a good concert. and I look forward to going to a few more this summer before I return to my regular work schedule at the beginning of school.

Seattle Paddle

2010-06-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

I drove up to Vallejo for my nephews High School graduation. Then I took my Subaru on a long shake-down cruise to Portland and Seattle. Visited my dive buddy, Scott, in Portland. Then up to Seattle too revisit all my old Coast Guard haunts.

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

Went to Alki beach and took a tour of Eliot Bay and the Coast Guard Lighthouse on a Necky sit-in kayak. While waiting for my tour I met with three divers getting ready to dive the in Eliot Bay. They were all in dry suits. But after a brief discussion with them I determined it would not be too uncomfortable to dive in a wetsuit. The temperature of the water was about 50. I have dived in waters of that temp in San Diego and in the New Zealand winter on the South Island. I was told that you can encounter the Giant Octopus right in Eliot Bay.

This is my guide, Scott, from Alki Kayak Tours at Alki Beach. My yellow Necky kayak. In the background is Queen Anne Hill just to the North of Downtown Seattle. Only my second time in a kayak with a rudder. I picked it up quickly.

Check out Alki Kayak Tours page http://www.kayakalki.com/

Me with the Space Needle rising above the city. From the launch we went west past Alki (originally maned New York by the Settlers) then changed to its Indian name. There is actually a small replica of the Statue of Liberty near the shore.

The bow of my kayak points toward the Seattle skyline and some ominous clouds. As the day went on it would lighten some and the sun break through. I actually had to take off my jacket a little later.

Our goal and turn-around point the Coast Guard Lighthouse at Alki Point.

Scubaru Baja's Initiation

2010-05-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

May 9th, 2010, Sunday

Later this afternoon I was meeting a friend to go see the movie "Oceans". But I had a few hours until we would get together. Since I have prepared my apartment for storage of my dive and kayak gear (I can no longer store it in my car like I have done with my Ford Escort Wagon). I decided that I would load my kayak atop my Subaru Baja and head down to the beach. I have been diving with her and now it was time she learn her part in my kayaking activities.

I loaded up all my peripherals such as seat, paddle, shorty wetsuit, extra clothing and water. Then I transferred my kayak from my Ford to my Subaru and headed on down to the beach. One thing I realized with my Subaru is that I will have to get an earlier start than when I load my gear the night before and get up in the morning, hop in my car and go.

The only real difference with carrying my kayak is the Subaru is a little higher then my Ford. So lifting it up there is a little harder. And it may turn out that I have to watch my overhead clearance when going into low parking structures. Of course, with my gear in the truck bed, I must be conscientious of leaving it unattended. But that little drawback is worth it. If I follow my "No Gear In The Passenger Area" rule the interior of my car will not get stinky, like my Ford tended to get. And that is the main reason I got a Baja over an Outback.

I went to the boat launch and drove out onto the sand. This is another benefit of the Subaru Baja. It is all wheel drive. I am less likely to have trouble in the sand then with my Ford. There were a couple of times when I nearly got stuck. If it had not been for my manual transmission I would have been.

Took a picture of my Baja on the sand with the kayak atop.

Funny, my kayak looks much smaller on my Scubaru than on my Ford.

Today on the water was challenging, a larger swell and a very short interval. It made it exciting going out. But the return to the beach might be a problem. Typically, this is when I get overturned in the surf. Did a paddle out to the far kelp fishing area then turned back to the shore. It was a gray and blustery day. Plus, I had not been out in a while so I did not do a long trip. Yes, I was overturned. Even after trying to time my exit with break in the sets, and a couple of aborted tries, the waves caught up to me a gave me a nice, refreshing spill.

Back onshore I loaded up my gear to head home. Once home I unloaded all my gear, took a shower then I hung up all my gear to drip in the shower. After it had dripped a bit I put it in my closet which is prepped for my gear, plastic sheeting and duct tape on the floor and a drip basin. Nothing else but dive and kayak gear is in this closet. That is another aspect of my new car, which is a change from my past routine. I must unload my car immediately upon returning home. I realized that all these years, storing my gear in my car has spoiled me. After hanging my gear to dry I just put it back in my car. Now I must store it elsewhere. This is something that everyone else has probably always had to do.

Southwest Kayak Symposium

2010-03-31T09:28:00.000-07:00

Note: Though it has been awhile since my last entry I have been out on the water.

Friday & Saturday, March 26 & 27, 2010

This weekend is the Southwest Kayak Symposium. It is a weekend of talks, practical classes, and equipment tryouts all centering on the pass-time or sport of Kayaking. I have enrolled in the Kayak Foundation Skills class. And I planned to go to one of the Tent Talks, free talks covering subjects related to kayaking. The site of the Symposium is at Campland By The Bay on Mission Bay.

Friday night was opening night dinner and presentation. I drove my "new" Subaru Baja Dive/Kayak mobile. I am still using my old Ford to store my ocean going stuff. I am keeping this one clean for a few months.

Valley Wide Kayak Club and San Diego Kayak Club provided a light meal and Aqua Adventures provided the beer. A guy did a slide show on a kayak trip he did in Newfoundland. And then Jake, the guest of Honor, presented his slide show of his Portage to Portage kayak trip. He left off in Florida to come to the Symposium. Both had great stories of their adventures.

Saturday morning promised to be a beautiful day. I arrived at Campland about 9:00 am and paid my "Day Use" fee. Then I drove to the beach and unloaded my kayak . I marked it with the "private – do not use" tag that was provided in my registration packet. This lets people know that this kayak is not a rental for use in classes. I parked my car and went back to the beach to find where my Foundation Skills class would meet. I found it at listened in for a bit on the Foundation Skills class prior to mine.

Not my Instructor.

At 10:00 I went over for a Tent Talk about what to wear while Kayaking, It is always important to look good whenever you are undertaking a new activity. Actually the talk was about what to wear in different kinds of weather conditions.

For San Diego, it is quite appropriate to wear light clothing in the summer as long as you are protected from the sun, hat, long sleeve shirt, or if sufficient Sunscreen. Weather can change quickly, and the wind usually picks up in the afternoon. So a wind-breaker might be useful. In colder weather a wetsuit may be needed.

I typically wear a shorty Farmer John for just kayaking. This leaves my arms free to paddle. And when I am going on a kayak dive I have a full Farmer John wetsuit with a separate top that I can get in once out at the dive site. Dry Suits for very cold water were discussed. Turns out, there are differences between kayak dry suits and diving dry suits. Kayaking dry suits may be made of a material that allows perspiration to evaporate.

Layering is another important consideration for kayaking. Different warm clothing and wind protective garments were discussed. Something that dries quickly and provides UV protection is good for sunny days but when you are going to get wet. If you have a material that stays wet you may suffer hypothermia.

Just before noon I set up my kayak and moved it to the beach in front of the class area. I met with the instructor. This class was a little smaller than the first class. That was good because it meant more personalized instruction.

Damon was my instructor. That is him in the second position in this Modular Kayak. Pieces can be added or subtracted depending on how many people you wish to seat.

People were set up in their kayaks and we headed out on the Bay.
Damon also had an assistant , Lisa marie, along to help. Here she is teaching us the Sweep Stroke.

I have been kayaking for over two years now. This is the first formal training I have undertaken. We were taught the Forward Stroke, the Sweep stroke for turning, and two strokes for moving your kayak sideways. The forward stroke I knew. But I was made aware of some bad habits I have picked up.

Before learning the next stroke Damon had us paddle at an angle to the wind. He asked how our kayaks handled. They would turn into the wind. He pointed out the the kayak wants to take the path of least resistance and so heads into the wind. I probably was aware of this on a subconscious level but had never considered it. I would just react and turn my kayak back to the desired heading. I probably would do a couple of extra strokes on the windward side of my kayak to compensate. And this would interrupt my rhythm.

The Sweep stroke and its uses were new to me. Now I can work on combining it with the Forward stroke to maneuver my kayak without having to interrupt my paddling rhythm. So, all in all, a productive class with some cool instructors. Damon is a diver and does occasionally kayak dive. Maybe I will get out on the Ocean with him sometime.

After stowing my kayak and all my gear I went for a bitet to eat. My favorite place, The Bare Back Bar & Grill ( a New Zealander Pub), was packed and I could not find a parking spot. So I went to my old stand-by, The Australian Pub on Cass and Grand.

Came back to Campland for the Raffle. A couple of tickets were included in your entry fee. I had some money left over from dinner and bought four more. I took home a couple of good prizes.

I enjoyed myself and learned a lot. Now to get out on the water and practice the skills and lose all those inefficient paddling habits.

Point Loma Paddle

2009-11-24T11:36:00.000-08:00

Monday,November 23, 2009

After my last long paddle I decided I would try something different this time. Taking a look at a map of the coast it seemed that the distance from Mission Bay to the tip Point Loma is similar to that of La Jolla to Crystal Pier. So I decided I would try that paddle. Besides I wanted to find a place to launch from that I might use to go out to the Yukon dive site. I knew there was a nice little beach in Mariner's Basin. I have paddled around in there with Cindy's Thursday night kayak group. So I drove down to the south end of Mission Blvd. and around into the parking lot by Mariner's Basin.

I checked out the beach and could see that it was not a long walk from the lot to the beach. Very close to the same distance that I have to walk when launching at La Jolla Shores. Then I walked over to the Jetty and observed the swell coming in from the Ocean. It was about 3 to 4 feet, not bad.

So I launched my kayak in the usual manner and began my paddle out through the channel. I left the beach at mariner's Basin at 0820 and was out at the Red Channel marker buoy by 0850. Though it took half an hour to get there it did not seem to be the mile and a half that I can usually paddle in that time.

From there I turned south towards Ocean Beach fishing pier. The swell was pretty good so I was not going to be able to hug the shore. At this point I was about a half mile out. Though the swell was good and coming in from the west-northwest there was very little wind. It was glassy smooth. Probably about a zero (0) on the Beaufort Sea State Scale. I paddled down south following the kelp bed and the lobstermen's buoy markers. Met up with one lobsterman retrieving his traps. I asked him if there were any restrictions to how close you could come to shore down at Point Loma where it becomes Navy property. He said that there was not, but that the surf was up and I had better notget too close in. I already knew that, but thanked him and continued on. With the swell the way it was I would never come in closer than 1/2 mile. And was more likely a mile or so out from shore the entire trip.
This picture gives a good idea as to how clam it was on the way down.

A nice but uneventful trip down. I reached near the tip of Point Loma in about two hours. I was directly west of The Cabrillo Lighthouse.

And I could see the Coast Guard Lighthouse Station down below the cliffs of Point Loma.

After a short break I turned about. Here I spotted something that I had seen in previous paddles put did not have my camera to record it. A Great or White Egret (Ardea alba)standing out on the kelp canopy. ( See Bird Identification pages).
These are shore birds and are not really adapted to be out at sea. But I guess they are light enough to stand on the kelp and fish. I would see another dozen or so on the trip back. The only other things I saw on the trip back were a couple of sea lions swimming in the kelp.

After about an hour of paddling northward the breeze started to pick up. First just small ripples on the surface. Then after another half hour it really started to blow in from the northwest. Almost at the same bearing as the swell. It continued to build. And before too long occasional white caps started to appear. Then the wind waves were getting up to about one to two feet in height and the white horses were becoming more frequent. It was seriously impeding my progress. I estimated that the sea state was getting to be about 3 on the Beaufort Scale. Winds from 8 to 12 miles per hour and waves heights up to two feet, and scattered white horses. I had to bring the wind unto my port bow to keep from being overturned. The spray was coming up over the bow and getting me wet. I had my shorty spring suit on so my body was not cold. But my legs were exposed and they were getting chilled a bit. When I would stop to take a rest I would turn facing south to let the sun warm my legs.

I kept on plugging along. I was traveling north-northwest. And soon I would have to turn east into the Bay. I was worried that if I had to turn in while the wind was still blowing I would capsize. But I was able to keep the wind forward enough, and off my beam, long enough to get in the lee of the Jetty. The wind and waves ceased and all was clam. And just the swell to give me a little push in.

I made it back into Mariner's Basin and beach my kayak at exactly 1310. So it took me two hours and forty minutes for the return trip. Not bad considering the conditions. And though this trip was shorter than my last trip, I was very wobbly on my legs, probably form the fight with the wind and the waves.

Veteran's Day Kayak

2009-11-16T12:49:00.000-08:00

Veteran’s Day Kayak

It has been some time since I have done my long paddle to Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach and back to La Jolla. Having the day off I thought I would try to do it once more. And in fact, I would see if I could go a little farther. So I stocked up on water and trail mix and headed to La Jolla Shores.
A very calm day with little swell with a slight overcast to keep things cool. Launched and was paddling out by 0840. I took a direct route over towards Children’s Pool area. If I was going to try for an extra long paddle I did not want to take any sight seeing detours. Besides, it is possible to see some great things whatever course you take.

Once around the corner of The Children’s Pool Breakwater I headed south to Hospital Point, Marine Street Beach, and Wind & Sea. Down about Wind & Sea I came in close to shore to check conditions for a possible haul out on the return trip. Just in case I need to rest my butt and stretch my legs. As I came in close to shore I spotted a small pod of Dolphins, probably numbering about six to ten, with at least one small juvenile. Followed them for a few minutes until they disappeared. They were frolicking in the surf. Probably chasing a school of bait fish.

Though I was paddling most of the time I considered this my first rest. Took some water and turned south again.

Clear water to a depth of at least 20 feet and virtually no wind. Clouds in the sky blocking out the heat of the sun, all this made for a nice paddle. Passed Bird Rock, sighted Crystal Pier, and headed to Tourmaline. Once at Tourmaline I spotted Mission Bay Jetty appearing out of the haze. Got out my binoculars to confirm it. (Looking through binoculars on a moving kayak for any length of time is not recommended.) Some construction equipment with a light on the Jetty gave me a target to aim for. So I took a straight course right to the Red Navigation Buoy off the Jetty.

