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Hi divers,
Late notice, but my local NPR station will have a feature on the sport of ab diving today at 2:00 on the show Insight. Go to www.capradio.org - or get the podcast after the fact. Guests on the show will be a local dive instructor, a DFG officer, and a Mendo County Sheriff commander.
Me, I'll be missing it. Got a presentation to make at 1:30. Ironically, I've incorporated some slides of ab diving in the Powerpoint show.

This past weekend (6/5 - 6/8)was one of the best Ab diving I have experienced in sometime. I have been landlocked for several years, but I wanted to get back into it so I purchased a new suit: A pinacle ME-7, which I found very warm and comforatable and all the necessary items. Go see Mary Jo in Morgan Hill. Awesome lady. Kudos to Joe Blasy at Pinnacle for his recommendation.

There is a cove on the northern end of Salt Point State Park that we have nicknamed Seal Cove for a long time, but in hindsight, it would be better called SharkBait because of the topography. In the ten years i have been diving and visiting this cove, i have never not seen seals there.. not one or two, but many which is why i kept going back.. i love playing with and diving around seals.. they are so playful and curious.

however,

5.11.08
5.18.08
5.26.08
5.31.08

Top Ten Reasons to Not Dive Four Times in May

10. Shucking, cleaning, slicing and pounding twelve abalone

09. Waking up at 5am on four separate occasions and twice in one week

08. Coming up with new ways to convince your dive buddy to wake up at 5am too

07. Putting on a damp wetsuit because it has not had enough time to dry out properly

06. You cant get mussels cause of Red Tides; which also craps out the vis

05. Paying $0.35 for each zip-tie at the Valley Ford Store because you keep forgetting to buy them beforehand

Went out ab diving on sunday at Horseshoe cove. We arived at 6:30 am to moderate water sonditions. So we got suited up and headed down. We kicked out and anchored off in about 10 ft of water and begun are dive. Word of advice wait till the sun comes all the way up. We found that it was a littles dark once you got under the Kelp and the plum. I would say we had at best 5 to 6 feet of vis. We looked around fro about an hour. My buddy to his limit ranging in sizes from 8 to 8 & 3/4 and my self I did not take any to not finding a ten.

Went diving on Sunday and Monday, Sunday I met up with fellow member joebob at 6 am at jenner store. We then headed up the coast to Ocean Cove as we made the turn we could se the wonderful treat in store for us. Wow tit was some of the nicest water I have seen in awhile. Well we lauched his zody and headed north to a place we call the football feid. To only find a lot of big 8 1/2 incher and some freindly seals. So back in the boat and off to another spot about 3 miles north. diped back in and look around for awhile but no tens. Joe manged to pull a 9 5/8 and I shot a nice Kelpgreenling.

FirstBrode, JohnT, Nakediver and his newbie friend, and myself drove up really early sunday morning to hit up what we call Hookie Cove, but what is also known as The Caulderon to most; just south of Ocean Cove. When we arrived, the conditions were terrible, with huge waves crashing on the shore and larger ones continously coming in. Firstbrode and I said hell no and we decided to go further north to another cove John, Nakediver and I dove on my birthday last year that had a nice rock barrier to the waves.

I put the word out to my crew of dive buddies that I was pumped to dive and suprisingly only one answered the call to duty, but in this sport, one bud is all we need!

Went diving today at Horse Shoe Cove. Went with my buddy rob, we arrived to the pull off to great dive conditions. We got suited up and headed down the rope to the beach. Got on the edge of the water to put my fins on and what do a find but a brand new abalone iron laying right in front of me in the kelp, thought to my self this is a great start to the dive. I did not relize how great the vis was till we got in. There must have ben at least 15 feet of vis if not more which is rare for a 1 foot minius tide. Swam around looking for about an one hour mostly enjoying the sceanery.

Went out diving on Saturday the 3rd. Met my buddy joe who is a fellow member of abalone diving.com. We met at the Jenner store at 6am. We headed on up to Ocean Cove to launch his 16ft zodiac. We arrived at Ocean Cove about 6:45am to not so great conditions. There were white caps already apearing out ont the water. Then to make it even better we had to time the launching of the boat between sets. Well once we got out of the cove it was not so bad it was a long and fun ride north to Richardsons Cove. We pulled in and anchored in about 15ft of water. The vis was only about 3 to 5 feet at best.