This site is well known for its crashing waves, but it’s little known as a dive spot.  That’s perfect for me.  I like shore dives as opposed to a boat dive.

The divemaster, Mike, was kind enough to let my dad tag along and stay on the beach.  Dad took some pictures and had a minor panic when he saw me disappear under the ocean.   

The water conditions were not bad, except for visibility.  There was some surge but Mike taught me a tip to keep my energy use minimized: “tread” water when the current is against me, then do powerful kicks when it’s moving me in the right direction.  It was a dive lifesaver.

We saw all manner of fish and some cool turtles.  Mike poked around looking for an octopus but had no luck.  If you are seeing this post with no pictures, they haven’t been emailed to me.  Mike had the same camera I have but with a nice underwater case.  The photos looked pretty crisp. 

The only problem with this shore dive was the ingress and egress.  It’s a steep, rocky path with some steps 3 feet tall.  It starts about fifty feet above sea level.  The picture at right shows the terrain; Dad is on the rocks and I'm in the water.  Anyway, my fear of heights reared its ugly head on the way down as my mind raced to what my brains would look like dashed on the rocks.  Dad walked in front of me and that helped.

The way back up to the car was worse.  I had to do some heavy kicking at the end of the dive in order to go to shore.  The wave crash wanted to pull me back out to sea.  Anyway, I emerged from the 55-minute dive with rubber legs.  Rubbery muscles + 40 pounds dive gear + fifty feet of climbing = disaster.  I did OK on the smaller steps, but started to falter about halfway up the path.  Dad started helping by pulling one arm as I lifted myself with the other arm and both legs.  A few of those big 3-foot steps and my legs buckled under me.

Mike had already made it up to the car, removed his gear, and cleaned his first stage.  He was nice enough to come back down the path and take my equipment so I could climb better.  It was a little embarrassing to be unable to walk.  I need to build some muscle tone in my legs!  Time for some squats I think. 

I would recommend this dive site for intermediate divers with more leg strength than I.  I would not want to go there as a beginner – especially without a person who has been diving at the site – because of the danger if one goes too close to the blowhole itself.