Paddled and paddled and paddled. That stretch from Tourmaline to the Jetty is a long one. And it is mentally fatiguing. It seems endless and then you are there. I took my first real rest here. Got out my trail mix and sat out there eating, drinking and planning what I felt like doing.

After a 10 to 15 minute rest I decided I would try to make it to Quivera Basin and Aqua Adventures Kayak Shop. Turned into the channel and made my way in. The entrance to Quivera Basin was not that far. I turned in and then proceeded to find the right slip that would bring me to Aqua Adventures. After a few tries I found the right slip and pulled in.
I secured my kayak on the dock and made my way up to the shop. I wanted to see Jake and let him know that the Police had recovered my kayak. He was not there. In fact, Jen told me that he was gone for good. He has left to go back to Portage, Wisconsin to fulfill his dream of kayaking from Portage to Portage via, the Mississippi, along the Gulf Coast, around Florida, up the East Coast and then down the St. Lawrence Seaway, Eire Canal and back to Portage. Amazing!

Check out his progress at http://www.portagetoportage.com/index.html

It took me exactly three hours to make this trip. I calculated how long it would take me to get back to La Jolla with about a half hour extra rest time and figured I would need to be underway again at 1215 to make it back by 1600. Rested, ate and refilled my water bottles for the trip back. Set out on time.

The wind had picked up slightly. Just a bit of wind chop. Nothing to really slow me down. In fact it made for a fun trip back, splashing over the wavelets. And periodically I would get on the lee side of a kelp bed and the water would turn glassy smooth.

As I rounded the corner near Children's Pool the sun was lowering in the late afternoon sky and peeked out from under the high clouds. It shone its rays on the beaches and cliffs turning them a warm golden color.

I reached La Jolla right on schedule. And surprisingly, my butt was not as sore as I thought it would be. In fact, I never had to haul out and take a little walk-about to ease things. Even though it has been many months since I have done a long paddle like this my muscles remember and I do not get as fatigued.

Non-Kayak Dive

2009-11-16T12:44:00.000-08:00

November 7, 2009
Non-kayak dive.
La Jolla Shores
Descent Time; 0826
Depth; 58
Bottom Time; 00:49

I had called my dive buddies Mark K. & Debbie Z. earlier in the week to see if they might be diving this weekend. They have deserted me for Cozumel. Well, can you blame them? So I headed down to the beach anyway to see if I would meet someone to dive with. If not, I would get out on my kayak.

Met up with Steve G. and Mark P. and a couple of others. They were going on Safari to see the Lion Nudibranchs that have been hanging out on the kelp growing out on the points. Steve and Mark did not mind if I tagged along.

We descended onto the wall in about 60 feet. Swam a short distance to find the outcropping of sandstone that is supporting the small kelp grove. Found a multitude of the Lion Nudibranchs. Spent the whole dive checking out these fascinating creatures while Steve and Mark photographed them.

A few were knocked from the kelp. Since I was not doing video I rescued those that were drifting about. I would catch them on my glove and let them adhere. Then I would take them to the kelp and gently transfer them over.

Photos graciously provided by Mark Pidcoe

Fickle Finger of Fate

2009-11-04T20:39:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009. On Wednesdays I get off from work early in the afternoon, about 2:30. Today happens to be a very beautiful day. And I have time to get in a couple of hours kayaking before the sun goes down early in these short fall days. I drove down to the beach and launched my kayak. Today is a very special day. To understand why this day is special I must bring you back to Wednesday, October 21st. For that is the last time I was paddling on my kayak. I had a good paddle and returned home. Thursday passed and Friday dawned a typical cool fall day.

Leaving my apartment in the dark (we have not yet set the clocks back to standard time) I walked to my car as I have for the last 15 years. And for the last two years the sight of my kayak atop my car has greeted me. But today was different. Through in the early morning gloom, broken by the dappled streetlight coming through the trees, I could see that my kayak was not where it should be. Coming closer I found my tie-downs lying cut on the ground and my kayak gone. My jaw dropped. I could not believe it. It was stolen was my first thought. Then partial denial set in. Maybe some kids in the neighborhood were playing a prank. They took it off the car but surely it was just tossed over the fence or hidden behind the dumpster. But there was no immediate sign.

First action was to call into work and say I could not be in. The dispatchers said I must, as they had no one to cover my routes. Even the Supervisors were out doing routes this day. Typical, everyone wants to have Friday off, leaving no one to cover for emergencies.

So I called the Police and made a preliminary report over the phone. That is about all that can be done accept in the case of real emergencies. I then drove into work and ended up being only three minutes late. A supervisor clocked me in so my lateness did not show up in the system, which would require written acknowledgment of my tardiness.

Later in the day Officer Cairncross of the SDPD Eastern Division contacted me. She took a full report and told me that a Detective would be in touch with me in a couple of days, as soon as the case was assigned. I also called my Insurance agent and Neighborhood Watch person.

On Sunday my Neighborhood Watch person contacted me. She informed me she had observed a suspicious person she knew of having possibly committed other thefts in the area. So this might be a possible lead. I told her that as soon as I knew whom the investigating detective was I would let her know.

On Monday I spoke with Detective Guffy about my kayak. She gave me some ideas about possible recovery. Such as looking on Craigslist and checking used sporting good stores. I did both. And eventually would call some of the swap meets and dive shops that sometimes sell used equipment and gave them the heads up. Colby’s Swap meet was very helpful. They said they would look out for it. Having a serial number stamped on it helped very much. Colby’s said that they have in the passed caught people selling stolen goods. And go as far as detaining people that have purchased stolen goods (though they are not arrested) until police get there. That was comforting to know.

I found no Scrambler XL on Craigslist. But I did locate some potential replacements in case mine was not recovered. Something that Detective Guffy did not think too likely. Meanwhile I also put the word out on Divebums to keep an eye out at the beach, especially if someone approached them with a blue Scrambler XL for sale. According to John Moore that is potentially 800 pairs of eyes on the lookout for my kayak.

The worse part of all this was that in a week some friends of my Cousin Dana were coming out from North Carolina and were avid kayakers and wanted to go out. They were very excited about being out here and kayaking. They had never seen seals or sealions and were looking forward to it. I e-mailed them and said I had had a little problem with my kayak, but that we would still go. I would just rent one. Why could not this thief have waited until after they came?

Well, the week prior to my planned kayak excursion the weather had not been all that great. Some large surf and heavy winds. But I put in a requisitions for perfect kayaking weather and told my friends to "Touch wood, scratch a stay, turn three times, and may the Lord and Saints preserve us." (An old Nautical charm).

Saturday, October 31st arrived. I went to the beach early and checked out conditions. My request had been granted. It was flat; ankle-slappers were all that touched the shore. Just a slight breath of wind to keep you cool.
I met Rich and his son Tyler at Starbucks. I got a cup of coffee; we picked up some water for the paddle and headed down to The Shores.

We parked main lot and walked down the beach. We got our kayaks from OE Express. This is me (in the Blue PFD and white hat). Yellow kayaks! It 's just not my color.

Launched and headed over to Marine Room to see the Leopard Sharks. Crystal clear water, teaming with dozens of the skittish creatures. Spent some time viewing them and headed over to the caves to observe the sealions. Explored a few of the caves and watched the sealions. Just a few sleeping in the early morning sun, rather quiet.

Rich Tyler

From there we paddled north around the (now unmarked) swim zone leading out of La Jolla Cove. And pointed our bows westward to the far kelp beds past the

Children’s Pool. Made it out there.

Told Rich & Tyler what little I know about the ecology of the kelp beds. Then we headed back to La Jolla Shores. Took one quick detour for a last look at the Leopards Sharks and headed to the beach. Such non-existent surf that we didn’t even get the rush of riding some one to two footers into shore. But they really had a blast.

On the way back from eating lunch we stopped by and had a look at the Jack-o-Lanterns form the Underwater Pumpkin Carving contest. I liked the Jack-o-Lantern that was eating another, smaller Jack-o-Lantern.

Friday I had received my initial insurance check. And when I get a replacement I would get the remainder of the cost, minus my deductible. I spent Monday looking for a replacement kayak. I was not able to find a used Scrambler XL. This one fits my needs for diving perfectly. Ocean Kayak has a new model, The Scrambler 11 that replaces the XL. I may have to get that. It has one feature that effects my use as a diving platform. The rear carrying handle is a hard plastic handle that goes across the rear tank well. Thus making it difficult to slide your dive gear out the rear. But otherwise it has all the features of the Scrambler XL.

Tuesday, and it has been ten days since the theft of my kayak. Detective Guffy indicated that the likelihood of recovering it is small. And I don’t think that she has been able to talk with the Neighborhood watch person to check into the possible lead. So it appears that I have lost my kayak.

Wonders of Wonders!!!!! I came home after my morning routes and there was a message on my recorder. The Police had found my kayak! I called the number and the Detective said that he could meet me in 20 minutes at the Eastern Division on Aero Drive and return my kayak to me.

Turns out they had an on-going investigation of a auto theft ring in Serra Mesa. And when they went into the residence to look for stolen motorcycles a blue kayak was found among the stolen bikes. One of the Detectives saw the serial number and punched it into his computer. Up popped my Police report and I was called. I drove over, the Detectives met me, let me in, helped me load my kayak, and I drove off one very happy kayak diver. Called my insurance agent and canceled the claim and reimbursement check. Best $150 I never got.

And so today was a very special day. Because I was out in the flat, crystal clear ocean on My very own blue Scrambler XL, perfect for diving and paddling.

Lessons learned; Put some kind of identification number on everything you own.

Don't get complacent. I always used to lock my kayak. Until one day I dropped my cable at the boat launch and did not realize it until I got home. Not wanting to drive back I decided I would buy another one. Days, weeks and then months pass and my kayak is still on my car. Parked all over town, while at work, diving, visiting friends, it never got stolen. One and a half years it was up there without being locked. Then one day I got up for work and it was gone. A crime of opportunity. And I allowed that opportunity. NOT AGAIN !!! Fool me once...etc.
So that is the story. As for the guys who did it. They know who they are and where they live. If they are not now in jail they soon will be. With the cost of my kayak being over $400 it is a felony. And it will just add to the charges of Grand Theft Auto.

Long Break

2009-08-28T18:33:00.000-07:00

Well, it is nearing the End of Summer, at least as far as work goes. This last week I have had an extra long break between my morning and afternoon shifts. So I set a goal for myself to get out and paddle every day this week, Monday through Friday.

Every morning I would get off at 0910 and set out for the beach. I would usually make it there by about 0940 and be paddling out through the surf by 1000. Most days I would head out towards the Far Kelp where I dived on Sunday. I know that the round trip takes me about an hour.

On Monday the surf was still small at the launch, but there was a little bit of a breeze to cool things off and make a little chop. By Tuesday there was a bit of an increase in surf. Things were breaking big over at Boomer. I was surprised not to see any body surfers. Remains small at the launch.

Wednesday; Very clear water in the surf zone. Went over to see the Leopard sharks in front of the Marine Room restaurant. There were dozens. Instead of going out to the Far Kelp I went and touched each of the Ecological marker buoys, thereby circumnavigating the La Jolla Ecological Preserve.

Thursday; Back out to the Far Kelp. Today the water in close was stirred up and murky. Not able to see the Leopard sharks. Virtually no breeze. Some breakers still at Boomer Beach. Heading back to shore had to drench myself to keep cool. Hottest day of the week, 102 in Clairemont.

Friday; Goal attained. Five days of kayaking in a row (not counting my kayak dive on Sunday.) Water clear again, observed Sharks for a few minutes before heading out. Still very hot. Absolutely no wind and small surf. Burning hot with no refreshing breeze to cool me or give me a push on the way back. Surf so small that I got no help or fun ride back to the beach. In fact, with so little forward momentum supplied by the surf, I could feel the drag in the wave troughs as the water found its way back out.

Dive the "Far Kelp Beds"

2009-08-25T13:03:00.000-07:00

Kayak Dive #3
Kelp Bed NNW of Children’s Pool
August 23, 2009
Descent Time; 0854
Depth; 49
Bottom Time; 00:37

When I awoke this morning at 0600 it was overcast with a thick Marine Layer of clouds, not unknown at this time of year, but more common in May and June where this weather pattern actually has a name, May Gray and June Gloom. Because it is not usual, and nothing easily rhymes with August, it does not have a name and sometimes confuses San Diego natives. We claim this is weird weather. I am not sure if it is true. I think it happens often, if less, and burns off sooner, than in the previous months. We are supposed to have hot, sunny days with large thunderheads forming out east over the mountains. And in fact, this is what we have right now. The Marine layer is confined to the immediate coast.

Most of my dive gear was already in the car. I just gathered together my dive computer, log book, and hot water bottles (for my aprés-dive warm water "shower". Comfort is essential). Brought those out to the car and drove to La Jolla. I arrived at the boat launch early and set up my kayak and loaded all my dive gear. Jeff, my dive buddy, arrived a short time later. He started setting up his gear and we discussed where to go. My two choices were a deep dive in the South Branch of Scripps Canyon or out to what I call "The Far Kelp Beds." These are just to the north-northwest of The Children’s Pool. It is out here where most of the kayak fishermen spend a great deal of time. And it is here that I have paddled to see Gray Whales during the late winter, early spring. We decided to paddle out to The Far Kelp Bed.

