Taking
Your CALIFORNIA Diving to the Next
StepGood advice for taking diving to the next level is to take more classes, join a club, and to simply go diving more often. Odds are, it's advice you've heard before so I'm not going to pound it in any further.
Taking your California underwater adventures to a higher, more enjoyable level involves a bit more thought. Here are some suggestions:
• Participate in a multi-day dive trip. If you've enjoyed a single day jaunt out to Catalina or Anacapa Islands, you'll be blown away by the amount and scope of diving you will be exposed to in a two, three or four day trip to several of the eight Channel Islands. There are, after all eight islands, each with its own distinctive character and flavor. And each island has hundreds of dive sites. A two-day dive trip will not just hold twice as many dives, but three times. And you'll be exposed to the dusk, night and dawn side of our spectacular Channel Islands, both above and below water.
• Dive outside your area. Southern California divers should try diving Monterey and visa versa. A whole new world opened up to me when I first started free diving for abalone on the North Coast a few years ago. And you North Coast divers have not lived until you've chased a lobster. The neat thing about trying different areas in California is that, for the most part, your experiences and gear will work just as well elsewhere. Kelp diving is pretty much the same wherever you go. And that 6.5 mil wetsuit that keeps you warm in the winter in Southern California will work in the summer in Central and Northern California. You'll need some local orientation, which you can get at local dive stores, but you'll adapt a lot quicker than a diver coming from Florida!
• Dive a different setting. Kelp forests, as wonderful as they are, are not the only great underwater habitat in California. Sand flats are not the deserts they appear to be. Venture out from the kelp and look closely at the sand and you'll see small animals like crabs, clams and tiny fish between the ripples. Blue water is another fascinating realm. This is deep water where you cannot see the bottom. It is definitely not for the faint of heart but those with the courage to venture forth will see sharks, molas, jellies and other pelagic animals. One of my most eye opening experiences was diving in Morro Bay. While only a few of our bays are conducive to diving, and you have to pay very close attention to things like tides, visibility and boat traffic, California's bays have a lot to offer in up close and personal marine life. You can also add oil rigs, wrecks and offshore pinnacles to your list.
• Try a different underwater activity. Because we have the ocean right in our own backyard, we can dive often. As such, we can try all kinds of things underwater. Never took a picture underwater? Inexpensive camera systems are now readily available; even cheaper just to rent. Like seafood? Underwater hunting is acceptable in California with, in many areas, game still readily available. And you don't need to be a gun totin' spearfisher to have success. Scallops, abalone, clams and lobster are all relatively easy to catch and require only simple tools. (Check Fish and Game laws for specifics on each species.) Other possible activities include shell collecting, fishwatching and research, or just underwater meditation.
Although I do like traveling to exotic locations for diving, California is home. I have spent most of my diving life in California waters. I could spend the next 20 years diving here and not be bored. Expand your horizons. Take your California diving to the next level and enjoy the full California underwater experience.
