After a couple days of Nyquil-induced stupor, I finally got around to typing up this report… 
April 01, 2011
With the opening weekend for abalone & lingcod fast approaching, we eagerly watched the forecasts… Unfortunately, as April 1st drew near, the forecasts grew increasingly ominous, predicting HUGE swells and (for sane people) undiveable conditions. As the last week of March drew to a close, a small window of opportunity presented itself. We chatted & agreed that we could possibly sneak down south for a few hours of marginal diving on Friday! :crazy:
Friday arrived and at 8am, we were lined up on the beach in Carmel, suited up and ready to go!!! It was a beautiful day topside, with clear skies and very sunny spring-like weather. Unfortunately, the ocean was quickly turning ugly. The ever-increasing swells, mixing with recent run-off, churned the cove waters to the color & consistency of chocolate poo. 
Launching our kayaks, we braved the poo waters and paddled till we found the clarity of green tea; a welcome improvement. Entering the washing machine, we were soon embattled with Poseidon's fury. While being ragdolled back & forth on the bottom by the powerful groundswell, we soon found that the lingcod had wisely retreated to the safety of the deep. Following their lead, we worked out into increasingly deeper ledge systems.
Persistence paid off and in the end, we each were rewarded with nice stringers of fish. :thumbsup2:
Dan…
Dan tested out his new Omer Kanaloa, filling out his stringer with an assortment of fish. A pair of healthy lings, a couple cabs, and several rockfish made their way into his kayak. On the last spot of the day, he came across this beautiful vermillion:
Dave…
Dave worked his butt off, trying to stay one step ahead of us "young'uns". Proving to us yet again that old age & treachery will beat out youthful fervor, Dave pulled out this beautiful 18# ling… only 25yards from where we were diving!
In true "walk-off home run" superstar fashion, Dave basked in his glory, posed for a few pictures, then paddled back to shore to kick back and enjoy his success, while we continued our hunt.
Carter (ApneaAddict)…
Well, Carter shot a Monkeyfaced Eel. While we were determined to find lings, Carter was determined to shoot the ugliest creature he could find and bring it home for dinner. To that end, his trip was a grand success.
Nelson Kwok…
Kwok overslept and showed up several hours later than originally planned. Nevertheless, he dove hard, hustled, and managed to shoot a nice assortment of rockfish to bring home. Since he came in at dusk, he didn't get the gratuitous photo-op. 
As for myself…
I scrounged around all day to find a few choice rockfish to bring home, as well as a pair of respectable lings.
10+ hours on/in the water, huge swells, tough diving, and 3days of recovery… it was totally worth it!!!!