There was a forecast of high surf. But it had not materialized anywhere near La Jolla Shores. We could see breakers over at Boomer Beach. Which indicated that if there is any high surf it is on the southwest facing beaches. But here there were only small ankle slappers with the occasional set of one-footers. Launching and paddling was so easy. And it seemed like we were just gliding effortlessly over the surface. I mentioned this to Jeff and he agreed it was remarkably calm.

In the surf-zone at The Shores we saw a couple of good-sized Leopard Sharks (for those of you not familiar with local shark species these are not Tiger Sharks). Just past the surf we encountered a school of bait fish jumping up out of the water as if being pursued me some large carnivore. Often, when I see this phenomena, I remark that that must be what is happening. Very rarely do I see what is actually chasing them. We paddled over to the spot and as we got close observed the dorsal and tail fin of a Leopard Shark beak the surface in a frenzied attempt at getting a meal.

An extraordinarily smooth paddle out to our chosen dive site. On the way out we passed a kayak fisherman coming back in. Jeff asked how the fishing was. He held up a good-sized sea bass of some type. Jeff turned to me and commented that someone was going to have some really tasty fish tacos tonight. We anchored the kayaks in water about 45 feet deep. Shallow enough for me to use my anchor. I have not yet gotten a longer anchor line. When anchoring in deeper water (like the last dive at Quast Rock) I just tie of to Jeff’s kayak. I could have done that here, but it is good practice for me to deploy my own anchor.

Now for the hard part, getting my step-in wetsuit top zipped up. I struggled for a bit trying to do it on my kayak. I was having a little trouble. Trouble that I did not have the last time out. So I jumped in the water to zip it up. There was no current so I was able to stay near my kayak even without my fins. But I was still unable to pull up my zipper. I kept trying but it would not come. Then suddenly my hand flew up out of the water and nearly hit me in the forehead. My zipper pull had broken off in my hand. I thought for a moment what I should do and informed Jeff of the problem. But the water seemed very warm. So I told him I would just go. The straps of my dive gear would hold together my wetsuit top. After a 1 ½ to 2-mile paddle I was not going make Jeff paddle back without diving. It turned out that the water was very warm and there was no change in temperature from the surface down to our deepest depth. And I was quite warm even with my jacket open. My farmer john was sufficient. I might have even been warm enough without the top at all. Reflecting after the dive, I think I had not zipped up my top enough prior to getting on my kayak. Now I must get that repaired.

After getting all our gear on we dropped down the anchor lines onto the rocky reef below. This area of the reef has a low rocky profile. Not the dramatic rocky out-croppings in some reefs closer to shore and along the sites south of here. Visibility was about twenty plus feet horizontally, and we could see up to the surface, though hazy, at 45 feet. The surge at depth was light with an occasional moderate set rolling through that only required us to kick a little to stay in one place. But not strong enough to require that we hang on to rocks or kelp strands.

A fairly dense and healthy kelp bed covers the area, providing a wide variety of habits for different sea creatures, from the bottom dwellers in the rocks and kelp holdfasts to the swimmers and crawlers that live in the vertical water/kelp column. We saw all the regular reef inhabitants. (I use this phrase when nothing outstanding or rare was observed. That does not mean it was a boring dive.)

But we did run across one interesting find on this area of the reef. Heading west from our anchor lines I spotted a cable or rope about a half inch thick held to the bottom with what appeared to be a large Railroad spike. The rope was fixed to this spike and led in and east/west direction along the reef. Tied at 20 foot intervals from the spike were orange plastic ribbons. It appeared the rope had been there for quite some time as there was a fuzz of alga growth. But the ribbons indicated it had recently been tended to, as these ribbons would not last for too many months in this environment. I followed the rope and came across a few more orange ties. Then I spotted another rope over to the right paralleling this one. Swimming over to that I spotted yet another line. The ropes and ties seemed to form some kind of research grid. At least that was my surmise. I will have to post this find to Divebums and see what I can find out. Following one of the ropes I found something that showed they had been there for quite a while. One of the ropes led right through the middle of a large kelp holdfast. It was about two feet across. For a holdfast to get this size takes some time, even with the rapidity of growth that the kelp plant has. (I received a reply from a Scripps researcher complete with an article about the research.)

We explored for a little more. Jeff took some photos of marine life and me. Following the cables back we came to our anchor lines. They reached straight up into the kelp showing that there was little or no current. We surfaced and reversed the process of stowing all our gear and getting in. I was able to get my tank assembly up on to my kayak without assistance. This is a satisfying accomplishment. My kayak does not have a covered hold to stow my weights in. So I must leave them in by Buoyancy device. That makes it considerably heavier and not easy to lug up onto the kayak. But I have developed a way to do it. I gather all the hoses and gauges and secure them tightly with my BCD straps. Then I belly up on the opposite side of the kayak from my BC, grab it and lift it up while sliding down into the water. This brings it up into the tank well. Then I secure the bungees get up on my kayak and take off my fins, gloves, hood, and wetsuit top. And I am ready to paddle back.

We turned to shore and headed back to the boat launch. The sun was starting to burn off the Marine layer and it was getting warm. Got a little sun. Getting closer to The Shores we started encountering the numerous kayak tourists that use the launch to be lead on tours by one of the many Kayak tour operators. We passed by triple kayak. I noticed that the girl in the middle did not have a paddle and was just along for the ride. The guys in the front and back were doing all the paddling. I hailed them and asked how she rated not having to paddle. Without missing a beat, the guy in the rear of the kayak told me that she was the Captain.

Surf still low and glided into shore effortlessly and with no embarrassing spills. The weight in the back of the kayak helps out tremendously. Unloaded the kayaks, loaded the cars, and went off for my usual shrimp burrito at El Charro’s. While eating, we discussed our next big adventure. I said I would like to attempt diving the HMCS Yukon from our kayaks.

Post Card from Paradise

2009-08-09T08:59:00.000-07:00

Just a quick postcard from Paradise. Still out kayaking and diving on a regular basis. Just not a lot new to report. In the immortal words of one of my favorite song writers; "Life is easy when it's boring." - Sting.

Not actually "boring" just uneventful. Beautiful weather; clear skies,small swell, and gentle breezes. No dolphins or whales being seen now. Just the occasional Harbor Seal peeking out of the kelp at me. And the ever present Sea Lions lazing at Goldfish Point. The most unusual thing to report are the white Egrets standing out on a kelp patty fishing for top smelt. I have seen this behavior now two weeks in a row. And in my last two years of kayaking I have not noticed this before. Someone forgot to read the memo that they are shore birds. These birds are typically seen in the estuaries and bays around town.

Quast Rock Complex

2009-06-09T11:55:00.000-07:00

Kayak Dive #2
Quast Rock Area
June 6, 2009
Descent Time; 10:21
Depth; 68
Bottom Time; 00:42

Jeff and I planned a kayak dive to the Quast Rock complex (as it is called on "The Map" ™). This area consists of several dive sites including Quast Rock, Anchor Rock, and T-Rock. Jeff and I were to meet at The Boat Launch around 0800 Saturday morning. He invited another diver, Mike, to come along.

Being a natural early riser I was up about 0600 to get all my equipment ready. This time I would put together my gear before getting to the beach. Walking out to my car I was greeted by a beautiful sunrise. Some rain clouds to the east making for an interesting horizon. But above, clear blue skies. I assembled my gear and checked that I had all my kayak stuff. Made sure I had my anchor, dive flag, and extra line. These are things that I don’t use when I just go for a paddle.

I left for La Jolla Shores as soon as I was ready. Got there before our meet time. But that gave me time to get ready and enjoy the morning. It was still clear at the beach. This is unusual for this time of year. Typically we have the overcast skies of June Gloom. Today there was just a line of gray rain clouds out west. There was virtually no wind to speak of and small two-foot waves coming in. I parked the car out on the sand and off -loaded my kayak and dive gear. Got everything set up before Jeff and Mike arrived. I am diving today with my Farmer John wetsuit that I just got expressly for kayak diving. Now I don’t have to have my suit zipped up and hood on prior to reaching the dive site. It is much more comfortable to paddle out without being encumbered by 7mm of wetsuit restricting your paddling.

By the time they arrived, just after 0800, the tide had covered twenty feet of the thirty feet between my car and the water's edge. They set up, while I parked my car, and we paddled out through the surf of an incoming tide. Heading west towards Quast Rock we encountered a very small swell from the southwest. Oddly enough the surf was breaking large at Boomer Beach. Usually if this is true the swell is a lot bigger. As we passed Boomer Beach I started looking towards shore for the line up of the visual coordinates. (Check www.divebumes.com to get these and the GPS coordinates.)

I lined up the visuals and Jeff found the GPS coordinates and he dropped his anchor. We then tied the three kayaks together in line and I raised my dive flag. Getting on our gear we dropped down the anchor line into about 60 feet. Visibility was about 20+ feet, typical for this time of year. There was no surge to speak of, but we definitely had a thermocline. It was a chilly 53 degrees at depth.

As we approached the reef the first rock formation that I noticed reminded me of a deck gun that you might see on a sunken warship, encrusted with sponges or coral. The floor was strewn with a jumble of large boulders making for all kinds of nooks and crannies for life. Swimming around the "Deck Gun" was a large school of Blacksmith damselfish. The male Garribaldi were in force protecting there newly made nests of purple algae, as yet there were no yellow eggs masses.
Many Golden Sea Fans dot this area of the reef, along with plenty of sponges, strawberry anemones, and coral polyps.

We began exploring the reef complex. Just to the northeast I found a rock formation that looked like the bowsprit of an old sailing ship. This impressive rock points up at an angle of about 15 degrees and on the compass it points northeast 030. I seemed to have wrecks stuck in my imagination this day.

After circling the area a couple of times to get a general picture of my surroundings I started searching the cracks and crevices for critters. First off I noticed a good population of painted greenlings. And we saw a good-sized lincod hanging out on the bottom. Looking closer I began noticing the Hermisenda nudibranchs, plenty of those. These were some of the more interesting critters found this dive, but plenty of the regular reef inhabitants.

After forty minutes or so, with our air running low, we located the anchor line where we planted it, and surfaced to our line of kayaks. The swell was small enough and the reef rocky enough that the one anchor was sufficient to hold all three kayaks. I then reversed the process of getting in my dive gear. Taking off and stowing my mask & snorkel and light but leaving on my fins, I inflated my BCD and secured it to the kayak. Bellying up on to the kayak, I stowed my fins, hood and gloves. When everything is secure (in case I flip) I pull my tank assembly up on the kayak. In this case I tried to pull it up over the side. Hoses, straps and weight pouches snag on the side. Eventually, with a little help from my buddy, I got it. This process is something I have yet to perfect.

After a relaxed paddle back to the boat launch we stowed dive gear and kayaks and head off to for a bite to eat and recount the dive. Jeff thinks that we may not have been at Quast Rock. We were at one of the adjacent sites, either T- Rock or Anchor Rock. Between arriving at the GPS coordinates and getting the anchor set we probably drifted just a bit off the site. I am not sure this is anything that can be avoided. And next time we go there we just need to extend out the initial exploration of the Quast Rock Complex.

Three Rivers Kayak, North Carolina

2009-04-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

April 5, 2006

On Friday April 3rd, I flew out to my cousin Dana’s in Chapel Hill, North Carolina (near Raleigh) for a visit. One of the first things I wanted to do was to get out and paddle. Near by Chapel Hill are the rivers, The Eno, The Flat, and the Nuese. I searched for some places to rent a kayak. Found an operation called Frog Hollow. For $38 I was able to get a sit-in kayak for about three hours.

On Sunday I woke early and drove to the Eno River. It was cold when I got near to the river and steam was rising off the water. Luckily I had prepared for cool weather, although it was a nice sunny day. I arrived at the river about 8:00 am.

There was a couple getting their kayaks ready to go out. I chatted with them for a while. They had only been kayaking a few months and asked how long I had been kayaking. I told them and they asked me if I had any tips for them. I first had a question for them. "What was the longest trip they had made so far?" They told me that it was about 13 miles. I said they really did not need any tips from me. However, I did tell them that one thing I really enjoy is keeping this Kayak Blog. I gave them the address to it. Hopefully they will remember and take a look. Unfortunately by the time of this writing (two weeks later) I have forgotten their names. So if you happen to view my blog and give me your names I will post them.

The kayak guide showed up about 0830. He briefed me on the operation of the kayak. It is a sit-in but has no rudder. So it operates very much like my ocean kayak. But he did have to instruct me on how to get out of it and empty it of water in case of a spill. Luckily, a skill I did not have to utilize. I had printed out a map of the three rivers and brought that along, as instructed. He showed me where I could go. I decided that I would go down the Eno until I got to the confluence of the Flat River. Then I would paddle up the Flat for a while, turn about and return to the Eno and then go out to the Nuese River. That leads into a lake. But I did not think I would get that far.

I started paddling. It was cool. But soon I would have to peel off all of my layers of clothing except my shirt and shorts. There was virtually no river current. And so it was impossible to tell if you were going up or down stream. This was good in that I never had to fight the flow of the river. But it later became an issue as you will see.

I had a very enjoyable cruise down the Eno to the Flat. Turned up the Flat and paddled for about 50 minutes. I then turned about and went back to the confluence of the Flat and Eno Rivers. The guide had told me to look out for a group of power lines. This would mark the confluence of the Flat and Nuese Rivers. I found them and headed out into the Nuese. So I paddled for another 45 minutes and came out to a widening in the river. I there met a fisherman and his son. I asked them where the lake began. He pointed out a train trestle bridge that crossed the water and said that was it. It looked too far to go. So I then turned back up the Nuese to return to the Eno.

