A rant, a report, and some observations. Fort Bragg (6/27)

The rant:  So I haven't been diving much this year, in fact only once before this, and I haven't been diving much in the last few years.  And all my dives in the past year or so have been yak dives.  So my friend, Avery, and I decide to take advantage of the flat ocean and go do a...........shore dive--even though we both have perfectly good yaks sitting, waiting to go.

So we hike a half mile in carrying all this crap in backpacks on this hot, friggin windless day, and by the time I get there I'm ready for a beer--not a dive.  Man, that closely resembled real work.  Then we suit up out on the bluffs, and I've just gotten one of the skin suits, so by the time I get it on (freaking Avery out with the splooge stuff you got to lube it down with), I'm in full pressure cooker mode.  I climb down the rocks literally leaking sweat--and splooge.  I get down to the water, dying to jump in and, oh wait, my stinking weight belt (27 lbs) is still up at the top of the bluff.......d'oh. 

I climb back up there fully suited up in my ultra efficient heat conserving suit and then back down to the water with my 27 lb weight belt, and I'm looking like a cocktail shimp--fully boiled.  I finally get in the water and the suit is so damned efficient I'm still boiling, so I have to pull on my hood around my neck to let water IN.  This is the first time in my diving career I've ever had to let water in a suit.

Finally, diving conditions are great, and this is a good spot, and my wife, neighbors, and various friends are asking for abalone, and I've only taken two so far this year, so I decided to take a limit.  They turn out to be three 9.5ers and they are fat.  I'm such dufus it doesn't even register that I barely made the hike in and now I have 25 lbs more (yeah, I weighed em) to carry out. Double d' oh.

So, yeah, I had to carry them out with everything else, and I swore the whole way that I will NEVER shore dive again unless it's in the Caribbean or something and bikini clad women are helping me into my gear.   We thought we'd be saving some effort  by not bringing the yaks, but, IMHO, yak diving is way, way less effort.  That's my rant.

Report: Great dive conditions on the south side of Fort Bragg on public land (you can figure it out from there), that is if you want to walk in........it's all yours.  Avery and I had no problem getting hefty limits of abs.  I saw some fish, but I actually showed slightly above moronic intelligence by not shooting any.  This is a gorgeous spot by the way.

Observations:  I held out for a long time before buying one of these skin suits (a yazbeck), and now that I did I could never go back.  As a long time nylon -2 guy I didn't think they were worth it.  But I have to say the warmth and the flexibility is amazing.  I never get cold.  When I buy another, however, I think I would get the 5 mm  bottom rather than the 7 mm, which is what I have.  Believe it or not, it's kinda too hot.  The only downside to it is watching Avery's face when the splooge seeps out the leg hole when I'm putting it on.

Pic 1 is my medieval torture gear. Pic 2 is a limit of 9.5s. Pic 3 is my lonely kayak sitting on its trailer waiting to go.

Love the rant! Nice abs!

You probably haven't gotten a bit of advice like this since puberty Dave but here goes.....don't splooge in your suit bud.  Doesn't take a whole lotta lube to slip yourself in. 



That and put your suit on at the bottom of the cliff near the water.  Less overheating, less wear and tear on the suit.



Great report!

I feel the same way.funny how a 27# belt feels like 50# on the way out

Loved the report, Dave.   

Nice! Ive gotta get back in myself one of these days.

Hey, you took the ones I was watching grow.  I was feeding them and was going to pick them up when they grew up to 10".

Nice haul.   It can be like work, but so much fun when you are in the water. 

No pain...no gain    Thanks for the report and pictures Dave.

Great report Dave Hopi g to dive there this weekend

Great report.

A well written rant! It was rantabulous.

Thanks for the info, glad you scored.

Great rantreportpics, Yakyakyakyak .   Nice to see you getting out there.

You probably haven't gotten a bit of advice like this since puberty Dave but here goes.....don't splooge in your suit bud.  Doesn't take a whole lotta lube to slip yourself in. 


That and put your suit on at the bottom of the cliff near the water.  Less overheating, less wear and tear on the suit.

Great report!

Yeah, I'm probably overcompensating on the splooge--some sort of psychological thing associated with aging 

Hey Art, what's with the former kayaker thing?  Are you also a former surfisto?  Say it aint so.

thanks for the report Dave!
that's a dope trailer set-up you have for the kayak too