3 AM – We set out for Santa Barbara Island for Lobster season’s opening weekend. Our group is a small band of seasoned divers, a private charter, interested in catching their limit and then taking it easy. I wake up briefly to help cast off, then head back to my bunk in the wheelhouse to sleep.
When I first started this gig, I slept in the port side state room. It’s quiet down there, even though it’s very close to the chain locker. You would think every time they dropped or picked up the hook, the clanging from the chain snaking down into the hawsepipe would bother me, but I sleep like a log, especially after working a 15 hour day. I like how it’s my own private hideaway. But now that I’m more of a senior member of the crew, they have me in the wheelhouse. Sleeping in the same room with 3 dudes snoring up a symphony is kind of a drag, to be honest. I used to like putting my head against the bulkhead of the state room, listening to the water slosh around the hull. That may seem mundane to seasoned boat people, but I don’t think I’ll get tired of the sound. Knowing that this wall of wood is the only thing separating me from the ocean is comforting somehow, although some might find it frightening I guess.
Around 6 I get up to start filling tanks. Everyone’s breathing nitrox, which makes me feel a little safer when we are doing these multiday trips. Less chance of someone getting hurt. I always say we had a great trip if only one criteria is reached – did everyone return home safely? Is the answer yes? Then GREAT! It was a fantastic trip. Then I say if we didn’t break anything expensive, it’s a FANTASTIC trip. That’s it. The bar for a great day at work for me is very low. But that’s the nature of this work. Scuba is a fun activity, but there is a level of danger. Boating also has a level of danger. We must be prepared at all times for whatever might happen.
Day one, we get five dives in. The guys get their limit by dive 3, and they get a prize-winning 14 pounder! He is massive, as large as a beagle. They decide to release him in the marine protected area of Santa Barbara, and I’m grateful. Age should be respected, and these divers, even if they are hunters, respect the creatures of the ocean. I get a dive at Shag Rock, on the Northwest side of the island. The viz is about 25 feet, not bad for California waters. Honestly I get excited at viz that good (you East coast divers I’m sure will laugh at that). When I first moved to California in 2018, my dive instructor used to say in her thick French Canadian accent “California diveeng is zome of zhe most beautiful diveeing in zee world!” And I would just go, pfft! You guys don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m a Florida girl. I’ve seen viz as clear as day, shockingly gorgeous as far as the eye can see. Plus it’s so cold! How do you people really stand it? But I’m one of those people now. I love California diving. I’ve seen some truly spectacular things and I’m so grateful for that.
At night we serve up steak, lobster tails (freshly caught of course), mashed potatoes, broccoli (at my insistence), rolls and squash (the cook threw that in just for me!). We put on some music and serve in a sit down style. What a day. Usually we drop two hooks for night anchorage, so the boat is as stable as possible, but now we’re still working on one. The boat is swinging a little more than I’d like when I sleep, so I’m a bit grumpy when I wake up the next morning, even though the sunrise that greets me is absolutely breathtaking.
I get another dive in today at Elephant Seal Harbor. Viz is even better today, maybe closer to 30ish! I swim pretty far from the boat, about 20 minutes, to see if I can’t get close to the sea lion rookery on the beach. I’m hoping to make some pals. I see a giant black sea bass on the way (always a treat!) and a mostly black harbor seal in the distance swimming away from me, but no sea lion pups to play with. I’m about at my turn pressure so I head back, but in the middle of the dive a current picks up majorly and I have to fight with all my strength to get back to the boat! I’m even grabbing kelp on the way to pull myself or rest. As I struggle, lo and behold, a pup comes up to greet me. He spins upside down, so I do as well, hoping to bridge some communication gap. He watches me for a bit, then spits a big bubble right in my face and swims away. Guess I’m not that interesting!
I manage to get back to the boat with less than 500 psi in my tank! Whew, that is cutting it a bit close for my taste. Don’t you divers do that, be safer than I was. We head back only after 3 dives, the guys are ready and have their limits. All in all an uneventful safe trip, my favorite kind.