As directed I followed the power lines until they crossed. This would mark the turn into the Eno. I continued on when I found that I was paralleling the power lines instead of crossing under them. My map had disintegrated by then. And then I kept running into channels that turned out to be dead ends. There was a point where I was becoming frustrated and on the edge of worry. About this time I ran into two other kayakers. They were going up the channel I had just gone up. I told them it was a dead end. They said it did go through and continued on. I went around to find the open channel. And soon I met up with them again. I told them where I wanted to be and they said they would lead me back. When we came out it turned out that I was up in the Flat River above the confluence with the Eno River. I had gotten disorientated. I am glad I ran across the kayakers. I would have kept going up the Flat until I had reached these recognizable boat ramps on that river (where I had turned around). I was not in any real danger of being lost for good. But, going up the Flat until that boat ramp, would have delayed my return to The Eno River Boat launch. And I don’t when they would have figured me over due and sent a search party.

Question: Which of these is the through channel?

Answer: All of the above. So you can see my dilemma. None of them look to be through channels.

I eventually got safely back to my starting point and had returned on time. So I was not missed. I recommended to the guide that they make laminated maps for us tourists so we would not get lost when our map disintegrates. He said they had tried that but the maps kept disappearing. I don’t know why they have this problem. The kayak operations at La Jolla give out maps and seem to get them back. And there is very little chance of getting lost. I described my situation to the guide. He told me that because the river level was high the ground below the power lines had flooded and this made it appear to be a channel. Thus the cause of my disorientation.

So my adventure on the Three Rivers was very good. But give me the easy navigation of a clear coastline anytime.

No Praising Hrolfr

2009-03-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

March 29, 2009

I went down to La Jolla Shores this morning to meet with "The Map" tm Cleaning Crew volunteers and show them the procedures for cleaning. After I was done I decided I would get out on my kayak for a short paddle. I had not planned on going out and did not pack anything to eat or drink. When I was at the beach last (on Friday) surf was up and it was cloudy, cold and windy. But today was better. Though still partly cloudy and with a brisk breeze blowing from the south, the surf was manageable.

So I launched my kayak and headed out for a short paddle. First, down to The Cliffs for a peek at the Sea Lions. Ran into a small pod of Dolphins by the Marine Room Reef. Then I headed out to the far kelp bed off Children's Pool to test my resolve and fortitude. Wind was picking up and there was a bit of wind chop and swell coming in from the south. And the ocean swell was coming in from the west at about 4 feet. I was feeling just fine. Not having prepared I did not want to go too far. Turned back and headed to The Shores. The wind and ocean swell were at odds with each other and it was causing my kayak to turn south. I had to keep correcting my course to larboard (port) in order to keep my heading eastward. Made it back to the beach.

Everything went fine. I was not obliged to bow down to the god Hrolf this time. Instead the god Hungr was calling to me. At visit to Jeff's Burgers took care of appeasing that god.

Test of Fortitude

2009-03-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

March 14th, 2009 Saturday

Down to The Shores for my regular weekend paddle. Surf was up just a bit, about 2 to 3 feet, occasional sets up to 4 feet. I had packed a few snacks to eat along the way; some bananas, apples and oranges along with a couple of water bottles. Usually I bring only water, even on my long trips. Surprisingly enough my typical breakfast of cereal, fruit and a glass of orange juice will last me for my entire trip. I hooked my dry bag behind me, stashed my water and my tube of sunscreen in the forward bungee and set off through the surf. Made it out through the surf the first try, though I got soaked by the surf. But as I came up out of the wave that had just crashed over my head I noticed my brand new, as yet unopened, tube of sunscreen floating in towards the beach.

Not wanting to litter and loose an $11.00 tube of sunscreen I did an immediate U-turn. Back to shore and located my tube. Hopped back on the kayak for another attempt at the surf. This time I was not so successful. Tipped over. Back on again and began paddling out. I was again overthrown by a powerful wave. And this time I lost one of my water bottles. So I pulled into shore and dragged the kayak up out of the water. Located and retrieved my water bottle. Then I took a rest and caught my breath before trying one more time. This time I was successful without loosing anything.

Even with all that extra energy expended getting out, I was feeling good and took off for the western kelp bed. Out at the kelp bed just off the Children’s Pool I spotted something very odd floating on the surface in the kelp. It was a very large black and white mass. I need to wear eyeglasses to see details of objects at a distance. Not wanting to loose my glasses I do not wear them out at sea. (I have a couple of cheap sunglasses that I have beach-combed). The mass looked like it could be a flock of birds. But, if it was, they were the most unusual birds I have every seen. I started paddling towards them. They made no reaction to my approach. As I got about 50 yards away I was able to identify these birds. It was a flock of black and white party balloons.

So to do my part for the environment I attached this raft of balloons to my kayak and paddled off to continue my trip. I looked back a minute later to see that I was leaving a trail of single balloons behind me. It was clear that they were not all securely tied together. So I spent about ten minutes popping the balloons and collecting them into my kayak. Then I chased down the escapees and brought them onto my kayak for safe keeping. Too many times have I found remnants of party balloons wrapped around kelp plants or Gorgonian coral to leave them in the ocean. I met two kayakers that were going back to the beach and asked if they would mind taking back my find, as I was going to be out another couple of hours. They were glad to help.

I continued south towards Bird Rock. Stopped a couple of times for a bite to eat. For not having done a long trip for some time I was feeling pretty good. But as I neared Wind and Sea I stared to feel a little nauseous. Now, I rarely get seasick. Having spent many years sailing in Alaskan waters in all types of seas I am not usually susceptible to this ailment. But for some reason I was feeling so now. I turned back and was paddling home. Soon I began to feel very weak. What was coming over me? Could it have been my sitting still for so long picking up the balloons? Or was I hit suddenly with something else that was causing me nausea? Whatever the case it was all I could do to keep paddling.

Even turning back this soon I still had a couple of miles to go to get back to my starting point. This was a test of my fortitude. Going in to another beach would only be a temporary relief. Going in and out of the surf would just expend energy I could not afford to use. I must get back to The Shores. I was in no immediate danger. But I knew that I had to keep going. My illness was definitely sapping my strength. And it was taking a toll on my mental ability to keep going. But I just kept telling myself to paddle. Slowly and consistently and I would make it. Occasionally I would become discouraged. But I would realize that this mental state was actually causing me to lag more than any physical ailment I was suffering.

I eventually made it back to the beach. And I had to visit the nearest cylindrical metal altar where I bowed and prayed to The Great Norse Sea God, Hrolfr. After propitiating The Gods I felt better and proceeded to stow my kayak.

Thinking back on the episode I have given some thought to just what it is that allows people to survive stressful situations. Although I was in no danger of expiring this did give me insight to what people who are faced with life threatening situations may go through. And I also realized that the best thing to do if you do find yourself in such distress is to keep a good attitude. Despair is probably the worst thing that can happen. As long as you have any life left you must keep going. If some outside force takes your life, or your body shuts down do to circumstances beyond your control is one thing. But, I believe, as long as you have one once of strength left you must strive to reach your goal. And now I have to get back out there.

Beaufort Sea State Scale

2009-02-06T11:08:00.000-08:00

February 5, 2009, Thursday.

Down to "The Shores" for a quick paddle on my morning break. Wanted to get in before the storm hit this weekend. From the Lifeguard Tower to the Boat launch there was virtually no surf. What surf there was had a height of about 6 to 8 inches. However, I could see that the surf north was big. Upwards of six feet at Scripp’s Pier.

But the wind was blowing and there was quite a bit of wind chop. Back in my Coast Guard days I was able to gauge the Sea State visually, using the Beaufort Scale. By observing the characteristics of the wind generated waves you can estimate the sea state and wind speed. Today the wind was generating some good-sized chop with the occasional white cap. Trying to recall what sea state this was I guessed it was about a 2 or 3. But I could not remember the wind speed that is associated with this part of the scale. Probably around 5 to 8 knots.

So when I got back home I searched for a website that showed the Beaufort Wind Force and Sea State Scale. (See link to this under Dive Links) I found one and determined the Sea State. It was about 3. The description of that level on the Scale is 7 to 10 knots with a wave height of 2 feet (.6 meters) described as a Gentle Breeze, and the appearance of the Sea is as follows; "Large wavelets. Crests begin to break. Foam of glassy appearance Perhaps scattered white horses."

This Sea State of 3 is exciting to be in. Going with the wind it pushes you right along at a nice clip (The winds are going between 7 to 10 knots, or about 8 to 12 mph.) And on the return this wind is not too much to paddle against. But you must definitely pay attention to your aspect to the waves. Coming directly at your Bow or Stern is fine and even or even from you quarter is okay. But at this Sea State a wave on your Beam could tip you. And if you were to find yourself in a Sea State of 4 or greater it would most likely tip you if it caught your kayak on the beam. And fighting the wind would be very exhausting. Being out in a Sea State of 4 for a short while would not be too bad. But any extended period in a kayak out in this weather could lead to trouble. A Sea State of 5 is now up to 19 to 24 mph and six-foot waves. It would be very difficult to paddle against winds and seas of this force. Beaufort Scale 6 is a Small Craft Advisory.

The Art and Science of the Graceful Exit

2009-02-01T07:28:00.000-08:00

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Long mid-morning break today so I went out to La Jolla Shores for a paddle. Launched and went directly out to the Far Kelp Bed to watch for whales. I did not see any after searching the horizon for whale sign for about half an hour. Turned back to The Shores.

When I got to the surf zone I decided that I would practice my entries and exits. Surf was about two to three feet in front of the Lifeguard Tower, just at the south end of the surf zone. Down at the boat launch they were just small ankle-slappers.

The ultimate goal is to look good while exiting the surf. If you tip over all the time you are not going to instill confidence in your kayak and dive buddies. Also, tipping could result in the loss of gear. So the graceful exit is what you should aim for. Of course, realistically, as long as you get in without injury to yourself or an innocent bystander it was an acceptable exit. (Any landing that you walk away from is a good landing.)

There are of course, different degrees of gracefulness. The ultimate is coming in perpendicular to the wave and the beach and washing up onto the shoreline, stepping out of the kayak, and pulling it out without getting wet above the waist.

The next desirable degree of gracefulness would be coming nearly all the way in, controlling the kayak sufficiently so that the breaking wave stays on your stern quarter. Then you scrape sand or jump off the kayak in time to save you from a spill.

The least graceful exit (without actually getting dumped) is the frantic paddling, shifting of the lateral center of gravity, and the bail and grab. I will briefly discuss some of the techniques for achieving these different degrees of the "Graceful Exit".

The Mechanics of the Surf Exit; When coming back to shore in your kayak there are a number of forces acting on the kayak. First, is the weight distribution of you and your equipment on the center of gravity. When encumbered with dive gear the center of gravity is shifted back and down. This is the most stable of configurations. And you are least likely to get tipped. Without dive gear the center of gravity is forward of the aft end of the kayak and higher above the water line. Thus making the kayak less stable.

As you and the kayak enter the surf zone the breaking waves will push on the rear of the kayak. The front end sticking many feet out in front of you will be traveling at a slightly slower speed then your rear end. This will cause the kayak to turn and become parallel with the wave. This is to be avoided, as it will lead to the ungraceful effect of being tipped over in the surf. This is especially embarrassing if done in front of other kayakers, Lifeguards, or cute girls in bikinis. (Ladies, this is to be avoided unless your goal is to instill in the male of the species the Knight-in-Shinning Armor Syndrome.)

There are many possible solutions to the problem of turning abeam to the wave. Thinking about how a kayak maneuvers on the surface supplies you with several strategies for overcoming this dilemma. When paddling there are two basic ways of turning. One is to paddle on just one side of the kayak. Paddling on the starboard (right) side will turn you to port, and vice versa. Or, if you have forward momentum, putting the paddle into the water on one side (say port) will turn you to port. Just how effective these strategies are will depend on the size and strength of the surf. If it is too big you are going to get dumped. You may resort to the "Bail and Grab" strategy.

Timing is everything. It is very important to watch the surf. Waves come in sets. There will be larger and smaller sets. Generally, you will be able to see about how many waves are in a set. By looking out to Sea you will be able to observe if the set coming at you is large or small. This is not foolproof and rogue waves do appear unexpectedly. Try to choose the smaller sets for exiting. This requires a little foresight. For, by the time you paddle into the breaking surf, that small set may have passed you by and a large set is coming up on your stern. At this point you need to decide whether to abort re-entry or continue.

Having chosen your time start paddling with all the speed you can muster. The waves are going faster than your kayak and there is not much that can be done about it but compensate for it. The "Rudder Approach" was the first strategy I tried. As I entered the surf I continued paddling as fast as possible. Once the kayak starts to turn I then placed my paddle into the water on the side away from the wave. This should turn the kayak’s nose back towards the beach. This works as long as the wave is not too fast, big or powerful. This is one of the more graceful appearing exits, as it looks effortless.

This next strategy is the "Paddle Approach". As you begin to turn into the wave begin paddling powerfully on the side towards the wave. Theoretically, this will point the nose back to the beach. Again, this will depend on the speed and power of the wave. This is the second most desirable strategy. It does not look and is not as effortless as the previous approach.

The last and least elegant strategy is the "Frantic Counterbalance" approach. I discovered this one quite by accident and it was done, at first, completely intuitively. As I was doing one or both of the previous approaches I felt my kayak reaching the tipping point. Neither of the strategies was working sufficiently to keep me from tipping. Instinctively one or both of my legs went out over the side of the kayak towards the offending wave. This seemed to counterbalance the wave pushing on that side of the kayak. Though this does nothing as far as maneuvering the kayak back perpendicular to the wave it does act by shifting your weight out over the side of the kayak. This is the least graceful of the exit strategies and is the last step before the using the "Bail and Grab" approach.

