First Dive of the Season - Limit Out

The cove - as good as it gets.

The day lived up to its promise. Fantastic conditions with some of the best visibility I have seen in the cove. I was joined by  new dive  buddy Jeff, who did the work regrading our driveway earlier in the year.  We talked then about diving together, but it didn't happen until now.

 As always more and better pics will be updated to this page when I return.

* Sent from my Sprint HTC smartphone. *

UPDATED: More details on the day with better pics and vids...

Jeff arrived with a crew in tow - Blaine (11) and Travis (6). I assumed they were here to carry our weights and gear up the hill.

Once suited up, we roped down the hill to the cove...

Blaine leads the way

 There are only seven days left in the season, but this was the first dive for Jeff and me.

With conditions this good, we couldn't wait to get in the water.

The camera was acting up (or the operator forgot how to use it in the water), but got some shots and vid before it crapped out with a low battery indication.

Looking for abs

Jellyfish

I'll edit the video with better quality eventually, but, for now, this clip offer some sense of the visibility we enjoyed. As you can see in the clip, after encountering the abalone, a wrestling match ensued...

 

... which I lost when the abalone threw me back to the surface. 

After picking my limit, I went back to beach while Jeff continued the hunt.  Replacing the battery got the camera working again. The boys help me properly document the haul...

I teach Travis the proper way to photograph a catch

Blaine presents the catch and also helps out as photographer.

The boys got bored with me and played in the surf waiting for Dad...

  

Jeff brings in his haul...

... welcomed by the boys.

An impressive day at the office...

Six blackies and three pigs.

It gets dark early, so time to get back up the hill...

... and properly document the catch.

Along with some traditional apres-dive refreshment.

A great day. Jeff said it was worth it to miss the entire season to dive on a day like this. I agree. We immediately made plans for another dive in the morning.

The best news for me was that the shoulder held up.  It is five months since my rotator cuff surgery. At my last checkup, the doc said I should wait for next season.  OTOH, my  physical therapist Sasha thought I was ready. Of course neither of them had ever been abalone diving. So there is that.

No harm, no foul.