By Sunday the swell had quieted a bit. Erik and I took a chance and headed to Lobos. Kristina’s ominous text about undivable conditions at BW & heading home arrived just as we pulled in to survey the chop at Whalers Cove.
The birds eye view of big swell from the bluff was a bit intimidating, and the milky looking water in the cove was not inviting. But the swells in the cove itself seemed reasonable and we wanted to get wet! A team of two women I've never met before was gearing up in the parking lot (that was otherwise empty of dive gear). The leader was wearing a drysuit, bp/w, light can, long hose and exuded confidence.
Erik and I hatched a pre-dive plan with Plan A & Plan B. We watched the women descend without returning, then we negotiated the boat ramp and surface kicked out past a few curious seals towards worm patch until the swell became too high to keep going.
Eye to eye we dropped down into the 2’ vis water which opened up to a fuzzy 3’. Sticking close to the bottom we followed the sand channel. Side by side we floated in a relaxed hover through the swell which rocked us backward and forward 10+ ft. It felt like flying through a magical surrealistic dream world! Absolutely beautiful! Our 21W lights easily pierced through the whirling blizzard filled with sand and chunks of kelp making communication easy.
It took a bit too much energy to progress through the swell which only promised to get worse, so we went with Plan B which avoided a long kick back against the surge. Gliding through the swaying kelp towards middle reef – were we were surprised to find so many large fish which were unusually friendly and let us come within 1-2 ft. Probably 10-20X more than normal! They were everywhere! Were they seeking shelter in the cove?
Around 40-50ft the vis opened up to 20+ ft and the surge subsided. We hunted nudies in the calmer water near the reef (there were lots), and watched all the huge fish. At one point a school of about 30 blue rock fish spiraled above the swaying kelp. At other points a school of some type of red fish and schools of small silver fish and shrimp swam by. It was the best critter dive I’ve every had at Lobos – amazing!
Sticking close together, we glided back through the sand channel blizzard, past the worm mound towards the boat ramp. When the vis closed in to 2 and then 1 foot we swam side by side with forearms touching. We thumbed the dive just after worm mound - when the vis was so poor we could no longer see our depth gauges
.
The tide was low for the second boat ramp exit and the swell made the algea covered ramp potentially treacherous. But thanks to careful timing & a hand from my buddy Erik & Doc Wong’s advice, the exit was not that big a deal! Just rode a wave up over the stone lip then grasped a rock till Erik gave me a hand up.
This was the first time in the day I felt a twang of uncertainty. But quickly sorted it out, confidently reassured by the fact that -- that if for some reason a wave tumbled me (which Doc said is possible) -- my back up reg was readily available just a few inches from my mouth on the bungee around my neck.
It was a really memorable 250th dive with an exciting exit! It’s amazing to this former warm water resort diver how this type of dive can be a peaceful breeze if you have the gear/training, are confident with skills & have a good buddy! Three teams went in, and two came out smiling! The third came out but not smiling. There were plenty of unclaimed reservations!
A huge thanks to all of you who have patiently mentored me in local cold water diving such as Don, Doc Wong, Ben, Clinton, Kenn and others. And to Jim, Ron and Mike who got me started! A special thanks for my partner Erik who is always attentive & up for an adventure! Hopefully you’ll post some pictures if they come out.
The birds eye view of big swell from the bluff was a bit intimidating, and the milky looking water in the cove was not inviting. But the swells in the cove itself seemed reasonable and we wanted to get wet! A team of two women I've never met before was gearing up in the parking lot (that was otherwise empty of dive gear). The leader was wearing a drysuit, bp/w, light can, long hose and exuded confidence.
Erik and I hatched a pre-dive plan with Plan A & Plan B. We watched the women descend without returning, then we negotiated the boat ramp and surface kicked out past a few curious seals towards worm patch until the swell became too high to keep going.
Eye to eye we dropped down into the 2’ vis water which opened up to a fuzzy 3’. Sticking close to the bottom we followed the sand channel. Side by side we floated in a relaxed hover through the swell which rocked us backward and forward 10+ ft. It felt like flying through a magical surrealistic dream world! Absolutely beautiful! Our 21W lights easily pierced through the whirling blizzard filled with sand and chunks of kelp making communication easy.
It took a bit too much energy to progress through the swell which only promised to get worse, so we went with Plan B which avoided a long kick back against the surge. Gliding through the swaying kelp towards middle reef – were we were surprised to find so many large fish which were unusually friendly and let us come within 1-2 ft. Probably 10-20X more than normal! They were everywhere! Were they seeking shelter in the cove?
Around 40-50ft the vis opened up to 20+ ft and the surge subsided. We hunted nudies in the calmer water near the reef (there were lots), and watched all the huge fish. At one point a school of about 30 blue rock fish spiraled above the swaying kelp. At other points a school of some type of red fish and schools of small silver fish and shrimp swam by. It was the best critter dive I’ve every had at Lobos – amazing!
Sticking close together, we glided back through the sand channel blizzard, past the worm mound towards the boat ramp. When the vis closed in to 2 and then 1 foot we swam side by side with forearms touching. We thumbed the dive just after worm mound - when the vis was so poor we could no longer see our depth gauges
. The tide was low for the second boat ramp exit and the swell made the algea covered ramp potentially treacherous. But thanks to careful timing & a hand from my buddy Erik & Doc Wong’s advice, the exit was not that big a deal! Just rode a wave up over the stone lip then grasped a rock till Erik gave me a hand up.
This was the first time in the day I felt a twang of uncertainty. But quickly sorted it out, confidently reassured by the fact that -- that if for some reason a wave tumbled me (which Doc said is possible) -- my back up reg was readily available just a few inches from my mouth on the bungee around my neck
. It was a really memorable 250th dive with an exciting exit! It’s amazing to this former warm water resort diver how this type of dive can be a peaceful breeze if you have the gear/training, are confident with skills & have a good buddy! Three teams went in, and two came out smiling! The third came out but not smiling. There were plenty of unclaimed reservations!
A huge thanks to all of you who have patiently mentored me in local cold water diving such as Don, Doc Wong, Ben, Clinton, Kenn and others. And to Jim, Ron and Mike who got me started! A special thanks for my partner Erik who is always attentive & up for an adventure! Hopefully you’ll post some pictures if they come out
.
Last edited:
