Abalone Day Trip - Apres Dive

One Seven. One Eight. One Nine.

It was a long day, but despite an inauspicious start, a really good day. Lunch at Trinks in Gualala after the dive. We couldn't decide between the Russel and the Cuban, so ordered one of each.

Best sandwiches on the coast.

Back to the Ab Shack to clean and store the gear, then home with three abalone hitchhikers and some good eating.

Sea Ranch Sunshine

Abalone Day Trip - The Dive

Limit Out.

Despite the late start we were in the water by noon, and the sun broke through on cue. Made a newbie error attempting a side entry into the water. Left a fin on the rock as I was putting the other fin on, and a surprise wave washed it away. Never found it. Doug lent me his fins after he got his limit so I had an opportunity to get mine. Swells were higher than expected and visibility less (maybe three feet). Still decent conditions. Limit out [Note to Self: Remember to hold in stomach when triumphantly posing with catch.]

Suiting up with locals Doug and Len.

The descent...

...is relatively easy.

After the dive and tagging the take...

... the ascent was tougher with a full load of abs.
[Note to self - clean lens after exiting water.]


The celebratory beer helped us recover.

Doug picked 3 nines. Len a couple more. I limited out with a one nine, one eight, one seven.Len says "I only took two today for an easier climb out." Exactly. Same reason I took an eight and a barely legal seven to finish the catch and lighten the load.

Abalone Day Trip - The Drive

Plantation Road in the rain

Word was that the swells would be down, the visibility up, and the rain clearing out in the morning. Then the wind and swells would pick up again in the afternoon. With the season closing in two days, this was our last shot until August. I needed to get to Sea Ranch early and intended to leave by 6 AM so we could be in the water by 11. With the drama of the broken Pre', I got a later start than I wanted. Mist rain and fog accompanied me for most of the drive.

Over the bridge
Along the way I had time to contemplate life without a Pre'

Jenner Grade

Rhododendrons among the redwoods.

Abalone season closes Friday for a month

Today is a good day to dive.

Unfortunately, it is a bad day for cell phones. I dropped the Pre.

I dropped the Pre' 12 stories.

It was a nice sunrise, and I thought it would be a great picture to kick off the day trip north to get some abalone. But it was early, and I was under-caffeinated, and... whatever... I watched it fall in slow motion. 12 stories. To gravel. The back and battery flew apart and the screen shattered.

It is seriously dead.

UPDATE: Not quite so seriously as I thought. Unbelievably, I was able to receive calls after snapping the battery and back together. Still useless for anything else as the screen is gone.