Sonoma Coast dive trip Sunday 5/10

Hey all,

Did a kayak dive with a buddy on Sunday on the sonoma coast. conditions were outstanding up and down the coast and no doubt folks hammered abalone aplenty and big ones to boot. Dove for close to two hours and didn't see anything worth snatching(that is over ten inches). I know what you’re thinking, Snob. Cool, I can handle it.  Anyhow, just as we're gonna head in, Matt works on an ab he wants badly, almost gives up and goes down for one more dive. Guess what, it's a 10 3/16" GIANT. He's stoked and screaming as he had not previously removed the ten inch monkey from his back for this year(he bagged ten 10 inchers and one 11 incher last year).

Went home one half hour drive and half way there said to self, conditions this good at this location are rarified air, and convinced self to go back(insanity kicks in). Got home, fueled up on food a bit of rest and some H20 and headed back out. Hit the low tide at 2:30 pm and got into some good water. Immediately found two big abs under the side of a rock and gauged the first one at 9 ¾ inches. Left him and gauged the bigger one behind. He was awfully close to the ten inch mark and I pulled him. Measured another at  9 ¾” and left him. Exhausted, I swam to beach, with a total of four hours plus of diving. Managed to get the ab to “click" on my ten gauge and was happy to get another ten. Buddy Matt came back as well and doves with his sidekicks Brandon and Jason. They pulled four abs over 9.75, including an ab matt pulled that weighed over ten pounds on his digital scale. Matt had a digital caliper and my ab didn’t measure up to it.  Went to a machinist today and he definitively measured my ab at 9.971 inches.  Close but no cigar. A ripping day on the water.   Will see you all at GS4. Gear scattered all over garage like it was hit by an F-4 tornado. This system prepares me for the coming chaos where I will single mindedly attempt to amass as many points as humanly possible in order to become the KING of GS-4.(JUST KIDDING, MOSTLY).
Safe travels up to all of you. Honk if you see a yak.
Shannon

Way to attack it, animal!     See ya Friday.

Can't wait to see you brother and the rest of you nutbags as well

SRJ

Thanks for the report Shannon. Kicking myself for not getting up there yesterday.
9.971? That's a ten to me man. WTG!  jim

What???  You pulled an under size Ab??? (j/k)    Thanks for the report Shannon.

You are all as crazy as me, dont' be finger pointing. See you all there.

Dude, I'd be a happy camper to find a leagal size ab for myself let alone a
ten incher. See you up there Shannon.

Jedmo

Shannon,
sounds like a killer day on the coast. WTG!  I didn't see how nice it was on the ocean till it was too late... Hopefully next time it lays down I'll be paying closer attention. I'm right down the road from you in Sebastopol. If your heading out and want someone to go out with sometime, drop me a note. I'm also going to GS4 so I'll see ya up there I'm sure.
Jonesz

Awesome!!!!......Remindes me of last year...