This last strategy should be avoided if at all possible. If you use it too often you might even gain the attention of Lifeguards who may, rightfully so, view you as a hazard to yourself and other beach-goers. If you need to use this strategy there are two procedures you can use. You can either "Bail and Grab" towards the wave. The downside to this is not grabbing in time and having you kayak plow into shore without you. This can endanger others on the beach as your kayak comes rushing in. Or, you can "Bail and Grab" on the side away from the wave. This can offer more control, but if the wave is very large or powerful you may be run over by your own kayak. Very embarrassing.

Now back to the beach for more practice.

Not Another One

2009-01-19T16:48:00.000-08:00

January 17, 2009 Saturday

After my blog entry "Time Trials", I went out paddling on 1/15, 1/17, and 1/19. But, this entry will focus on Saturday’s paddle. It was the most interesting.

This whole week has been the most excellent week for being out on the water, flat, clear, with just the gentlest of breezes to keep you cool and refreshed. There was supposed to be some high surf starting up this weekend. Well, at The Shores, in front of the lifeguard tower it was non-existent. A few hundred feet north it was chest to head high and the surfers were out in force. I launched my kayak and was headed out by 0840. Once past the ankle-slapping "surf" I headed over to The Caves. Bit of a swell in close so there was no shooting the Caves today. But otherwise the surface was a glassy mirror. The waning moon hung in the southwest and its reflection was visible as a single orb. No breaking up of its image by even the smallest wind ripple.

As I headed out towards the western kelp beds to spot whales I passed by Boomers and Children’s Pool. The surf was crashing there. And on all the reef breaks at Hospital Point, Marine Street, Wind & Sea, and Bird Rock the surf was up.

I paddled down to Crystal Pier where I stopped for a break and ate a little snack and rested. Then I started back north. Right away I ran into a pod of Dolphins playing just outside the surf. It was such a nice day and I had nowhere to be so I sat and watched them frolic for about a half an hour. Two young ladies on a tandem had paddled out to see them. We watched them and chatted. They asked me where I had started. I told them. They said they might go as far north as Bird Rock. I told them about conditions and moved on northward.

I paddled up the coast and when I got to Wind & Sea Beach my butt was getting just a little sore. You see, by then I had been sitting on my kayak for three hours and twenty minutes. So I paddled in to shore to see if I could haul out and take a rest. You must be very careful at some of these beaches along this part of the coast. There is a very steep beach and the swell will come right up to the shore and then suddenly break in a very powerful crash. But today the tide was just right and I beached my kayak with no problem. I took a little walk to stretch my legs and ease my butt. After that short break I was re-energized.

I watched the sets carefully to time my entry just right. I sensed a lull and pushed my kayak into the water. A small wave was coming in just then. I sat on my kayak but was not well positioned on the seat. My seat had caught under me. I fell out of the kayak and let go the paddle. Grabbed both paddle and kayak and tried again. Not having to wait anytime at all I hopped up and was paddling out. Not a bit of breaking surf in my area. But the surfers out at the Wind & Sea reef break were really going at it. (Not being a surfer I don’t know the proper lingo. So, If anyone wants to educate me I would appreciate it.) Paddling out I spotted the two young ladies I had met earlier. They were headed back south and I could not catch them up to say "Hi". But they had gone quite a bit further north than they had planned. I was impressed since they had told me that this was the first time out in about six months.

Meandered my way back north and was turning east around Children’s Pool when I spotted a flotilla (I think that might be the correct term) of kayak tourists sitting out west. This is unusual. They typically do not come out this far. As I was wondering what they might be up to when I sighted the distinctive gray mist of a Whale spout. Even after many hours sitting on a kayak when I see something like this I get a boost of energy. I paddle at top speed in their direction.
I was able to get out in the vicinity and get a good look at the whale. I infiltrated the group and followed the whale for another 20 minutes of so. At one point the whale came up right between two kayak fishermen, about 20 feet from one of them.

I turned back to The Shores. I caught up with a couple that had been out watching the whale with us. I said to them that this was my second sighting in two Saturdays. I told them that soon my friends were going to stop believing my stories. He said he would vouch for my. I was seriously tempted to tell about my Kayak Blog so he could go on and post a comment verifying the sighting. But I figured they had nothing to write the Blog address on. So you will just have to trust me.

PS. On Sunday while waiting for my dive buddy to show up at La Jolla Cove I saw another Gray Whale just outside the near kelp bed. Am I straining my credibility?

Time Trials; Warning Uninteresting Content

2009-01-13T19:58:00.000-08:00

January 13, 2009

One of the perks of being a School Bus Driver is a nice long split between morning and afternoon routes. So, since it is a carbon copy of last Saturday I zipped down to the beach directly from work this morning.

Left the parking lot at work at 0920. There was a little traffic going into La Jolla from Highway 52. I arrived at Starbucks 0940 for a little fortification. Ordered a Grande Espresso Truffle (if you like Hot Chocolate and Espresso I highly recommend this drink) and a Banana Nut loaf. Ate the Nut Loaf while waiting for the Espresso. Drove to La Jolla Shores and was in the parking lot by 0950. Unloaded and prepped my kayak and was paddling through the surf by 1010.

By 1040 I had made it all the way out past the farthest Kelp Bed West Northwest of the Children’s Pool. There was a fishing boat, The Sea Watch, out there. I circled around it on the outside using it for a reference point. I knew that I wanted to be back at the beach by 1130 so I could get home and get ready for work and be there by 1330. I still had 20 minutes left until I would have to start back. So I went south for ten minutes and turned back towards the Sea Watch. I paddled directly back to the boat. I made it in 7 minutes. It was now 1057. I took a three minute rest and then headed back to La Jolla Shores.

I arrived at The Shores precisely at 1130. Striped my gear off the kayak, washed off the sand and put it up on my car. Then I rinsed the sand off of me, changed clothes and was driving out of the lot by 1200. I was back home by 1220 in plenty of time to make myself lunch and get to work.
Now that I know it can be done I will try to get out anytime the weather is nice and I have no other errands I need to do on my break.

To Blog or Not to Blog

2009-01-11T10:47:00.000-08:00

January 10, 2009

The Ocean is a Desert with its Life Underground,
And the Perfect Disguise Above.

The weather this weekend was forecast for clear skies with Santa Ana winds building in the mountains later in the day. So I planned to do my first kayak paddle of the year. Due to the Holidays, family obligations, and some days of very dense fog at the beach I did not get out on the kayak. Although I did get in my traditional New Years Day dive.

I arrived at the beach later than usual, about 1030. It was warm and sunny with small surf at La Jolla Shores, occasional sets of 3 to 4 feet. There was just a gentle breeze coming from the southwest. I went through the surf and got the regular cold water wake-up slap in the face. Very bracing, and believe it or not one of the pleasures of kayaking.

Started heading due west, bypassing my usual excursion over to the cliffs and caves. Just went immediately out to the western kelp bed to the northwest of the Children’s Pool. Then I turned south to Marine Street beach. This was my planned turn around point. Since it has been a while since paddling I decided to keep it short.

When I paddle I really enjoy experiencing my surroundings. The sights, smells, and sounds of the Ocean. I sometimes will pause in my paddling and just listen to the Sea. Absolute quite, broken only by the cry of a sea bird or the huff of a sea lion or seal taking a breath. And I also think about what I will write in this Blog. But I have previously discussed many of those aspects of kayak in past entries.

Now if this were my dive log I would record the particulars of a dive regardless of how uneventful a dive turns out to be. Of course, a dive log has the added function of being a record of the ones dive history for Dive Operators to know your experience level or possible medical reasons if a problem with Decompression develops. But this Blog is not only a record of my kayak experience, but an exercise in creative writing that I hope is enjoyable to read. So I was debating weather or not to make an entry at all. This paddle was turning out to be a very nice but typically uneventful day in Paradise.

Well, I reached Marine Street and turned north to head back. I had paddle up to the inside kelp bed just off The Children’s Pool, and was passing by a Sea Urchin fisherman’s boat. He had his Dive flag raised and was underwater on a hookah. (For non-divers that is an air supply from a compressor on the boat with a hose down to the diver.) Coming out from behind his boat something on the horizon to the west caught my eye.

The Ocean is generally a flat surface, except for the swell. So when something rises above the surface it is usually worth checking out. This time what caught my eye was a puff of gray mist. Whale sign! I immediately turned in that direction, west past the outside kelp beds. I continued to scan the horizon to spot the whale sign again. A few minutes later there was another puff, a little closer and traveling slowly south. I figured it was a half-mile or so west of my position. Again and again over the next few minutes I would see a puff, then the back of the whale as he arched through the water. Then I got a glimpse of the flukes as he sounded to the bottom. This I believe is a sign that it was feeding. And it seemed that it was now not moving south but staying in the vicinity I had first spotted it. Then, simultaneously, to my left and to my right about one hundred yards apart I saw two spouts and two flukes rise above the surface and sound in perfect unison. So what I though might be one whale I now had proof of at least two. I continued to paddle in their direction for a bit. But after many minutes they surfaced far to the southwest. And there was no hope of my getting any closer than the quarter to half mile I got. After that I turned towards The Shores. At least I would now have something to write in my Blog.

Back in the Saddle

2008-11-16T10:21:00.000-08:00

November 15, 2008

It has been a few weeks since my last kayak entry and my last day out on the water. This last Thursday my kayak buddy Cindy let me know about a kayak movie that was being shown at Aqua Adventures Kayak shop on Quivera Basin. I went down to see it. It was very well done. But the most interesting thing was that the filmmakers circumnavigated the South Island of New Zealand. Seeing this has re-inspired me. Since I first got my kayak last year on returning from New Zealand, and learning that long distance kayaking was something I enjoyed I have wanted to do something like this. I guess it was like back in the 80s when I took up cycling in a serious way. I had to increase my limits and abilities. So I planned and executed a two-month solo cycling trip to Ireland. I can’t say that I will do this. I don’t yet feel experienced enough. But it is a goal. But definitely something I would need a fellow kayaker to come along. Unlike cycling which is relatively safe, the sea is an unpredictable and potentially dangerous environment. Something one must be prepared for.

But with all the things going on recently (my kayak dive & taking a friend around La Jolla) I have not been able to do my weekly kayak from La Jolla to Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach and back. So I was determined to do it. In fact I thought I would plan an extended trip. I would pack food and water. Normally on my weekly trip I just take the water I will need. But, since it had been so long would I still have the stamina to make it? With that question in my mind I decided not to do this extended trip. Instead I would see that I was still in good enough shape to complete my Crystal Pier circuit.

I got up early and was at La Jolla Shores at 6 AM. The sky in the east was lightening; a cloudless Santa Ana day was in the works. A moon, just past full, was still well above the western horizon. The surf directly in front of the Lifeguard tower varied from small sets of one to two feet up to chest high. I set up my kayak and was paddling out through the surf at 0630. A gentle breeze rippled the water just outside the surf, reflecting a moon broken into a hundred pieces. The Santa Ana winds had not yet materialized.

Immediately after getting out past the surf I spotted a fin breaking the surface. Silhouetted black against the surface I could not tell what kind of dolphin or porpoise it was. But it was clear in its manner of breaking the surface that it was a mammal. I tried to intercept it to get a better look but it was too far and too fast. So I turned back west and headed out towards The Children’s Pool and open ocean. The surf along the Caves and Cliffs area was surprisingly large and Boomers and The Children’s Pool were wild. I would be traveling outside all the shallow reefs today. Passed over the La Jolla Cove kelp bed. The canopy was thick and a healthy golden color. Small fish could be seen swimming among the fronds.

Once past the breakwater at Children’s Pool I turned south to Pacific Beach. On a clear day you can see past Bird Rock and soon pick up Crystal Pier in the distance. Today it was hazy and the pier was obscured in the fog. But Ocean Beach and the headlands of Point Loma were visible. For a short time I could see the top of one of The Coronado Islands. So I pointed my bow at The OB headland and traveled south. This put me farther out from the shore than I typically go. I could hear the surfers at Marine Street, Wind & Sea, and Tourmaline Surf Park laughing and bellowing their exultation at catching the waves. Passed by a few lobster fishermen tending to their traps. And I could see numerous private fishing vessels and dive charter boats dotting the horizon.

With the haze and being further out I could not see Crystal Pier until I was directly out from it. So I just continued my heading to the Mission Bay Jetty. That was a goal I knew I could make. All the time crossing between the Pier and the Jetty I considered whether or not to attempt going into Mission Bay. Then, if I could find Quivera basin, I would haul out at Aqua Adventures and take a long rest. But I was not sure of the path to take once in Mission Bay. It had been a month or more since doing a long kayak, I decided against pushing myself that hard. Besides, I had not brought any food to eat or money to get anything at the Pub next-door. Next time?

As I approached the Jetty and was about to turn around I met up with a couple in an outrigger canoe. I asked if they knew the time. I was told that it was 0845. So I had made it all the way from La Jolla Shores to Mission Bay Jetty in 2 hours and 15 minutes. This was almost a non-stop trip. I just took a few short breaks to drink water or peel off a layer as the heat of the day increased. Here I took a longer break before turning northward for the return trip.

At times heading south, especially past Bird Rock, I had a bit of a following sea. This would give me a little push on my trip down. Going back was a different story. Not only was I tired from the long paddle down, but also I was facing into the swell. The only help I got was from the slight breeze coming up from the east-southeast. The Santa Ana winds that plague the East County and whip up the fires that are now burning in Santa Barbara, LA and Orange Counties never came up on the coast. And I was taking more frequent breaks.

Just out from Crystal Pier (was about one mile out to sea) I ran across another pod of dolphins. Again, the black fins arched above the water. This time I was able to get close enough to view them. They were headed south and I north. These were not the gray, bottlenose dolphins I usually see. These were black with a white patch down the side. According to my California Marine Life book they were Common Dolphin. Maybe not so common as this was the first sighting I had of them in my year of kayaking.

I noticed large flocks of black birds heading south in line and V formations. They were about the size of small gulls with round black bodies. Their wings were relatively short and flapped rapidly. One group flew close enough for me to get a good look. They had bright orange, short beaks and a bright orange spot on the side of their head. I have a tentitive identification on the bird now. John Moore utilizing doug Aquillard's very impressive web pages it is a Surf Scoter. I went through his Photo Gallery and I believe that it more closely resembles a Rhinocerous Auklet. The Surf Scoter is a type of duck. I am not an expert but that is it appears to be to me. I hope to add a link to his pages. I await permission.

Got back to La Jolla Shores and sat outside the surf zone watching for the small sets. Acknowledge the surfers around me with a nod to let them know I would not interfere with them. Picked a lull in the swells, spied out a clear path between the surfers and some waders that should not have been in the surfing zone, and paddled for the shore with all the power and speed I could muster. Timed it perfectly and washed ashore without mishap. Beached my kayak and went to my car to check the time. 1130, Made the round trip from La Jolla Shores to Mission Bay Jetty in five hours including breaks. And I was not exhausted like the first time. Not bad for having taken such a long break from my weekly, long kayaks.

First "Real" Kayak Dive

2008-10-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

Kayak Dive Log
October 25, 2008
Launch Site: La Jolla Shores Boat Launch
Dive Site: La Jolla Cove Kelp bed
Start Time: 0825
Depth: 44
Dive Time 46

Jeff and I agreed to meet at the La Jolla shores Boat Launch at 0730. This was our first meeting and our first dive together. Today is a beautiful, Santa Ana, day. Clear blue skies and very gentle breeze. Almost no surf what-so-ever at the Boat Launch. A little higher surf up towards the Lifeguard tower north of us. I parked my car on the street and went to meet Jeff. There were half a dozen kayak fishermen preparing to launch their kayaks. A short time later Jeff approached and introduced himself.

We both got our cars and drove them onto the beach. Today the sand is packed enough to allow this. Without four-wheel drive a car can get stuck if the sand is too soft or loose. Got my kayak down off the car and started getting it and my dive gear ready to go. Jeff had already put his dive gear together. That saved a lot of time at the beach. Next time I will have my Tank, BCD, and regulator altogether and ready to go. Come to think of it, on my test dive, I had already put my gear together. That is because I had come from an aborted dive at La Jolla Cove, when my buddy had an equipment problem. Part of the reason for this dive was to further develop my kayak dive routine as I have developed my shore or boat-diving routine.

We paddled out towards La Jolla Cove Kelp bed area. I had my one piece rear zippered wetsuit on. Because I was using this wetsuit I had to have my hood on and the suit zipped up. It would be difficult for my buddy to zip up the suit while I was sitting on the kayak. This made it harder to paddle out. It puts a lot of strain on the upper arm and shoulder muscles. And with the hood on, though pulled down, my breathing was somewhat restricted. For the short paddle out to The Cove it was not too bad. But if I were to be going to some of the more distant dive sites, like Quast or God’s Rock, Scripp’s Canyon, or the far-western Kelp Bed, this would be a problem. I think I will get a wetsuit that zips up the front, say a Farmer John step-in or a one piece that zips up the front.

We stopped between the 5mph buoy and the La Jolla Reserve Buoy "A ". I had my mask, fins, gloves, and light in my goody bag secured in the forward bungy-well. My Tank assembly was secured in the rear tank well. I donned my fins, mask, and gloves. Then I got in the water and pulled the tank out of its well. Donned my tank and got it all adjusted. I retrieved my dive light and Jeff and I started our dive.

We were hoping to see some GSB and Soupfin sharks. Had a good dive and returned to the kayaks. It was somewhat surgey on the bottom. I came up within about 20 yards of our anchor position. Took a bearing and swam back to the kayaks underwater. I could see the kayaks on the surface and made my final ascent. Did not see any Soupfin or GSB on the dive.

Upon return to the boats we reversed the process and got off all out gear. The last time I did this I had to figure out the best way to get my tank and BCD back into the tank well. I bellied up over the back of the kayak and pulled the unit back into the kayak as I slid down the other side of the kayak. I did it the same way this time. Jeff suggested that next time I tie off my BCD to the kayak and then get up on the kayak facing the rear and pull it up the into the well. That seems like a good way to do it. I will try it next time.

This was a good first dive for the two of us. I will definitely do it again. I really want to go to dive sites that are too long to get to by a surface swim.

Exploring with a Buddy

2008-10-22T10:37:00.000-07:00

Guest Blogger Cindy
October 19, 2008
(Editorial comments in blue)
Our morning started out today with a meeting time of 8 a.m. at La Jolla Shores parking lot. The sun was just starting to peak through the marine layer when I arrived.

We unloaded our kayaks and gear and set toward the water. The morning was warming up, so I cast off my wind-breaker before we launched. It was going to be a beautiful morning.

We headed south toward the Marine Room restaurant. I was very pleased to see my first (Leopard) sharks in their natural habitat. Sea World and aquariums don’t really count. The water was very clear; I saw approximately 10 individual sharks. It was very exciting.

We then set toward a little beach that is only accessible by the water. We had plans of having a place to slide on the kayaks into the water. The seaweed and contours of the beach were not conducive to our endeavor. (A lot of seaweed washed up on the beach obscured the normally smooth grade of rocks. Makes for a fun slide into the water.) I did however find a partial fossil ammonite that was embedded in a rock on the beach. I always enjoy finding something special like that.

The sea caves were next on the route. Conditions were great for gliding through the Emerald Cove cave. The ocean smells great in there. The combination of the water, air and rock is wonderful. On the way just a touch south of there, I seem to have disturbed a few seals when I got a little too close to take a photo. A couple of them stared in barking at me. I scurried away quickly after securing my camera in the watertight case.

I was then a little sad to see a bobbing "dead" bird nearby. I went in a little closer to see what kind it was. To my delight it was a very small, very cute sleeping baby bird. It woke up and started peddling its little feet and raised its head. I’m not sure what kind it was, maybe a grebe or some type of loon. Anyway, it was Cute, with a capital C.

We then ventured a little further south, encountering some seals, fellow kayakers, kelp, watched some waves crash on the sea wall, water birds and too many Garibaldi to count.

All in all it was a nice excursion with great weather and water condition.

A Tern for the Better

2008-09-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

September 28, 2008

Early Sunday morning I met my friend from work at La Jolla Shores. She is an avid kayaker. She owns a couple of sit-in kayaks. But today she was trying out her friend's sit-on-top Scrambler. Though she will often launch her kayak from Mission Bay and then paddle out to the channel buoy at the mouth of Mission Bay she has not often kayaked around La Jolla, leaving from a beach with surf.

So, after a brief introduction to launching through surf, we headed out through said surf. She successfully managed the surf zone and waited for me to do the same. From there we headed south to Marine Room (no Leopard sharks visible today) and then along the Cliffs. Conditions allowed us to explore and enter some of the Caves. That was fun. From there a short trip out to the Kelp bed outside The Cove and then over to Boomers. Here we had a brief visit from a Harbor Seal. Turned back toward The Shores.

Back near the Shores I heard a bird call over my head. This call is a high pitched warble. It belongs to the bird that originally made me search for a good Bird Identification web page. Looking up I pointed out the bird to my friend. She identified it a Tern. I did not get a really good look at it to identify what variety of Tern it might be. Hopefully next time I will. I see them mostly flying above me at sea. So I do not get a close look at them. And some of the most important features for a positive identification can not be seen from below. When they are flying. Leg & beak color, as well as head markings, are important. Next time. By the way, this web site has more than just sea birds. But I chose it because it has detailed descriptions of the birds as well as pictures, including pictures and descriptions from different developmental stages in each bird’s life.

Last Day of Summer

2008-09-21T17:21:00.000-07:00

Out for my regular Sunday morning kayak. First, headed south to Marine room to view the Leopard Sharks. Visibility in the shallows not very good and saw none. But there was a huge flock of cormorants sitting in the water just past the surf. Probably 100 or more. Most were just resting. Some were diving for food and others were cleaning their feathers, looking like miniature, winged, black Dragons.

The over to the Cobblestone beach near Devil’s Slide to see if the Sea Lion carcass was still there. Surf was up just a bit, waist to chest high sets and a shore break. So I could not get up onto the beach. But I got as close as I could and could not see anything. So it was either washed out to sea or collected by the people I called last week. Over to the Caves, too surgey so I don’t go in. A quick look at the Sea Lions and then head west.

From there my long paddle to Crystal Pier. A few surfers at Horseshoe reef, Marine Street. Some others at Wind & Sea Beach, And a few more at North Bird Rock. Paddle down past Tourmaline Surf Park to Crystal Pier. Lots more surfers. But definitely not the summer crowds. The local diehards must be happy to have their breaks back, just like the divers are to have the beaches back. Mikes for finding parking at the Cove much easier. No longer have to get there at 0630 to get a decent parking place.

Saw mostly birds today. I should find a Bird Identification web site and link it to my page. I can of course recognize your basic Brown Pelican, Cormorants, and Sea Gulls. But there are a number of birds that I am not as familiar with and would like to identify. I would also like to know about their behavior and migratory patterns, if any.
http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/infocenter.html

Past the Grand Avenue Lifeguard station about ¼ to ½ mile past the pier. I hear the Lifeguards remind the beach goers that dog are not allowed on the beach or boardwalk after 9:00 AM. So it must be later than that. I think I left La Jolla Shores about 0730. I know I was at Starbucks buying my morning Café Mocha at 0700. I took a break here before turning back north. My first beside short pauses to get a drink of water or stop to look at some interesting sight, or pick up some trash entangled in the kelp patties. Clouds are burning off to the east. Time to put on hat, T-shirt, and sunglasses. Lone Sea Lion hunting out here with me. Came in close (10 yards) to see what I was about. Just another kayaker; swam off.

Back to The shores. Uneventful paddle back. Surf at The shores about 2 to 3 feet, made a graceful re-entry to the beach. Just a typical day today.

Kayak Rental

2008-09-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

September 9, 2008
My Nephew was visiting so I decided that I would take him kayaking. The day before kayaking with him I went down to La Jolla Shores to Avenida De La Playa and checked out all the Kayak rental places. Pretty much they all offer the same thing, two-hour Kayak Rental for $28. Included in the price is all you need for using the kayak and instruction on where you can and cannot go with the rental kayak. (More on this later.) A couple of weeks earlier I had taken my cousin kayaking. That time I had a gift certificate for two single guided tours.

So, now a comparison between just renting a kayak and taking the tour. The cost of the tour is about twice as much. With the tour you get some basic instruction on paddling with a kayak. And the tour guide brings you to many of the places of interests between La Jolla Shores and La Jolla Cove. The guide we were with was very knowledgeable about the La Jolla area. Going along with him for me (as a local) and my cousin as a visitor was a plus. And you are able to enter the Caves in the kayaks.

When I brought my nephew kayaking I was informed that the rental kayaks could not be brought into the Caves. The Lifeguards would fine me and it is a steep fine. However, I was still able to enter the Caves if I wished. So I asked that if we traded kayaks if my nephew could go in. I was told that was permissible. I was also not really supposed to cross the swim lane running from the Cove to the Shores in the kayak. These are both things that I do all the time in my kayak and have never been approached by a lifeguard. I was also told not to go near the area known as Devil’s Slide just south of the Marine Room. It is dangerous. That can be true when the surf is up. I don’t blame the kayak rental shops for these restrictions. I think the Lifeguards institute them for good reason. I can see that they probably do not want a whole large group of kayakers paddling across the swim area, or having to rescue groups of inexperienced kayakers from the caves and rocky beaches that are not easily accessible from shore.

So as we were about to leave the beach I asked the person from the shop If I should be back at the beach by 1130 (two hours). He said; "Give or take an hour." So we had up to three hours if we wanted. I don’t know if this was their regular routine or if it had to do it being a weekday and just past the busy summer season. With all the restrictions placed on a kayaker without a guide two hours was more than enough.

Some of the kayak places have boats with see through bottoms. My nephew used one of these. Great for when the visibility is good. Today it was not bad in the shallow areas. So first we paddled south along the Shores towards Marine Room. The water was very clear in the surf zone down to a depth of about eight to ten feet. As we went south just outside the surf zone we started seeing the Leopard Sharks. There was quite a good concentration this day. And as we got to Marine Room there were even more. So we paddled around in the area for quite sometime. Observed a NOAA boat nearby. Asked what he was doing. Told me he was checking the Leopard Shark population.

Next we paddled over to the cliffs and caves. We explored around the area and checked out the Sea Lions. There was a group with a guide going in and out of the larger caves. Though it was very calm I did not exchange kayaks with my nephew and let him go in. If he got in trouble I might not be able to help. I asked the guide about the restriction of going across the swim lane (which many other kayakers and I do all the time without consequence). He said that since it was just the two of us it would probably not draw much attention. And if it did it would probably just amount to a verbal warning. So my nephew and I crossed the lane and went out to the kelp bed. Spent some time there and headed back to The Shores.

We still had plenty of time so we went back south to the Devil’s Slide area. Surf was very small so I headed in to the cobblestone beach. I dismounted my kayak in knee deep water and found a place to exit. Then I climbed up the steep cobblestone beach. Just as I reached the ledge at the high tide line I came upon a Sea Lion carcass. It was lying on its side, mouth open, exposing long yellowed canines. I was up wind and did not detect the scent of decay. But as I continued down the beach away from the carcass I caught the very strong odor of decay.

Got away from it and dragged my kayak up on to the shelf. Placed the seat just back from the edge, sat down in the kayak, got ready to paddle, leaned forward and did the seal slide down the rocks into the water.

