Well - we dove breakwater today. There was suppose to be five of us diving. Sierra decided not to dive before we even left for Monterey. We have a policy with Sierra that she can call any dives she is uncomfortable with and there will be no consequences. Better to have someone not dive than a nervous person as a dive buddy. Two friends met us a Breakwater around noon. They ended not diving because the husband's rental BCD did not fit properly. Stacy (wife) and I decided to get into the water to practice some basic skills. As far as I could see, we we the only divers entering the water. I probably should have taken that as some sort of omen.
The waves were hitting the base of the stairs at Breakwater. Entry was a little more difficult than normal because of the larger than normal waves. I thought this was good (Stacy differs) because it allowed us to practice a little rougher entrance. Once we were in the water - the visibility was a blurry 5ft with very little surge underwater. We saw very little marine life (besides snails and few small flounders). We were able to practice some basic skills (I still need more practice on navigation). Getting out of the water was a little more difficult than usual. Because of the waves, Stacy got banged up pretty good on some rocks during the entry. But once again I am glad that we were able to practice in less than ideal but manageable condition. Total UW time was about 35 minutes. We decided to skip the second dive (my wife was whipped from the exit) and cancel our dive on Sunday. Went out to late lunch with our friends, and headed home.
Overall - not a great day for diving, but I don't regret going either. Got to spend some time with the family and some friends. If next weekend swell model looks good - I might head down for a day of diving.
Minh
PS - if anyone every want to practice is Folsom Lake - let me know.
at this point local stuff is better to get really comfortable.
