An Old-Timer at the Secret Garden of Neptune's cove

Skin Dive#:021
Sun July 06, 08
Neptune's Cove: tidepool
Purpose: have fun during poor conditions
Tide: High @ 1:00 pm
Entry: large, pool-like tide pool @ 1:00 pm
Distance: n/a
Gear: 5/3 suit, mask, snorkel, boots, gloves
Temp: Air 75 F?/Water 62 F?
Enviroment: sunny, marine layer, 2-3 ft breaks to fill the pool
Visibilty: 10 -20 ft
Conditions Synopsis: good
Sights: topsmelt, grunion, opaleye, surf perch, scorpionfish, sea hares, urchins, ochre stars,
Exit: same @ 2:00 pm

Time to date: 15 hrs 45 min
Total time this dive: 1 hr
Total time: 16 hrs 45 min

Special Notes: This would be my third day in a row tide-pool diving at the Secret Garden of Neptune's Cove. The secret garden is about double the size of an olympic pool, about 4-5 ft deep at the deepest and gets filled up by breaks at high tide. The water is rather cold from a drop off right next to the pool. The drop off is a popular fishing hole. The pool drains on one side into the ocean, creating a mild current pulling into that drainage.

On my way down the extremely unstabble trail I noticed some guys with masks and snorkels. I climbed over rocks to them. One was trying to coax his dog into the pool. I told them that there is a good rock ridge to walk on then flop into four feet of water. They snapped back, "We know. We've been swimming here for thirty years!". I knew I should learn some stuff from these guys. I put on my wetsuit, boots and gloves while they had on just trunks and shoes. I flopped in after them. The older man admired my westsuit and told me to go help the fisherman on the other end of the pool who had dropped something in. I slithered up to the fisherman and I noticed that they either found their object or gave up. We chatted breifly and then I saw their object in the shallow pool - a pack a soggy cigarettes on the bottom. I scurried over to the deeper end, sucking in my belly to not get poked by urchins or the unbearbale scorpion fish. The younger of the two men who was probably the son, forty, was standing on the small platform, aka boulder with a red brick in his hand. "I'm going to crack open some urchins. Go down and watch the fish eat.", he siad to me. We went under and he smashed some purple urchins and pink flesh floated around. Soon lots and lots of fish were fighting for the meat! It was a frenzy. We held onto some boulders so the we wouldnt get slowly sucked out the drain, today's tide was high. There had to be fifty plus fish in the frenzy area. Some watching, some eating. Even pairs of scorpion fish were in on the party. Later I took liberty to smash some urchins with the brick and admire the beautiful lunch time myself. Maybe that's why the fish here are so friendly... no one really gets in the water here, but when they do, the fish get fed? I swam around and the dad and son got out of the chilly pool. Tiny waves formed in the pool as the breaks peaked up and into the pool over the walls. I held on. Bubbles filled the water and vis went from 20 to zero then cleared up again.

When I got out the older man talked my leg off. He said the place was better when the whale vertebrae and scapula was exposed in the nearby rock as a fossil until some one stole it. He pointed to some rubble. He explained that the fresh rocks that fell own in the last ten years might have some new fossils to be found. He then said the pool gets it's spider web appearance from the now plugged up hot water vents. It made sense. The pool is unusual. From the top of the cliff it looks like either a spider web or an amplitheatre. The ridges fan out from the corner, radiating as you can imagine the once flowing spring of water flowing from the depths of the earth. He talked about the hole, the abyss right under the fisherman on the dangerous rocks over to the right. He said his friend owns a record for deep hole fishing in that spot. The man talked more almost enjoying himself more than trying to educate me. He was a happy old man with japanese features and little pot belly. He liked the sound of his own voice and I listened. He kept repeating how he is so haooy the place is accessible once again, explaing that during the housing development of the area, all access was blocked off. Later in the parking lot he told me to go to the area between Hagertty's and Rat's at absolute low tide to see a hole, another serene spot for similar diving as this pool. I thanked him and I drove home with fish in my eyes and plans to find the other hole.