Run In At Pt. Vicente

Skin Dive#:017
Fri Jun 27, 08
Pt. Vicente Fishing Acess: rocks, reefs
Purpose: test new gear
Tide: High @ 5:00 pm
Entry: rocks @ 5:45 pm
Distance: out to boulder and towards left of cove
Gear: 5/3suit, mask, snorkel, fins, socks, hood, gloves
Temp: Air 70 F?/Water 64 F?
Enviroment: overcast, light wind, 1-3 ft breaks, light surge
Visibilty: 0-10+ ft
Conditions Synopsis: poor
Sights: bait fish, opaleye, surfperch, sea hare, stars, calico bass, octopus
Exit: same @ 6:15 pm

Time to date: 12 hrs 15 min
Total time this dive: 30 min
Total time: 12 hrs 45 min

Special Notes: Earlier in the week I purchased a new mask and snorkel. I decided to try these out down at Pt. Vicente yesterday after work. I drove over there and recognized some vehicles in the lot and peered oved the cliff. I could see a lone snorkeler with just swmimmin trunks on and two spearfishers gearing up. I quickly loaded my backpack and strapped my wetsuit to it and hiked down. Once down the spearfishers were entering and the snorkeler was about to exit. I geared up and entered over the rocks near the cobblestones. My new mask is ultra low profile and it felt fine. The snorkel keeper felt like it was in the wrong place tho. I will look at that. My new snorkel is another matter, I don't like it. It has a rubber valve near the bottom for easier clearing, but I don't like that it somehow lets in water. My cheapy U.S. divers snorkel works a hundred times better- is lighter, stays closer to my head, and doesn't have leaks. I will spray paint it black and maybe sell the new one. The vis was not too great but opened up nicely in some spots. I was approached by the spearfishers who swam up to me at the boulder in the center of the cove. When they popped up I gave them the OK sign and one dude said, "John Bagge!". And I said, "Who are you?!". He said he was someone's little brother and then I recognized him by face, not by name or association. We exchanged words and chatted about sealife while bobbing up and down in the choppy ocean. They clutched their spears poles and went away searching for a kill. I thought to myself... I try to remove myself from land to get away from everyday life and somehow someone recognizes me in the ocean through mask, snorkel, and hood. It was weird. I swam around and saw MR. Octopus and everytime the dudes killed something I would swim over to them and check it out. They were rowdy. I didn't dive down too much cause I didn't feel 100% with my new gear. But when I did I was reminded of the the weigths strapped to my belt and I enjoyed the ease of going down. I also had a new knife on my belt and practiced taking it out and then re-sheathing it without looking. I exited casually near the cobblestones and then watched one of the spearfishers fumble too long in the breaks, get slammed and loose his catch! I changed back into dry clothes and then chatted more with my peers about diving spots and such. It had been an unusual dip.