North Coast 2 Day Ab Trip - 8/4 and 8/5/17

Just wrapped up an epic two day dive trip with one of my best clients and a great friend, Ron. With the recent flat water we wanted to go on kayak safari to look for trophy abalone in remote spots. This is no departure from our usual M.O., as Ron has hired me half a dozen times or more for one and two day trips just like this one. What's been really fun is that almost every trip has yielded a trophy ten inch ab, so the pressure is always on to get another one!

I've taken lots of people out in just over 3 years of guiding, and everyone has their own style and desire for challenge and adventure. My usual trip offering of a long day kayak fishing at Shelter Cove is pretty exhausting, but the two day dive trip takes the cake for sure.  Ron's always up for it, and his enthusiasm for this kind of trip has been an awesome motivator for me to make the adventure into everything it possibly can be.

Friday we met at the Trinidad launch at 630 where we could see that fog would be a factor in our day. Ron and I studied a topo map that I brought along, and I reassured him that I know the route and all the obstacles along the way. I didn't need to reassure though, because Ron and I have done this before at several locations now. Part of what I have developed is an intimate knowledge of the landscape in areas where my seasonal rounds have brought me back for many years. As a guide and someone who sees spirituality embedded in the outdoors, it's hard to beat the feeling of being appreciated for navigating a wild and challenging route on the water or in the woods.

We geared up and got on the water, paddling north for a couple of hours where we enjoyed beautiful water with just a little wind chop and the rapport that we have developed over what is now years of friendship. A few miles up the coast we passed a location where we dove two years ago, and it's the extent of where I've paddled on several occasions with different friends over the years. As we made our way further north the fog got pretty thick to where we couldn't see shore, and the large seastacks would emerge out of the fog like battleships with whitewater and stronger currents around them. This day was right for this plan though - the water was flat enough to do 40 yards of visibility, and I knew where I wanted to go.

Our destination was a spot almost all the way up at Patrick's Point where I'd gotten an eleven and a quarter inch ab over 20 years ago. I'd hiked to that spot 3 times in total - all in the mid 90's, and I've only paddled up to Patrick's Point fishing once. I'll say though that I really felt familiar with the coastline where we were headed, because you do that when you get a lifetime ab there...

As we made our way past Egg Point in the thick fog, I described to Ron what we should see next, and I used my deck-mounted compass to keep me on a heading that felt right - NW past the large offshore stacks at Egg, then NE back in toward shore toward the rock wall that I've dreamed about diving on for over 20 years now!

Ron was totally on board in terms of his enthusiasm for diving this remote spot where I hadn't been for so long, and that attitude is what made the day so awesome for me. We emerged out of the fog right on the spot and ended up diving there a couple of hours, finding 4 abs and about 5 million urchins... No trophies, but we had a blast checking out an amazingly wild and beautiful reef where very few people have been. Eventually we made our way south to more familiar waters where we really burned some calories diving for hours hoping to find the ten incher that we knew was nearby, but it wasn't happening.

Our paddle back was aided by a bit of afternoon north wind, and we again enjoyed lively conversation and a camaraderie that I have come to value so highly. We even saw a couple of friends diving along the way back. By the time we got back to launch and loaded the yaks we were pretty torched as we'd spent more than 8 hours on the water. We agreed to talk again in a couple of hours to finalize plans for Saturday, and we went our separate ways for the evening.

Saturday came and the destination was a new one for us, so excitement was high for discovering new territory and the potential for the trophy that drives us. That trophy, an abalone over 10 inches in shell length, is more than just a symbol of our accomplishment or our skill. We pursue these animals because the sport of diving is a challenge, and the undersea world is an awesome place to discover. The ab just gives us icing to put on the cake that is being active and an appreciator of Nature and our place within it.

Ron and I hit the road early to cover some water miles up north a ways, and I have my friend Tyler Grunert to thank for encouraging me to make the trip as well as giving me some great tips about areas to dive on. We spent 5 more hours on and in the water, and by the time we were about to leave we were both happy to have gotten such good diving in over the two days - even with no 10 on this trip... Then it happened - we found what we were looking for at the 11th hour, and it transformed a really fun 2 day run into pure joy!

When you're physically spent and you have everything to be thankful for, and then you're blessed with a trophy late in the session.... Pure joy.

Thank you, Ron, and thank you, Tyler. Can't wait for the next adventure. 

Saturday pics:

Nice adventure


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Once again my brother had a great adventure and really enjoyed his trip with you.