The octopuses are back! It's interesting how different critters have their certain times at the Bridge. I'm not scientific enough (pretty lazy) to make a species log to find out if critters are there at the same times every year, but maybe it would be fun to start one. Three "refresher" students and I saw two octopuses under the big bridge. There was a polkadotted batfish past the third set of pilings on the south side and there was another batfish under the fishing pier near the big junk pile on the north side of the pier. Close to the boat channel on the south side was a beautiful flying gurnard that did spins with its wings open. I'd never seen that behavior before. Believe it or not I was in a 5mm WETSUIT. (Yes, me in a wetsuit in February. Remarkable.) I did it because it is easier to run around after weights, etc. for students than it is to do that in a drysuit with all the weight I have to carry to sink it. With trepidation I entered the water, but in the seventy-five degree water I was very comfortable for our one hour, twenty-five minute dive. Vis was reduced by 7,054,679 students in the water to about ten to fifteen feet. Without 14,109,358 fins kicking up the bottom the vis would have been twenty feet or better. Oh well. I was a silt-kicker myself at one point. We have all been there. Weekdays are nice if you can dive them. Parking was not difficult for the 12:22 high tide, but arriving there an hour and a half before the high tide I had limited choices. (My students locked their car keys in their car at the Shop. [Please ask the tide to wait for us while we deal with this.] It took AAA a few minutes to get there to help them. I zipped down to the Bridge to get a parking spot while they waited. Everything worked out although for a few minutes it appeared the mother was going to flog her son to whom she had given the keys to put their stuff in the car. Is there anyone out there besides the none-driving public who hasn't locked their keys in their car? Have you ever seen the "professionals" (we know where they went to school) unlock a car in less than ten seconds? It's fascinating and makes me wonder why we bother to lock our cars. I'm wandering. Even with all the drama we had a great dive! I didn't know that Bridge Therapy could help with family turmoil, but at the end of the dive the son's future looked much brighter than it had hours previously at the Shop parking lot. Get in the water (you don't need to need therapy), Ham
