150 and counting...

It seems like only yesterday that I first shoehorned my 5'10" 230lb portly self into a wish-i-wasn't-gonna-get-wetsuit - tossed on some webbed feet, sea goggles, a rib-crusher, that big aluminum can of smog, and sunk into the Sound for Open Water Dive 1.

Well, my friends, it wasn't yesterday... nosiree. To catch a glimpse of my snorkel breaking the surface back then you'd have to set the warp-dial on your time-machine way back... to the days when gasoline was only $4.35 a gallon (regular), and millions of Muggles were rushing the local theatres to catch Harry Potter busting blocks, with the wave of his wand, in only the 5th release of the hit movie series. Getting a sense of how long ago that was...?

For those of you who are recollection challenged, it was the late 2007's. And if it weren't for those pesky surface intervals, and the fact that I own only two tanks, I'd have many hundreds, maybe even thousands of logged dives by now (the very definition of a pipe-dream). Instead, I celebrated today a mere and modest 150th splash.

It was my first splash ever at Point Defiance's Owen Beach, and in that I wasn't alone. I celebrated this benchmark touring around with some folks fresh-off-the-boat. Just back from Belize, David and his two sons, Dan and Billy, were in for their first cold water adventure. They had just spent some ten days in the warmer waters getting their open water certifications (referrals), and a bit of fun diving in. Tonight was their welcome back splash, and I think it's safe to say - they had a blast. Although we didn't sidle up to any sixgills :( ...we did get in our fair share of marine life sightings. Our cold-water critters captivating a new audience, and hopefully leaving a lasting impression. If the post-dive gabbing from the fellas is any evidence... I'm sure they did.

We'll see you guys around the Sound! Be safe, and thanks for celebrating 150 with me!!

Dive Buddy Group: David, Dan, Billy, Amy and others. (55fsw for 31mins)

Brother's and Sister's...

I guess the brother and sister team of Justin and Marissa didn't feel as if they got in enough mask-time with me during their Open Water and Advanced Open Water courses, so they came in to the shop today to make amends. Of course I gratefully accepted the invitation to join them at the familiar Les Davis site, and after a short time of gear gathering and weight calculations we made our way to the scene.

I gave them a general idea as to where I thought we should explore, but gave them the reins once underway. We cruised around the fish sculpture, rubbed the nose of the frog, then dropped down to see what we could see under the plethora of bridge decking in our immediate vicinity. As is the norm, there was plenty of marine life to see during our tour of the Marine Park. I added a little navigation to the mix as well and put Justin on the hook for getting us home. Like a good advanced diver would, he took on the challenge and brought us in. Rockstar's in the making... the both of them. Nicely done!

Congrats again to both of you for successfully completing your AOW training, and a big "thank you" for allowing me to hang with you on yet another splash in the Sound. Looking forward to our next one - don't be strangers!

Dive Buddy Group: Justin and Marissa (65fsw for 36mins)

Con-Ed diving at Titlow...

PADI Underwater Naturalist Specialty

A handful of us out at Titlow Beach this afternoon for both of our mandatory dives in this specialty. Tuning in to the peculiar marine environment, and dispelling a bit of the mystery around marine relationships in the Sound. Identifying species of flora and fauna alike; placing each in their eventual resting place... on the food-chain... as predator to prey - or - prey to predator.

It was good fun... naturally. A chance to step out of the DM role for a bit and take on a learning experience for myself.

Dive Buddy Group: Savannah, Bill H., John and Ellyn C., Chip W., Ralph, Mark R. and Amy R. (Dive 1: 28fsw for 43mins; Dive 2: 40fsw for 38mins)

Role play, and "not today"...

Helped out with an Assistant Instructor check-out dive today, playing the role of a student hellbent on challenging authority. My AI would tell me exactly what to do during a series of underwater/surface skills, and I would defy explicit direction time and again. From casually lifting my head during the snorkel to regulator exchange, to not blowing a stream of tiny bubbles (you know the rule!) during my regulator recovery skill... our testing AI candidate, Michelle Fessler, caught it all. She quickly identified each of her "students" errors and with the tact expected of no less than an OWSI, she helped each of us to remember ::finger tapping temple:: the proper steps to mastery of the skill. She did a fantastic job and I was happy to have had a chance to play a part in her check-out. Her candidacy is over....

