With a good weekend forecast, Kwok, Rick, & I decided to hit up Carmel.
As daylight is getting scarce, Kwok & I begrudgingly decided to head out earlier than our usual noon start.
Rick was game for anything, so we quickly loaded gear/kayaks, picked him up, & headed down the 101. :thumbsup5:
Rounding Seaside, we got our first glance of the water... and it was spectacular! 
The flattest water I've seen all year; minimal swell & glassy smooth!
The skies were a clear blue, winds faint, and sun glowing. Just a beautiful day.
Despite the epic topside conditions, visibility was varied.
A strong surface haze gave way to slightly clearer waters beneath.
Nothing to be excited about, but very huntable.
We dove sporadically over a mile stretch of coast, checking several reef systems.
Lots of fish around, but we held off for some of the more choice species.
Rick ended the day with a ling, cab, sheephead, treefish, & few other RF.
Kwok got a ling, vermillion, couple olives, & other assorted RF.
I scrounged around for a few RF & a couple lings. 
Some pics... only took a handful, so nothing fancy.
Rick with his first treefish:
The rest of Rick's varied stringer:
The Kwok, challenging himself to shoot the smallest olive he could find:
My humble catch - olives, ling, & a red:
Kwok feeding some of the locals:
Rick & Kwok, winding down after a long day of diving:
Only vid I got on the day:
Clip: Rick vs. Ling - YouTube
My favorite memory of the dive:
Kwok had just shot a blueRF and let go of his gun(floatline). He was on the surface chatting with us, while casually pulling up the blue with his floatline. Mid-conversation, he started yelling for my speargun... and I knew exactly what that meant. Stuck my head underwater to see a hitchhiker ling latched onto his blue. The bottom was in 50's here, top of pinnacle ~35-40... so that ling had come up quite a ways. Sending a quick smirk in his direction, Kwok read my mind and let out a "NOOOOOOO!" as I lifted my leg up and submerged. I soon felt Kwok desperately groping at me like a drown victim... trying to pull me back to surface by my leg. Too late... a quick shot & the ling was secured. Ling robbery complete!
Honorable mentions:
- Watching 2 lings circling each other, like dogs sniffing each other's tails. Rick & I dove, to find both lings patiently sitting in the same long crack. After deciding to shoot one, they disappeared...
- Working an extended ledge, specifically looking for a vermillion. Passed up several sheephead, olives, & lings. Finally finding a red, it stared me down, so I had to poke it in forehead to get it to turn broadside!
- Kwok finding & shooting a red. He had a 18 month streak of not finding them. In the last 6 dive trips, he's shot 4! Super stoked for him.
- Finally diving with Rick. Scheduling (& my laziness) always seemed to impede getting together for a fun dive. Not sure if he'll ever dive with me again after we kept him on the water for 9hrs, lol.
Nothing particularly outstanding catch-wise, but a fun and productive day.
Thanks to both Kwok & Rick for a great time out on the water. :martialarts: