Malaga Cove: Hiking Flat Rock to Malaga Cove Pt. 3

Below: Diving under the kelp can be exciting.


Skin Dive#:026
Sun July 13, 08
Malaga Cove
Purpose: inspect new terrain
Tide: Low @ 11 am
Gear: 5/3 suit, mask, snorkel, socks, gloves, fins
Temp: Air 72 F/Water 66 F
Enviroment: sunny, 1 -2 ft breaks
Visibilty: 5 -10 ft
Conditions Synopsis: poor

Time to date: 19 hrs 15 min
Total time this dive: 30 min
Total time: 19 hrs 45 min

Special Notes: After Haggerty's I walked some further along the coast heading north. The tide was rising and at one point I had to sort of climb a slimy cement wall at rock levels over some water. I slipped in and my back pack submerged into the water and my water gallon floated an arms reach away as I regained my feet. NO biggy, I just made sure to have better footing on the algae exposed rocks there on. I could see the RAT beach lifeguard shack and the large crowds of beach goers strewn up the sandy coast in the distance. I made it to Malaga Cove, from the back. I found a hammock shapped rock setup, half cement wall, half rock and rested up there in a nap position slurping off my gallon. I was oh so parched from sun and sea. I took out my monocular and viewed two free divers towards RAT with a diving buoy, going down, then up, repeating constantly. I also viewed some SCUBA divers in front of the Pool with gear, and a snorkeler entering the cove. After resting I found my way back into the water there at the southern end of Malaga Cove. The vis here was poor and I thought that maybe it was because the close proximity to the sandy beach. I swam about and looked for lobster and such in the thick eel grass. I've always been skin diving at high tides, but after this day of lower tide diving, I think I will mix up my dives. I like absolute low because your nose is in the grass, and I like high because that's when the hish are out and the intrances are non slippery, low reveals green algae covered rocks. In the eel grass and kelp here I swam about until I found a great sheep crab with a dark purple middle section about the size of a softball. I took out my blunt knife to play with him. He turned around and showed me both his claws, opening them wide to show me his grip. I gently laid the knife in his grip and he did nothing. I let him continue his grapling of the kelp stalk. I got out and packed up and found another precarious hill / trail that lead me up the parking south end of the parking lot. I will use this trail again for ascent, but never for descent, it was sketchy. I walked back to my car parked at Flat Rock. When I got there I was very happy about my slow four hour trek along the coast sprinkled with three great skin dives. I will certainly repeat this process again. I never did find the deep hole the man was talking about but, maybe he was at a loss of words and wanted to describe an area that deep hole wasn't the geatest definition. I'll maybe try to research depths of the shore line. I finished off the water and drove tired towards a late lunch.

Haggerty's: Hiking Flat Rock to Malaga Cove Pt. 2

Skin Dive#:025
Sun July 13, 08
Haggerty's
Purpose: inspect new terrain
Tide: Low @ 11 am
Gear: 5/3 suit, mask, snorkel, socks, gloves, fins
Temp: Air 72 F/Water 66 F
Enviroment: sunny, 1 -2 ft breaks
Visibilty: 10 -15 ft
Conditions Synopsis: fair

Time to date: 18 hrs 45 min
Total time this dive: 30 min
Total time: 19 hrs 15 min

Special Notes: I walked for a good while after Flat Rock. The rocky terrain with my backpack, 12 pounds of weights and a gallon of water made the trip wobbly. I enjoyed the teetering and tottering. It'g good for my stiff ankles. Both ankles have been wrecked and placed in casts twice, so I always enjoy a good stretch for the ligaments. The constant rock hopping loosens them well. I past a dead pelican. I found an OMER brand italian made double edge dive knife. It was rusted and chipped. It must've been there for months, maybe longer, wedge under a rock with its butt exposed only at low tide. I admired it and saved it for my treasure chest. I walked further and noticed a trail which I must have not noticed earlier when looking from the street level down. It was next to a drain and ropes were tied to metal stakes to allow ease of ascent or descent. It looked completely precarious but, well worn. A little further I came to Haggerty's. You recognize the spot from the bottom by the giant cement retaining and splash wall built on the rocks that protects an old mansion now turned church right above, at the top of the cliffs. I've never been here and I was intrigued by the tiny hidden steps in the wall that lead to a wrought iron gate and small wooden doors, probably leading into a courtyard above. I noticed old cement pilings in the water near the shore. I placed my belongings near the wall about three feet from the rising tide. Good thing I was hear near low tide, otherwise it would be all water. I geard up and made a rocky entry and was in over eel grass, vast space of eel grass and small kelp. The waves were picking up and I held onto some old pilings. I quickly noticed a lobster under my face. I watched him a few inches under my face. He didn't budge. He probably didn't know what I was in such the cramped space. A little later I was over another, larger one. I inched my hand closer and he seemed to be weary. I quickly extened my hand to try to grab him for fun and he shot like lighting straight into my leg scaring me more than himself! I sawm around through teeny tiny fish in large schools that you could graze with your hand. I noticed a dagger sharp piece of metal and made sure to remember to stay clear of it. I saw three more lobster, one large, maybe a foot long, excluding antannaes. I also so a funny kelp fish, loooking indentical to a blade of green kelp. He held his hold firm as I swam over him. Perch and the staple opaleyes were around. I passed over kelp crab clinging in the increased waves. I looked up at the tourist spot above in the church courtyard. At different times families stopped to observe me swimming like a dolphin. When I got out I thought surely this place is not so frequented by skin diver's due to it's uncommon location. Also, if there's any waves it's hounded by surfers. I thought to myslef... I wanna come back soon!