Congratulations, Michelle, on becoming a new PADI Assistant Instructor!

Once we finished up with the check-out, it was on to a bit of fun. We're splashing!

Mike D. and I buddy'd up for this kick around the Les Davis Marine Park. I was hoping that we might drop in on the GPO that Jeremy and I had spotted just a few days back, but before we got to that I decided to lead the tour to the far east. Or as most of you might better know it... the tire piles. For those that don't know, these are the underwater landmarks used to caution divers from further east passage lest they end up enticing a pier dweller into jerking his arms up high above his head and gleefully yelling out... "FISH ON!!"

We explored the tires for a bit and then made a turn towards home. Shortly after the turn I noticed that the diving pair that followed us out, Amy and Nick, were no longer in tow. No matter, I hadn't lost my buddy... we'll catch up with them on shore. I knew exactly where it was that the GPO was, and we were slowly working our way to him. Too slowly as it turns out. Once in the general area, the fresh silt plumes turned visibility from what was 15-20 feet - to zip. We rose above the cloud to see if there was any relief nearby, but it stretched out far enough to dispel any hope of finding the den tonight.

The customary debrief in the parking lot confirmed our suspicion - Amy and Nick had found him first. Their maneuvering to find just the right vantage point did eventually allow them a glimpse of the big guy, tucked away in the far reaches of his den, but had thwarted our chance for the same. It was good to hear that he was still around though, and we'll make sure to swing by on our next LD splash and check up on him.

Dive Buddy: Mike D.
Dive Buddy Group: Amy R. and Nick R.
(70fsw for 53mins.)

Mi amigo Dan y yo en la ensenada dos... aka Alki...

Dan E. and I decided to head north today and make a late afternoon dive out at Alki - Cove 2. Although he and I frequently enter the water as part of a larger group of divers, we haven't buddied up as a pair since early February of this year. So when he suggested we make a splash today, I took him up on the offer and we set a course to West Seattle.

We arrived to a fairly empty lot at the ole Fish and Chips, so parking was a cinch. I backed in, tossed open the trunk, and we got to the routine of prepping our gear. It wasn't long before we were signaling to each other that we were ready to descend and off we went, slowly making our way to depth.

Our pre-dive plan of reaching the I-Beams was tossed out pretty early on. We were off the beaten path a bit, and found ourselves east of our target by quite a distance. Instead of making an effort to get to them and burn up our bottom time, we choose to continue on to the east and explore this new territory. I'm always down for further exploration of a familiar site, and much like me Dan is always happy just to be underwater, so it worked out well. Now that I've had the opportunity to check this area out I can't say that I'd put it on my list of "to do agains", but you have to know - to know.

The desert that we were in soon gave way to familiar landmarks as we made our way to the south. We were looking under everything we could to see if anyone was home, but the dive site felt like Seahawk stadium at halftime, with the home team down 55-0. Empty! Oh well, can't win them all. Right, hawk fans...? ;)~

Hasta luego!!

Dive Buddy: Dan Estrada (92fsw for 48mins.)

Finally... a GPO sighting at Les Davis...

I can't tell you how many times I've been out to Les Davis Marine Park and have yet to spot a GPO, or for that matter even a small red octo. Well, today was my day! Jeremy and I hooked up for a one-tank splash at the park tonight and planned a simple tour that of course included a large section of the west side bridge decking.

The Vis wasn't the best, but we've dove long hours in worse and without hesitation made our way out to depth. After tooling around the deeper west-end section of the site for a bit we made our turn towards home. When we reached the 40-45fsw mark, Jeremy stopped to look under a long piece of decking that sported a very distinct and shapely trench surrounded by a littering of crab shells. Now I've seen plenty of these midden piles out here before, but every single time I've explored the suspected den I've come up empty. This time, however, Jeremy looked back at me and gave me the universal sign for "GPO" and shined his light at the entrance. I couldn't believe it... I kicked down to the spot that Jeremy had just vacated and took a look for myself. Sure enough, WAY back in the back, I'm guessing some 20' or more, I spotted the sight that I'd been hoping to find each time out here - a writhing mass of arms and mantle.