Hit the water’s edge and paddled out through the small surf. What a ride! I left the beach and Sea Lion carcass behind. I wonder if SIO or Sea World is interested in knowing about Pinniped deaths? I’ll find out.

Went back to Marine Room. We still had about half an hour left so I played in the surf going in and out and practicing my surf entry and exit techniques. Sounds like work but on a hot, sunny day like this it can be a lot of fun. Meanwhile my nephew watched the swarming Leopard Sharks. Then we headed back to the boat launch.

So if you have visitors to San Diego this is something that everyone can do. It is great fun and just enough off the beaten path to be a memorable experience.

Changing Seas

2008-09-07T10:41:00.000-07:00

A gray morning, low Marine Layer typical of the summer months in San Diego. My dive buddy could not get out this morning so I went down to La Jolla Shores to take my kayak out. I arrived just after 7:00 AM and pulled into the parking lot. The lot was nearly full but I was able to get a spot right up next to the boardwalk. School is in, it is past Labor Day, and we have the beach back to ourselves. Why is it crowded today? A kayak-fishing tournament is going on.
I took a quick look at the conditions. A northwest swell with two to four foot breakers, some wind chop and a secondary swell coming in from variable directions making for slightly confused seas. The tide was high or coming in and so there was not a long walk to the water’s edge.

I got my kayak off the roof of my car and lugged it down to the shoreline. Made a second trip back to the car and got in my shorty, put on a T-shirt and my hat. Grab my seat, life-vest, paddle and a couple of bottles of water. One day a week I like to do what I refer to as a two-bottle trip. In other words I need two bottles of water to do the trip.

Pulling my kayak into the water I saw a surfer taking a break on the sand. He was wearing a watch so I asked him the time. I entered the water just to the north of the lifeguard tower at 7:40 AM. Pushed out through the surf and headed out. I started southwards but my kayak seemed wayward. It kept pointing slightly north. Was it the swell or was my kayak letting me know which way it wanted to go? Whatever the truth I turned north. This is not my usual routine. Typically on my long paddles I like to go south. The scenery is more enticing; cliffs, caves and coves with curving cream colored beaches. And most of the time the sea-life is more interesting. Sea Lions, seals, kelp beds. But this time I headed north. The swell was approaching me and the freshening breeze was in my face. This gives the exhilarating allusion of speed. Something I would come to long for later in the day.

Many, many kayak fisherman out today for the tournament. Talked to a couple on the way towards Scripp's Pier. The further north I go the fewer kayakers were around. By the time I was out from the Glider port on the cliffs above I was all alone. About then I spotted another lone kayaker heading south towards me. We paddled in close and exchanged hellos and both remarked how we seemed to be the only kayakers out that were not fishing. Turns out, like me, this kayaker just enjoys being out at Sea, paddling. He also had a watch and I asked him the time. It was 9:00.

After that short and first rest, I continued north to Torrey Pines State Beach and the past the Golf Course on the bluffs above. It was still overcast, but the Seas had become less confused the farther north I traveled. Why this is I really do not know. Possibly I am out of the La Jolla bight, or I am just further out from shore at this point. I drive on to where Highway S1 comes down from the bluffs and parallels the beach for three-quarters of a mile and then heads up into the hills of Del Mar.

At this point I turned around. This was the furthest north that I have ever paddled. In the mist I could look south and still see the coast of La Jolla jutting out to the west. But it was not clear enough to be able to make out Scripp’s Pier. I could make out the hump of Mt. Soledad. And it was this that I used as a bearing. Here I paused and took a long break, drank plenty of water, and headed back south.

Now the swell was coming from my starboard quarter. And the wind was at my back. As I paddle I can feel the swell giving me a push as it passes me by. And with the wind at my back and blowing in nearly the same direction as I am traveling I am no longer feeling the cool breeze in my face. All this contributes to a feeling of slowed progress. No longer am I racing into the wind and swell. Instead it seems as if I am plodding along. When, in reality I may be going faster as I get a push from the swell. But the psychological damage is done. And to make matters worse the Marine Layer is burning off and the sun is starting to peek through. I take a break, drink more water and apply liberal amounts of sunscreen to my arms, face, and legs, and put on my sunglasses.

The sun coming out changes the color of the sea. Before it was a uniform gray. Now it is many colors. To my left, towards the sun, the surface is a light blue with a sheen like silver plate. And the peaks of the wavelets reflect a sequins-sparkle that blinds the eye. Away from the sun the sea is a deep blue, and directly below me a turquoise shadow that obscures whatever may be lurking there.

Before long the sun has completely burned away any trace of cloud in the sky. The sun is beating on my legs and arms. And the salt is now drying and encrusting my face. I take a drink and wash the salt off my face, which refreshes me. But the worst is the seeming slowness of my progression south. When I stop to rest I turn my kayak to face northwest. This accomplishes two things. I am not facing into the sun and I again can feel the breeze in may face. It’s hard but I must turn around and continue on.

I am now nearing Scripp’s Pier once again. This is a milestone in the journey and I know when I reach there I will be almost home. As I near it I feel I am returning to civilization. More kayakers are appearing and there are surfers just south of the pier. Upon reaching the pier I take a long break in the shadow of the deck above. Between the pier pilings the swell lifts me up and down and moves me back and fourth. This is nice. And I look down the pier towards the beach and it seems like a cool green tunnel. I just want to sit here forever. But I know I must drive on.
Leaving the shade of the pier I paddle my last leg back to the Shores. I paddle for the surfing zone checkered flag to make my exit. Lots of surfers waiting for that wave. I, on the other hand, am looking for the break between sets. I watch the swell. A couple of surfers catch some good sized waves into the beach. Now my approach is clear and it is the lull between sets. I commit and am in to the beach without mishap. Another beautiful day out on the sea.

STATISTICS;
I made specific mention of time in the entry. The reason for that is I wanted to figure my average speed. I left at 0740 and made it back to La Jolla Shores by 1130. So, three hours and fifty minutes was my time. I checked the distance traveled on my Thomas Bros. It worked out to about 12 miles. Estimating my breaks at being about twenty minutes (conservative). My entire trip was about 3hrs.10 mins. And my average speed about 3.5 mph.

Where to Launch Kayaks

2008-09-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

What follows is a compilation of the responses that Steve obtained from his question about launching kayaks.
Kevin

I recently asked the list a couple questions concerning places to launch a kayak from in/around La Jolla ……. Below are summaries of the responses. Some responses were posted to the list, but are repeated below for completeness.Thanks for all your input.Steve

I have been launching off Marine Street beach for a decade. A bit dicey sometimes because of the shore break, but doable.
And Wind and Sea isn't much of a problem, either. Just shore breaks.
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San Diego Municipal Code § 63.20.9 limits the launching of all boats (except for non-motorized inflatables) from beach areas within the city limits. Avenida de la Playa is the only designated public launch area on any beach directly adjacent to the Pacific.
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I've launched kayaks from the area north of Scripps Pier before withoutany trouble. The waves can be a bit bigger up there, though :)
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Q: So where do all those wave skis @ Mission Beach get launched from?A: Mission Bay is not a "beach immediately adjacent to the Pacific." Not only does Mission Bay have a number of actual launch ramps, but there are different rules on launching from the beach.For more information on boating regulations in San Diego, start at: http://www.sandiego.gov/lifeguards/safety/boatreg.shtml
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Not only can you launch from the boat ramp at LJS, but you may also launch and land your kayak in the surfing zone just north of the lifeguard tower. I know this to be true because I actually asked a lifeguard about it. Now, during the summer at 11:00 am the lifeguards move the surfing zone (north of the checkered flag) north about 100 yards to give the swimmers more room. The surf is usually bigger the further north you go and so coming back in can be tricky. Both because of the size of the surf (more likely to get spilled) and the number of surfers.
I often launch from just north of the lifeguard tower because I think it is easier to launch my kayak and not have to move my car from the boat launch. And then when I land I can just bring my kayak right back to my car in the parking lot. Sometimes, if the surf comes up, or I don't make it back before 11:00 am I will land down at the boat launch and walk my kayak up to the parking lot in knee deep water. The lifeguards have never said anything to me about doing this. But you do have to watch out for little kids playing in the ankle slappers.
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It's not LJ, and it's not open in the summer, but there is a boat launch area in south Encinitas near Restaurant Row, and I have launched my kayak at Pillbox - sorry, I mean Fletcher Cove, in Solana Beach before also.
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Honestly I don't know the 'rules' but the only thing lifeguards seem to care about when I talk to them is that I go out through surfers and not swimmers. A sit on top kayak in many ways is close to being a surfboard, and in fact sometimes that is what I do with it! So far I have gone out OB on the Dog Beach side, Marine St. and Mission Bay. The main thing I think is that there aren't people (swimmers) being endangered in any way – that’s what the lifeguards care about from what I can tell. I can also tell you, being a spear fisherman, that TONS of spearos go out Marine St. beach with kayaks and inflatables (no motor). It is possible that the letter of the law would make it illegal to go out these other beaches but that seems pretty draconian to me, especially since I could claim that a sit on top kayak was also a surfboard. Heck if they gave me a hard time that’s what I would do anyway - buy a longboard, strap some gear to it and paddle out to the kelp to get some food. Let me know if you find any hard 'rules' on this one!

Whale Tale

2008-09-01T02:55:00.000-07:00

3/2/08
On a clear day in early March I set out from La Jolla Shores westward towards the outer kelp bed northwest of The Children’s Pool. The sea is glassy smooth and the swell is almost non-existent. A gentle breeze occasionally brushes my face as I paddle past the ankle-slappers. It is overcast; typical for this time of the morning so the sea is a slate gray color, reflecting the clouds. One of those days when the quiet of the ocean makes you want to sit still and enjoy a bit of solitude.

I probably took a side tour over towards the Caves prior to heading west out to sea. I typically do this on calm days as it is fun to travel in and out of the coves and caves. When I am about one half to a quarter mile away from the kelp beds I start to see the many kayak fishermen that often congregate there. I also spot a few small motor craft at least one of which is displaying a dive flag. A couple of commercial Urchin fishermen are also out this morning.

Searching the horizon I spot a small geyser of water vapor break the flat ocean surface. Only one animal can make such a large spout of water. It must be a Gray Whale that has just surfaced for a breath of air. I watch the area to spot it again and see if I can determine its direction and aspect. A short time later it surfaces and blows once more. This time it is a little more to left of where I first saw it . It must be headed south. I point my kayak in a southwesterly heading, hoping that I will be able to head it off and get a good look. I probably have about a quarter mile to go. I start my drive towards it picking up as much speed as I can muster. In the seven months I have been kayaking this is the first sighting I have had of anything bigger than Sea Lions or Dolphins.

The Whale continues to surface at regular intervals allowing me to adjust course and speed to intercept it. I continue to paddle for a few more minutes. I should be very close now. But the whale has not surfaced for some time. I stop my kayak and listen. There is not a sound to be heard except a couple of kayak fishermen that also spotted the whale and are wondering where it has gone. Suddenly, behind me I hear the unmistakable sound of a whale breaking the surface and expelling a breath and taking in another. Quickly, I turn my kayak, a little nervous that a Gray Whale has just surfaced an unknown distance behind my small craft. And there, not more than a bus length over my shoulder is a 25 to 30 foot Gray Whale. He has not dived but is sitting on the edge of the kelp, eyeing me. His head is just above the water and the rest of his body lies just below the surface. He is on his side and floating in one place, as curious about me as I am about him. The dive boat that was nearby has also seen him and is motoring slowly in my direction. He stays just long enough for them to get a glimpse and he dives.

He did not surface again within sight of any of us. The dive boat approached me and I chatted with them a bit about our close encounter with this leviathan of the deep. To be this close to something that could swat you out of the water but is obviously so gentle and curious about you is really an exceptional experience.

It a Whale of a tale, but it's all true. I swear by my tattoo.

Kayak Test Dive

2008-08-31T13:57:00.000-07:00

July 6, 2008; My Aussie dive buddy, Glenn J., and I met at La Jolla Cove for a dive out at the Kelp/Rockpile area to the Northwest of the Ecological Preserve marker buoy. Just before putting on our tanks Glenn developed an equipment problem that would keep him from diving. We started to get out of our gear and were about to head over to our favorite eateries when I had a brilliant idea. I would utilize this opportunity to do a Kayak Test Dive. If he would act as surface support for me while I loaded, launched and dived from my kayak I would treat him to lunch.

Staying in our wetsuits we drove over to Marine Room Restaurant where I could launch my kayak and do a shallow dive. Parking on the street we checked out conditions. They were divable and the tide was low enough for there to be some beach exposed at Marine Room. Glenn and I carried the kayak down to the beach. No reason to be self-sufficient having a buddy along to help carry the kayak down. I loaded all the gear into my kayak, set up the anchoring system a grabbed my dive flag and water bottles. Glenn got in his free diving gear and snorkeled out past the surf as I paddled out to the 5-mph. buoy. Glenn hung on to my kayak for a short tow out. Towing a diver, even one that is steamlined, creates a bit of drag, especially when fully loaded with dive gear. He had to swim back under his own power.

I anchored and put my BCD in the water. I used a piece of line to secure it to the kayak while I got in. One thing that I learned at this stage was that having a wetsuit that zips up the front would be a good idea. Paddling out with a 7mm wetsuit completely zipped up is a minor problem. The thick rubber creates a lot of resistance for paddling. Having it down around your waist and zipping it up at the site is better. Zipping up a rear entry one-piece wetsuit on a kayak with out getting in the cold Southern Cal water is tough. Donning my snorkel gear I slid into the water. Slid into the BCD and adjusted the straps, checked all systems and started down the anchor line.

