February Surf N Turf, So Cal style….

    I am not sure it gets any better. I was fortunate enough to get the call (thanks Mike) to go out shrooming on Thursday. Spent an outstanding day with a great spearo learning the ways of the Chanterelles. The experience was a cross between paddy hopping and scallop diving. With a little bit of halibut hunting mixed in. We drove around looking for chanterelle paddies with many coming up empty. Eventually , I started seeing some color popping through the leaf litter. Like spotting the jaw of a halibut or the smile of a scallop. My mentor was quit impressed with my catch. The shroom equivalent of a 40lb flatty. Beginners luck I guess. Anyhow, got home and was totally worked. I had a few divers lined up for a Friday morning dive. I canceled due to marginal conditions. The water was looking a little like chocolate on Thursday afternoon.


    Friday morning. I really wanted to get some scallops to go with my mushrooms. I new conditions were poor but how much vis do you need to get scallops? 2-3feet? I checked a few spots and they all looked poor. I pulled into the over look and immediately spotted a gray whale about 100 feet outside the kelp. Pretty cool. I only saw it surface once more before I split. I was just about to give up on the dive but decided to check one more spot. It looked doable. I suited up and headed out. The conditions were not great. Maybe 5-10feet. This rock pile is in about 20-25 feet of water. I could not believe it had not been picked clean during bug season. I pulled two off this spot. Several nice goats came in for a look. Wish I had a polespear. I kicked over to the next spot. Passing several 6-8lb opaleye, many huge calico and some random cuda. Got one more scallop and called it a day.


    I am looking forward to turning these items into a nice Surf and Turf dinner for Valentines day. We usually go out to dinner due to my lack of culinary skills. Please feel free to pass along any menu ideas.



    Mike

    Mike, you're obviously talking about beach diving here. But to understand correctly, you drove to different entry points and made your decision to dive based on what you saw from land? Can different location have that much of a variation in water conditions? What's the distance between your first point and the point you chose to dive from?

    Quote from Dan

    Mike, you're obviously talking about beach diving here. But to understand correctly, you drove to different entry points and made your decision to dive based on what you saw from land? Can different location have that much of a variation in water conditions? What's the distance between your first point and the point you chose to dive from?


    Yes. Shore diving. I checked about an 8 mile stretch of coast. The conditions can vary greatly due to swell direction and tidal swing. During the winter we are looking for spots protected from the northwest swell. Parts of Malibu and PV have protection as long as the swell is not large enough to wrap around and stir things up. Some spots are sand bottom and some are rock and some are mixed. They all react different to the large tidal swings. The sand spots will have poor visibility. You never really know what to expect. A large swell is building in tonight and tomorrow that will shut down most of the shore diving.


    Mike

    Nice to know that the PV poop spill didn't stop you.:D
    I like to get my shroom's from a large breasted Italian chick the fair grounds.:D
    Good on ya Mike.
    Cheers, Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

    Pretty cool. California divers are lucky to have access to such a wide selection of goodies.

    Davie Peguero

    That's what I was thinking Davie. But then there's much poorer viz, colder water and shorter diving season. Not to mention white shark. Sometimes I wonder if I'd dive if I lived there, which is why I've come to respect California divers. Maybe that's the reason so many people are drawn to bluewater on the west coast. See for us here in south Florida there's always the possibility of various big pelaegics passing through, in would you say inshore waters? Which brings me back to your question Mike. We never go more than 3 miles out to sea from Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Past that it becomes real deep real fast. And this I mean diving from boat and bouncing around all over the place. Of course the further south you go the further out things get. I think 12 miles around Homestead?

    Dan we have several local canyons very close to shore. WSharks are not the issue the they are further north. Driving to the boat ramp is more risky.
    Cheers, Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

    :laughing3:


    I'm pretty sure Don meant "here are a couple pics that Brandon took.". ;)


    Since graduating from CMA(merchant marines), Brando has done a few fun jobs - one of was this trip down to Guadalupe. The story was in the last issue of HSD. :)

    Quote from fuzz

    :laughing3:


    I'm pretty sure Don meant "here are a couple pics that Brandon took.". ;)


    Since graduating from CMA(merchant marines), Brando has done a few fun jobs - one of was this trip down to Guadalupe. The story was in the last issue of HSD. :)


    I guess one mans idea of "fun" is another mans nightmare. I think I saw those pics on SB a while back with an 80+lb YT.

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