I was immediately struck by the size of the suction cups on this guys. Looking like dinner plates from the distance I was from him meant it had to be a big dude. Bigger than I'd seen to date, that was for sure. It wasn't too long before we were spotted and the agitated giant began to siphon up the silt around him, which created great eddying plumes that restricted our view. I pulled back from that spot to see if there were a better angle. Seeing none immediately nearby, I swam down over the decking to just about the spot where I believed I was right over the top of him. Looking to the west side of the concrete structure I saw what appeared to be a second entrance to what had to have been the same den. I quickly positioned myself here and peeked my head into the entrance. Instantly I pushed myself back away from the new entrance. I had found the right spot alright, he was inches from my face and was not happy to see me there. His agitation expressed with rapid, eerily fluid movement of his arms wrapping around himself. Envision Elvis with 8 arms (and hands of course), combing his hair back with each in succession - on crack! Okay, maybe a bad analogy... but you get my point.

I took one last look and waved goodbye to the big dude. We'll come back when you're not busy primping. I hooked back up with Jeremy and exchanged a "that was awesome" sign, and we made our way to the exit. Passing by the fish statue and zipping through the tractor tire on the way out.

Finally!! A GPO sighting at Les Davis. Good stuff!

Dive Buddy: Jeremy (82fsw for 50mins.)

NY'er invades Fox Island...

My new buddy Mike M., from NY, contacted me earlier in the week to let me know he'd be in town and wanted to get a dive or two in while here. I'd splashed with Mike in early June of this year for the first time, and was glad to hear he'd be returning for another tour of the South Sound. Although Mike was here under unfortunate circumstances, the serenity of diving was just what the doctor ordered.

The first order of business was to determine where to splash. Our dives in June were both at Les Davis Marine Park, so I definitely wanted to steer clear of that site this time around. I thought it would be good to get in a couple of new sites that weren't so far from each other as to be a logistics mess. So, I decided on two of the Fox Island sites.

The tide predictions were lookong to be in our favor for a Fox Island bridge dive, and then a short trip to the West Wall on Fox Island. Mike had yet to be introduced to current, and although the prediction showed that we would not face current under the bridge today, the "predictions" were a bit off - we felt a pretty good ebb flow. We entered on the boat launch side and surface swam out towards the bridge, along the rock bulkhead. Just before we came to the relief under the bridge, we started to feel a little pull towards the east. Our plan was to explore the bridge supports, but as we made our way closer to the first set of bridge supports we quickly realized that this was not going to happen. This was going to be a drift dive!

I positioned myself along the closest bridge support, with the current to my back, and told Mike to do the same at a nearby support. I let him know of the change in plans, and asked if he was good with that. He agreed to the drift option and we descended our respective supports. Once at the bottom, I made sure he was ready to push away and follow the current east. With a big OK sign from Mike, we pushed off and began our drift. It wasn't an extreme current by any means, around 2 knots or so, but it was enough to move us along at a good clip and introduce Mike to a new sensation underwater. Although it was a short ride, it was good fun. Mike was a little on the light side for this dive, and so the shallow cove on the east side posed a small problem of his staying down. We put in a good surface swim to our exit and then crossed the road to our vehicles. We started a little later than we hoped, so Mike checked in with family to see if a second dive was in order. Once confirmed, we headed off to the second of our splash sites for today.

The West Wall at Fox Island has always been a fav of mine if not for a single reason - GPO's. I have always come across at least one GPO here - typically more. I was excited about an opportunity to give Mike his first introduction to one today. Unfortunately, it didn't happen that way. We toured the wall from one end to the next, and then back again... there was no GPO to be found. Plenty of marine life to make the dive interesting, but apparently no longer home to the GPO's. Instead we found a large number of crab taking up residence in what used to be GPO dens on the wall. A telltale sign if ever there were one. Nonetheless, another good dive and a new site for Mike to log here in Washington state.

Thanks again for looking me up, Mike, and do so again next time you're in town. It's always fun! And best of luck to you in your continued scuba studies, and experiences. Stick with it and come back to see us soon!

Buddy: Mike M. (Dive 1: 28fsw for 27mins; Dive 2: 65fsw for 37mins)