I kept the dive short and shallow, not wanting Glenn to have to wait too long on the surface. Surfaced and swam back to the kayak. I took off my tank and considered how best to put it up in the tank well. While in the water I tried to slide it up onto the kayak and into the well from the back. This did not work, as I could not get the kayak low enough in the water or lift my BCD/tank high enough. So then I bellied up onto the kayak and faced around backward and grabbed it by the tank valve and slid it right up. This was Glenn’s idea. I was able to do this without any assistance from him. That was one of the things I wanted to see. What I could do on my own? Though I usually dive with a buddy I believe that you must be prepared and capable of operating alone in case something happens where you are separated from your buddy.

The anchor was in sand so there was no problem pulling it up. Had it been in the reef there was a chance that it could get caught in the rocks. And this illustrates why you might want to use a line and reel system to get back to your anchor. You could check the anchor before surfacing or bring it up with you. This would avoid the possible necessity of having to go back down to get the anchor up. Especially important if you did a deep dive and are close to a decompression situation. It also might be a good idea for my to get something to wind my anchor line onto. For a shallow anchor where I only have about 25 of line this is not an issue. But if I had a long anchor line I would want something to keep the line organized and untangled.

So I learned quite a bit on this Kayak Test Dive. And I am now ready to go diving once again from my kayak.

Prepaing to Dive

2008-08-31T11:12:00.000-07:00

After many months of practice and just plain fun paddling around La Jolla and Pacific Beach I decided that it was time to prepare to dive from my kayak. I checked out a few websites dedicated to the sport of kayak diving. Here are a couple I found….KAYAK DIVING & FISHING, Surfing, Exploring, and Play! & kayak diving. No reason to completely reinvent the wheel. Might as well learn from the experiences of others. In fact, this is one of the purposes in creating this blog.

One of the first problems to address is what to do with your kayak while you are off of it diving. On the websites I visited there were a number of different solutions. First was actually towing the kayak with you as you dive. And the other is to anchor the kayak. I chose to go for anchoring the kayak. Here is why.

In San Diego, and most of California we have Macrocystis Kelp. If you are not familiar with this type of Kelp here is a brief (layman’s) description of the plant. The Kelp plant is attached to the bottom (or other solid structure) by means of a holdfast. This loosely resembles a root system of a tree growing in a mangrove. From the holdfast long strands of rubbery "vines" extend up through the water column to reach the surface and then lay across the surface. Depending on the density of the kelp bed there may or may not be channels of open water between the kelp plants. So, if you were to use the technique of towing your kayak while diving in Kelp this could lead to some very severe entanglement problems.

For the conditions most likely to be encountered in Southern California, I think anchoring is the best solution. At sites without kelp towing may be an option. However, doing this will restrict your freedom depending on how long you tow line is. Another option, which I have yet to explore, is to have a line and reel similar to what one might use while diving a wreck. This would have two benefits. You could tie it off to your anchor line and therefore make it easy to find your way back to your kayak. And it would also allow you to know if something was happening to your kayak on the surface while you are diving.

So I went to the local kayak shop and purchased myself an anchor. The sales person sold me an anchor with fold up blades. It weighs 3 lb. I also bought a dive flag, some wooden dowels and found some closed cell foam packing material. I attached the dive flag to the wooden dowel (4 feet) and glued on the closed cell foam. I put this in one of the scuppers to let people know that there is a diver below and that this is not a derelict vessel. After testing the flag set up I found that I must waterproof the wooden dowel or use plastic for the pole.

I took my kayak out in to Mission Bay to test the anchor. At the time there was a slight incoming tide and so a bit of a current to test the holding power of the anchor. There was little to no wind pushing against me while sitting in the kayak. The bottom of Mission Bay in this area is flat and muddy. There are no rocks or other features that the anchor can lodge in. I anchored next to a marker buoy so I could determine if I was drifting at all. Within a few minutes it was obvious that the anchor was not sufficiently holding me in place. This was frustrating. So now I had to figure out what I could do to solve this problem.

Being cheap (or frugal) I did not really want to purchase a new anchor. Besides, this one might work just fine in a rocky reef where there are bottom features it can hook onto. So what I did was to get one of my extra Zeagle™ weight pouches and a carabiner. I put a few soft weights in the pouch and shot it down the anchor line after the anchor. I tested this system in the ocean, with swells and currents and wind. It held me in place just fine, even with me sitting on the kayak and all the wind resistance that creates. And if I wish, I can swim to the anchor line and detach the weight pouch prior to surfacing. That way I avoid having to pull up a heavier anchor.

That problem solved now I wanted to practice loading my dive gear onto my kayak. I went to La Jolla Shores and brought my dive gear and kayak to the sand on the boat launch. Being by myself I had to leave the gear on the beach while I parked the car. That was a little nerve racking. But when I am really going to be diving I will have a buddy with me and one can stay with the equipment while the other parks the car.

I took the kayak loaded with all my dive gear and went paddling out. The dive gear does add quite a lot of weight and drag. Even though I am able to paddle my kayak from La Jolla to Pacific Beach and back I wonder how far I can paddle with a full load. I know I can do it from LJS to Scripp’s Canyon dive site, having done that many years ago. And I am in better shape now.

My Scrambler XL has a tank well in the rear for the tank BCD set up. My kayak has bungies going across the tank well. I did flip the kayak in the surf zone and found that they would hold. However, there is a chance that the bungy could come loose from the kayak and dump my gear. I think I will get some more secure straps. For my mask, fins and other peripheral dive gear I like to put it all in a goody bag and stow it up in the front equipment well. That way it is together and will not be floating away from me while driving out or coming back through the surf. I did notice one very significant benefit to having the dive gear in the kayak. When coming back through the surf I am tail-end heavy. This extra weight in the back makes it easier to get in through the surf to the beach without tripping the kayak.

Extending the Limits

2008-08-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

The next time I took my kayak out I paddled over to the Children’s Pool (a.k.a. Casa Cove). That was not too bad of a trip. Being late fall the swell can come up. And on this day I would say that it was about four feet. Coming up on the reef just east of the Children’s Pool Breakwater I had to pay close attention to the swell. The shallow reefs in this area come very close to the surface in spots. And a large swell can turn from being a boil over the rocks to a breaking wave without much warning. These changeable conditions made it necessary to keep a watchful eye on my surroundings. On days like this with a swell you need to stay on the outside.

One week later (12/17/07) I headed North along La Jolla Shores towards Scripp’s Pier. It was a clear, clam day with the swell down to one or two feet. Just south of the pier I ran into a small pod of dolphins playing just outside the surf zone. They were traveling in a northerly direction and I continued to follow them. Found myself north of the pier in the area of Scripp’s Canyon. This is the site where I first dived from a kayak back in 1994. Soon the dolphins disappeared. They probably stayed where the baitfish were, that they often feed on. I continued on past the Torrey Pines Gliderport as far north as Torrey Pines Golf Course. Round trip about 6 miles.

Over the next few months I would stretch my trips a little further each time. First out to the Kelp Bed west of Children’s Pool. A very popular place for the many kayak fishermen I see out there all the time. By mid January I was kayaking as far as Marine Street beach and back. In February I was reaching as far as Bird Rock. Sometimes on the way south if the sea was flat calm I would paddle among the many caves down below The Coast Walk east of La Jolla Cove. On a calm day I’ll paddle in and out amongst the caves, testing my maneuvering skills at close quarters. Or I will watch the Sea Lions playing in the water or sunning themselves on the rocks.

Another thing to do on the way west and south is to stop in at The Children’s Pool and watch the Harbor Seals splashing in the pool, or resting on the beach. It has been sometime since I have dived at this site. But I have many great memories of my close encounter with these creatures. These very curious and even affectionate animals have often approached me. Though we are able to use the beach to dive I hope to use my kayak to access sites off this area without disturbing the seals on the beach or those who think it is their job to protect them. And there are many sites in this area that I would like to dive that are a very long swim from the shore.

On one particularly clear day in March I was paddling down towards Bird Rock. That was my farthest trip on the kayak so far . Out of the light haze to the south a long structure appeared. As I paddled towards it I realized that it was Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach. Wow! Could I make it there? I felt good and not too tired. I thought if I just take it slow. I paddled past Bird Rock, past the surfers at Tourmaline Surfing Park, and on past Palisades Park, and on until I was finally at Crystal Pier. At the pier I took a rest for a while, drank some water and mentally prepared for the long trip back. Taking a line of site heading on the point of Bird Rock I navigated back to La Jolla. By the time I reached Marine Street I was definitely feeling tired. But once I turned the corner at Children’s Pool and La Jolla Shores came in sight the swell was at my back and giving me a nice push just when I needed it. After what I estimate was a four or five hour trip I made it back to shore. Hopping out of my kayak in the surf my legs turned to rubber and would not support me. For the next month I would try do this long paddle once a week.

On April 13 I once again paddle down to Crystal Pier. It was an unusually calm day and I did not have to fight any swell or current. When I got to the Pier I took my usual break. There was a large pod of dolphins swimming just out past all the surfers waiting for the next set of waves. I followed them south a bit. Before long I noticed I could see the Mission Bay Jetty. Could I make this? I thought I could and started my trek across the ocean surface. In less than half an hour I was there. After another rest I turned back north towards La Jolla. While taking my heading I noticed that the Lois Ann was out at the Yukon dive site. I was really feeling good and rested. I knew I could make it. And I began the paddle out. I must have got my second wind. I was not just taking a leisurely slow paddle to the site. I was driving out there at a good clip. I was just a quarter mile out when the Lois Ann pulled up anchored and motored off. But there was another dive boat out there. I visited them for awhile, had a snack, and headed back to La Jolla. Round trip time 6 hours, including breaks. How far was this I really do not know. But it was at least 12 miles. My longest trip. But it was not the last time I would do this.

First Trip 9/23/07

2008-08-27T16:45:00.000-07:00

On Sunday,September 23rd, 2007 I purchased my "new" Scrambler XL kayak. And I was excited about getting out on it. I bought a few essential pieces of gear such as a paddle. The sales person asked if I needed a Personal Floatation Device. I said that I did not. My intention was that I would be using it only for diving and therefore would be in a full 7mm wetsuit. There is no way that you could possibly sink while wearing this. It was then that I was informed that the United States Coast Guard (an organization of which I was once enlisted) considers a kayak a vessel. Therefore everyone on board must have a PFD even if they are not actually wearing it. So I bought the least expensive PFD that is Coast Guard certified.

I drove down to La Jolla Shores and launched my kayak for the first time. Paddling out through the surf was exhilarating. The cold, salt water splashing your face as you drive through the surf, rushing over your legs. I then made a course over to the Cliffs just to the east of La Jolla Cove. From there I went west out to the first marker buoy of the La Jolla Preserve. Then I steered a course back to the beach. I did not want to over do it the first day.

As I neared the shore I paused just outside the surf. Now was the real test. Could I get back in without spilling the kayak in the surf? I watched the surf for a lull and went for it. Paddling quickly towards the shore I noticed my rear end being pushed out from behind me. Paddling and trying to correct my angle to the surf turn the kayak back perpendicular to the wave. Over I went in a wash of salt spray. Something that I would have to work on. And something I still work on, sticking the landing.

Little did I know that I would enjoy this so much that I would be out paddling nearly every weekend for the next year. I had created a monster. And each time out I would push my limits just a little further.

Why Kayaking?

2008-08-26T20:11:00.000-07:00

I have been Scuba diving in since I was a 'teen in the early '70's. Over the years I have had the chance to dive with many interesting people both here in San Diego and while traveling to exotic destinations. Through the years my diving frequency has waxed and waned depending on what I was doing in my life. But it has always been an important avocation in my life. Since about 1992 I have been diving on a regular basis. I do between 50 to 100+ dives per year.

In 1994 I had a couple of dive buddies with kayaks that were set up for diving. They were kind enough and patient enough to introduce me to this new adventure. My first experience was a success and great learning experience. My buddy Andy K. and I loaded up the kayaks at the boat launch at La Jolla Shores, Ca. We then paddled north beyond Scripp's Pier and out to the dive site of Scripp's Canyon. Even though this was my first time on a kayak with full dive gear I had no problem staying balanced a top the kayak and never once tipped over.

Securing our kayaks we donned our dive gear and headed into the Canyon. After a very nice dive we returned to the kayaks. At that time I was diving in an integrated BCD called an ATPAC, one of the first integrated BCDs. I easily secured my BCD and tank in the tank well and proceeded to climb aboard my kayak. This is when I ran into my first problem. Getting the kayak balanced in the water was not as easy as balancing it on the beach. I would sit on top trying to get stable for thirty seconds and then flip the kayak. I continued to try to stay atop. Soon I was becoming exhausted. Andy, being more experienced, took my kayak and I took his. I was able to stay atop it and we paddled back. I learned later that having my weight still in my BCD raised my center of gravity enough to make me unstable. From then On I would remove the weight and put it down low in the kayak while paddling. From then on with the lower center of gravity I had no problem.

Time passes and buddies move on. I did more kayak diving in 1995 but that was it for many years. Then in 2007 I took a trip to New Zealand. It was here that I again did some kayaking. And as soon as I returned from my trip I started my search for a kayak to dive from. I found myself a used Scrambler XL that was nicely equipped for diving. And for one year now I have been practicing my kayaking skills and increasing my stamina by slowly increasing the length of my kayak trips, and working on the problems specific to diving from a kayak.

Recently I did my very first kayak dive test dive. It was another success. Using our local diving website http://www.divebums.com/ I put a call our for others interested in kayak diving. I have found quite a few people interested in joining me. And now it just remains for us to get together and start on this new adventure.

I hope that this will let us reach dives sties along the shores of San Diego that are not easily accessible from the shore.