So, I've been out of SoCal waters for a while because of the storms or just bad timing, and also I spent a week in Florida last week. Finished up my full cave, and finally hit BHB and actually Lauderdale by the Sea too! It was amazing walking into water that didn't immediately turn your hands and feet numb from cold, and which didn't have a surf zone to speak of (but truly unsettling to a SoCal diver..).
I didn't really take pictures in Florida - it didn't seem like cave *class* I should bring a camera, because I should still be working on skills, and the other dives.. I just wanted to focus on the diving. I tried to bring the camera the last dive, but had a gear malfunction so I only got in a shot from the hotel:
Which doesn't look too different from here in San Diego this morning!
Anyway, don't bother diving today. I thought about filming the entry? No. We decided to dive under the surf because there was no way to get in above. It's true what I saw on the DiveBums list - 1-3'ers with surprise 5'ers. And there was so much churned-up sand in the water from that that while the waves were washing over me while breaking to get in, it got so dark and low-viz I couldn't even see my compass in front of my face to see if I was still heading out West. A couple times, I wasn't. Entry at MarineRoom will spin you around pretty well
I tried to take a video, but it would just make you all sea-sick with all the surge and swirling sand, so I'll hold off posting that. Instead, here's a representative shot of the shallows, around 8fsw.
I'm glad I have a strong stomach And not long after, buddy found a PVC pipe
Well, we moved a bit deeper towards the canyon after a good 20mins of this, and viz cleared up some. Still a strange current out there today - NorthEast at time, other times it felt SouthWest on the bottom at 30fsw. Pretty deep for us at MarineRoom, but it was miserable in the shallows. I decided after figuring out my camera does have a macro underwater setting (how long have I had it? oops..) that I should try to play around with it a little, and caught a pic of one of these things. No idea what they are still
It's mostly Sand Dollars out there at 30fsw until you get down into the canyon. We stayed just on the edge
And saw lots of lobster just roaming around in them
This one actually turned out looking like nice water haha!
Anyway, I thought about instead filming the exit? Nope, more good rough surf on exit. I had to figure out if I wanted to exit with my tanks on me or not, to swim under the surf again and then figure out what to do with the tanks, or just make it through upright. Most of the breaking waves were powerless, but when that white foam is heading towards you or a 3'er is breaking right at your face, it's a little rough. Well, we both made it out ok, but definitely decided back up on the street when we decided that we needed to go in under the surf maybe we should have just not dove haha.
P.S. we never had to enter under the surf before. Stay home and sleep in instead!
I didn't really take pictures in Florida - it didn't seem like cave *class* I should bring a camera, because I should still be working on skills, and the other dives.. I just wanted to focus on the diving. I tried to bring the camera the last dive, but had a gear malfunction so I only got in a shot from the hotel:
Which doesn't look too different from here in San Diego this morning!
Anyway, don't bother diving today. I thought about filming the entry? No. We decided to dive under the surf because there was no way to get in above. It's true what I saw on the DiveBums list - 1-3'ers with surprise 5'ers. And there was so much churned-up sand in the water from that that while the waves were washing over me while breaking to get in, it got so dark and low-viz I couldn't even see my compass in front of my face to see if I was still heading out West. A couple times, I wasn't. Entry at MarineRoom will spin you around pretty well
I tried to take a video, but it would just make you all sea-sick with all the surge and swirling sand, so I'll hold off posting that. Instead, here's a representative shot of the shallows, around 8fsw.
I'm glad I have a strong stomach
And not long after, buddy found a PVC pipe
Well, we moved a bit deeper towards the canyon after a good 20mins of this, and viz cleared up some. Still a strange current out there today - NorthEast at time, other times it felt SouthWest on the bottom at 30fsw. Pretty deep for us at MarineRoom, but it was miserable in the shallows. I decided after figuring out my camera does have a macro underwater setting (how long have I had it? oops..) that I should try to play around with it a little, and caught a pic of one of these things. No idea what they are still
It's mostly Sand Dollars out there at 30fsw until you get down into the canyon. We stayed just on the edge
And saw lots of lobster just roaming around in them
This one actually turned out looking like nice water haha!
Anyway, I thought about instead filming the exit? Nope, more good rough surf on exit. I had to figure out if I wanted to exit with my tanks on me or not, to swim under the surf again and then figure out what to do with the tanks, or just make it through upright. Most of the breaking waves were powerless, but when that white foam is heading towards you or a 3'er is breaking right at your face, it's a little rough. Well, we both made it out ok, but definitely decided back up on the street when we decided that we needed to go in under the surf maybe we should have just not dove haha.
P.S. we never had to enter under the surf before. Stay home and sleep in instead!
