Final report on California adventure

May 21, 2008
Completion of CA trip
Met Mr Alias and his girl friend at the Hurst Beach just north of Cambria, CA, loaded up my equipment and we drove north to Jade Cove. The wind was blowing pretty good and I knew
that the swells would be worse then then the the predicted 2 to 3 foot height. The weather
was cool with a costal fog which whipped around as though it were late for an appointment.
Mr Alias drove north up the twisting Costal Highway. After a few minutes we ran into patches of sunshine and Mr Alias became hopeful that we might find calmer conditions at our destination. We parked behind a red pickup that belonged to Mr Alias friend. We walked to
the cliff edge to check out the surf. Staring down the cliff we saw one suited diver on the
beach and one out 100 yards or so. Mr Alias said it was rough and he decided to go check out two other coves close by in hopes of calmer water but to no avail.
The decision was made that my best chance of getting into the water would be at the first
spot so we suited up and climbed the 150 to 200 feet down the cliff. Sitting propped up against the cliff still in his suit was the guy who introduced Mr Alias to this sport. He was my age late 40's early 50's I guess. This guy said that he had been in for about 45 minutes before
he called it quits due to conditions.
Mr Alias was the first into the water and he made it look easy, then his girl slid in with a little difficulty. I sat on the boulder strewn beach fumbling to get my equipment on. I had to work up my courage to slide into the 3-5 foot choppy surf. My entrance was slower then the others and I paid the price. I tried to slide out with the receding wave but did not make it to deep water and got pummeled by a large wave. My mask got knocked off as I banged into laundry basket sized kelp strewn boulders. Sputtering I scurried for the rocky beach and sunbathing diver came over and took my pole and fins for me so I could slither up out of harms way.
I sat on the beach embaresed to look at sunbathing diver while I did a risk to reward analysis of my situation. I have no health insurance and knew if I got hurt it would be an
expensive life flight or boat ride out of the cove. I also knew I would regret not getting in to the water after all this planning time and money, ever mind the fact that I did not know if I would ever get to the Pacific again as everyone I know is on the Alantic seaboard.
I stayed on the rocky beach watching the divers. The young lady was 30 yards off shore Mr Alias was 150 and the other guy was way out there 300 yards or more. I remember Mr Alias popping up once head completely covered with kelp strands, like an octopus trying to pull him down into the depths, wondering how he was keeping his head above surface. I was a bit
disappointed like Mr Alias had abandoned me. I made it very clear to all that I was a novice and had never dived in kelp or heavy surf and had only experienced the sandy bottoms of the
Alantic. I felt that Mr Alias should have stuck closer to me to assist and advise me.
Twenty minutes latter his girlfriend came back in and convinced me to give it another try. She ensured me she would stick with me and that she doesn't go out very far. I had some concerns that if I got into any trouble that she would have difficulty assisting me as she was half my size while Mr Alias was taller and 50 pounds heavier then me. Knowing this was going to be the only chance I was going to have on this trip I settled more nerves some and decide to try again. I put my mask and snorkel on laid flat on my belly and like a seal flowed over the smooth rocks with an out going wave. I began to kick and was soon past the break point of the waves. I took my spear pole from the young lady and could feel the pieces of kelps wrap around my weapon and my grip on it; Some would slide off like spaghetti while the rooted ones forced me to make them slide off by pulling my spear foward.
The first thing I noticed when I looked towards the bottom were all the colors. There were every shade of gold, red, browns, yellows and greens. The water was clear but I could only see what I thought was a foot or two because of all the surf chopped up salad of broken pieces mixed in with the intact larger pieces. Occasionally there was a break in the kelidoscope salad and I saw anchored green grass waving furiously with the ebb and flow of the current.
I could feel the larger kelp washing over me and sliding off. I could feel them firmly tugging on my snorkel as they were tugged to and fro by the wave action. The chop unlike the calmer Hurst Beach water washed fresh 48 degree water down my spine with each little wave while the rest of me stayed warm enough. I could feel my body being pushed towards shore several feet and then sucked back seaward by the swells, not gaining or loosing ground. I could also feel myself bobbing up and down 3 to 5 feet with each wave as they rushed to their doom against the rocks. I stared down towards the bottom getting glances at it through breaks in the churning psychodelic salad, one moment the bottom was way down there and the next I would free fall five feet towards it as the waves rolled past. The overall effect of the wave action was as though Neptune himself was rocking me unaware of his strength and my fragility.
My senses were overwhelmed with all these new sensations and I fought to control my breathing. I tried to convince myself that there would not be as much salad closer to the bottom but I could not force myself to dive. I was afraid that when a trough went by I would be dropped on to the rocks at the bottom. I also knew that if would only swim out another 50 yards that the wave action was minimal but the slippery tentacles of kelp were threatening and my suit was to thick enough to give me any time diving once I swam that far. I continued to try and deal with my anxieties and hyperstimulated senses as well as control my breathing all the while attempting to convince myself to dive, but it was no use. Ten minutes latter, and I am probably being generous, I told my pretty companion it was to much and I headed for shore which was only 20 yards away or so.
Back on the beach I tried to console myself that if an experienced diver was sitting it out, it was OK if not smart that I did too. I would have been less disappointed but this was the only 2 hour window I had to actually dive where there was going to be any hope of experincing the real Northern California waters and not the barren sandy dessert of the Hurst Beach kiddie pool.
The flight home I knew I made the right decision by going with my gut and not risking an
incident that may have been set off by sensory overload panic. However it is still a challenge to not let the disappointment of a lost oppertunity to turn into the primary emotional content of the trip.
The financial fears of no health insurance definitely played a huge role in my anxiety and the decision to not take that breath and go for it.
I would like to make a reccomendation to other newbies based on my California adventure. Pick up temporary insurance, if you don't have any as this will help alleviate the fear of financial ruin if you get hurt and give yourself as many days as possible on the shore so you can be patient for a good day. I would also highly recommend that before you play in the kelps beds of the exposed ocean side that you dive in them in a calm bay. You may even want to make your first California dive with a guided tourist boat trip to the leeward side of the islands of southern California. Call around I was told on the ride back to the hotel that there are some that specialize in freediving. Finally do not exaggerate your experience and capabilities or you will end up in trouble.
I would like to thank Chuck from Depth Perceptions who was the only shop from Fresno to Monterey to Morroy Bay that went out of his way and did so gladly to help me on this adventure. I would also like to thank Mr Alias and his girlfriend (sorry I don't remember your name) with all my heart for taking a chance on a newbie. Having said this I would like to say to Mr Alias, if you decide to assist a stranger again, (and I hope you would do so

because I am sure they will, like me, they should always be greatfull to you) stick a bit closer to them, at least in the beginning, because those of us who do not have experience in your waters need the reassurance of your proximity so we have time get aquainted with the new variables. We need a few minutes of your expertise and guidance to minimize our anxiety and fears so we can get the most out of what may be a once in a life time oppertunity.
I will try and post some pictures once developed.