Flkat Rock: Hiking Flat Rock to Malaga Cove Pt. 1

Skin Dive#:024
Sun July 13, 08
Flat Rock
Purpose: inspect new terrain
Tide: Low @ 11 am
Gear: 5/3 suit, mask, snorkel, socks, gloves, fins
Temp: Air 72 F/Water 66 F
Enviroment: sunny, 1 -2 ft breaks
Visibilty: 5 - 20 ft
Conditions Synopsis: avg fair

Time to date: 18 hrs 15 min
Total time this dive: 30 min
Total time: 18 hrs 45 min

Special Notes: I tried to get my friend Victor to come along this Sunday Morning with me to help search for a deep hole that is exposed between Flat Rock and Malaga Cove at absolute low tide, according to an old-timer I met last weekend. Victor wasn't available so I embarked on my own. I drove over to Malaga Cove parkign lot and drove past it further down Paseo del Mar. I looked around for something that looked like a Flat Rock and kept driving. A minute later there were cars parked and I got out and saw the Flat Rock, a rock cliff edge that extends from the land out a bit into the Bluff Cove. I quickly sclaed down the more troublesome trail of the two offered. Previosu to this I asked a pair of free divers for tips. They said, "Just off the end". Si made my way down to the end with fisherman trialing me. I checked out all possible entries and exits and found a place almost at the end where I could sit down and put on my fins then flop in and swim out of a small jacuzzi sized wading pool, over kelp, through kelp where it opened almost immediately to 25 ft depths! It gorgeous, the kelp gre like trees and the vis was somewhat great, making my wiggles through the plants easy. I double checked to make sure my knife was secured. There wasn't too much fish. I got out to assess my surrounding some more. The fisherman with just a roll of line with a hook and wait asked me what I saw. I gave it to him straight, "Medium sized kelp bass, mother surfperch with her kids.". He was happy and his friend came over to use the area that I also said was the deepest. I went back out through my wading area and slithered into thick, thick kelp. My vision was obscurred but, I didn't bother me. It felt like climbing thorugh the chapparal in the california desert, which I've done through hours on end with hy cousins and sisters. You just have to keep moving and climbing. I used the dolphin kick and separated the kelp with my hands. I swam around diving down a few feet to emerge in an open patch and went some 50 yards off the end of flat rock and back. It was fun. I circled some rocks and then got out. I walked over to the tidal areas by flat rock and found another flop zone. I immediately was surrounded by opal eyes, scoprion fish, and perch. I thought of telling the fisherman that all the fish were in the shallows but, didn't bother. I kept thinking of eating the perch. I swam out where the waves were breaking over shallow rocks. I liked being in the small turbulence. I eventually made my way back out to to trek the coast north.

Windy Water At Christmas Tree Cove

Skin Dive#:023
Sat July 12, 08
Christmas Tree Cove
Purpose: girlfriend to try wetsuit
Tide: High @ 6:00 pm
Entry: cobblestones @ 6:30 pm
Distance: reefs on left
Gear: 5/3 suit, mask, snorkel, socks, gloves, fins
Temp: Air 72 F/Water 66 F
Enviroment: overcast, windy, current, 1 -2 ft breaks
Visibilty: 10 - 15 ft
Conditions Synopsis: fair
Sights: topsmelt, opaleye, surf perch, garibaldi, senorita, octopus, calico bass, sargo,sea hare
Exit: same @ 7:00 pm

Time to date: 17 hrs 45 min
Total time this dive: 30 min
Total time: 18 hrs 15 min

Special Notes: My girlfriend Lana tried on a size s/m men's wetsuit. She wiggled into it and put on my hard slippers and waded into the water. The water was not as calm as yesterday so I didn't want to bring her in for an introduction to the water. She stood on the slippery rocks and watched for small breaks. I geared up and went in and the fish seemed to be waiting for me at her feet. They probably saw her shadowy frame and came to watch. They dispersed as I swam in. I moved about and the vis was not as great as the day before. I swam around and came out after I had my fun. Lana's Dad was there too, we asked him to come with us to gte him out of the house. He had fun taking a peaceful nap and also playing with my ever so sneaky monocular. Near sunset a large family that was staked out at the point wrapped up their party and walked by us and then up the trail. The last guys up were carrying spear guns and had flippers, etc. We talked and they said they already caught, cleaned, cooked, and ate their catch. The two men fed a family party of about ten! What a great idea in these poor times of our further worsening economy.

-Seaschralped-