It's Easy Going for Liveaboard Adventures - Peter Hughes

Opening Day for Abalone Season was Great!
I have been diving the North coast for fifteen years now and can tell you the conditions encountered on Monday were rare. The seas were calm, very little wind, and eight to ten feet of visibility. I have lost count of how many opening days were stormy and miserable.

If you are planning a trip North I would highly suggest first doing two things. Read the article in The April issue of California Diving News by Bruce Watkins, “Changing Abalone Regulations.” Then pick up a copy of the ocean sport fishing regulations from the California Department of Fish and Game. The game wardens are taking this new set of laws very seriously.

During the four hours we spent on the coast, I saw seven wardens and was stopped three times to be checked out. My son and I witnessed several divers being cited. Most were for short abs. When you consider that I have only been stopped once in the previous 15 seasons, the perception of “we mean business” was quite profound.

Thank you for a great publication and thank you for bringing more color to print.

Dave Walker
Campbell, CA

Buddy Seeker Loves CDN
Dear Dive Buddy Ad Manager,
You’re providing a great service!

I’d appreciate it a lot if you could place the following ad in your May and June issues.

I love your magazine !

Emile
via e-mail

Impressed with Your Words
Hello Kim and Dale,

“A Quick Comment on What To Do as a Diver Given the State of the World:
Do whatever you need to do; give blood, pray, volunteer, donate money, etc., and do so with more vigor than ever before, but also remember to take the time to go diving. During these extremely stressful times, we need to take time to seek refreshment by immersing ourselves in God’s peaceful and beautiful blue underwater realm.”

Dale, I was looking through some your archives on the computer and saw the above words written by you in your October, 2001, issue at the end of the article where your son was certified (tell him kudos for me). I just wanted to say thank you. You wrote what I think and I could not have said it better. I love life and I love my job as stressful as it may be sometimes but that is exactly what I need to do. Go diving and “seek refreshment by immersing myself in God’s peaceful and beautiful blue underwater realm.”

Thanks again and I hope to see you in that realm sometime.

Rodney Klassen
Visalia, CA

A Beach Diving Suggestion

Hey there:
I snorkel and free dive in Laguna Beach every weekend.

As all you beach divers know, the biggest problem with beach diving is trying to get back into your wetsuit after the first dive. The saltwater makes your wetsuit really stiff and hard to get into.

So I went out and bought one of those showers in a bag. The one shower bag costs $7.99. I use it to rinse out my wetsuit after my morning dive. And it works great!

Now the afternoon dive is comfortable because I don’t have to skin my
knuckles getting back into a stiff wet suit.

Take care and happy diving.

Steve Benjamin

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