Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens. ~ Kahlil Gibran
I do have my own little way of looking at things….I have to. My dry suit is on vacation in California, taking a week to trek cross country and arrive at the Hotel Pinnacle where it will be pampered and massaged and aqua sealed or whatever it is they do.
In the mean time, what luck! Someone was nice enough to lend me a suit they were not using and to everyone’s surprise I found my way to the dock… on time and ready to go. Let me tell you what luck……
“The step” was out and awaiting me at the stern, I quickly loaded on board along with Howard, John, Jack and Harley. As I moved gear into the cabin I heard the heart wrenching THUD of foam cup on wood deck as my much needed supply of morning caffeine splattered. Howard looked over and asked? “Is that coffee?”….. “hmmmmm……no milk?” This was going to be a long day. Oh well.
We moved out of the inlet and into the ocean, greeted by gently rippling seas and warm sunshine. A beautiful day to go diving ….. diving where you might ask? The East Ridge of course! That is the one with the north and south portion that is west of the West Ridge but north of the South Ridge only if you approach it from the left. I personally am going to go with low lying and wooden in 94 fsw cause then my head doesn’t hurt so much.
We are quickly tied in and the pool is open and as boys will be boys ….. a mad dash is made for the water. One of the little dickenses is back soon enough at the ladder in need of some assistance zipping the last few inches of his zipper…. One man wet….
Avoiding the stampede, I carefully adjust the borrowed suit to get the best possible fit and quickly slide into my harness, hooking, clipping and adjusting with one last hose to fit on and I am done…… the dry suit inflator…… the one that does not fit this dry suit valve…… doh!!! Howard tries his hose and it does not fit either, this dive is not to be.
I slowly remove my gear. Today I will be crew. It’s a beautiful day on the water and I have cookies… this will work…there are worse things. I break down my gear and fold up the dry suit and pack it away. When I am done I wait at the ladder for the returning divers and note the clear surface water. It has a blue tinge to it instead of the Jersey green and I easily pick out divers as they hang on the line. One by one they arrive at the ladder and hand up spearguns and goody bags chock full of surprises.
The sand has shifted over the winters months revealing a bit more of the wreckage and fish and lobster abounded. 30-35 feet of viz and 47-49F water temps at 94 fsw depending on the computer you consulted. An outstanding dive reported by all, brown shark, dog fish, colorful anemones, lobster and fish…a shame for me to miss it. John tried his inflator hose on the errant valve and BINGO! We have a match. We quickly swap out hoses reassemble my kit.
Back in the suit with everyone’s help and I am right behind Howard jumping in the water. A knee on the gunwale and I make my usual graceful entry into the cool clear water. How do I know the water is cool and clear you ask? Because there was a race between my socks and my long johns to see which could soak up more of it. There is a leak….was it the suit or the seals? Doesn’t matter, it’s me and without ever descending I hit the ladder and climb back on board. 2 wet divers.
I once again break down my gear, wring out my socks and under roos and empty the dry suit boots before stowing it away. I get the hint….. today is not a dive day for me. Its cookies and sailing and oddly I am all right with that. It’s that nice a day.
Howard arrives back onboard with a stringer loaded with fish and I add them to the stash in the cooler. My only fish poking for today I am afraid. We have sea bass and lobster onboard and Howard…. He has found a new leak in his suit also….right leg this time…. 3 down….2 to go.
We have a slight “issue” with pulling up the hook and will suffice to say I am disappointed that Jack did not retrieve my “souvenir board” when he released the hook.
From here we went to the South Ridge which….well you get the idea… it was out there somewhere and it’s south of Rhode Island and it isn’t really a ridge. Again divers returned with full bags and stories of wreckage and fish galore, 30-35 ft of viz and 47F at 80fsw. Everyone was smiles except for John who climbed aboard, looked right at me and announced…. I had your dive!.... my tank leaked, my light died and the handle fell off my bag and 2 fish fell out…. And I’m wet…. That said with an impish grin since he was wearing a 5ml, his dry suit packed away till fall. 4 wet ……. Not really…. Jack is wringing his socks over the starboard side….. Its all 5.
We head in under sunny skies with coolers bursting. An infestation of fish, I believe, was the word of the day. Running out of fingers and toes, I stopped counting the sea bass as I poured them in the coolers and lobster were parked atop of them. A fine day it was.
We spent the ride home with stories of fishing and summer past on the Jersey Shore. Do you remember the trampolines in Lavallette, the name of the best bakery on the strip, the Parrot Club or the Chatterbox, when Kohrs was really custard and dune buggies on the beach?
Yes I am disappointed I missed some outstanding dives, but no I am not disappointed I spent a beautiful day on the water still a part of the diving and fun. Divers are good people….. thanks guys.
Footnote: with big grin and a flourish….. I backpacked my doubles……and daintily stepped from the deck…. to “the step”…… to the gunwale…… to the dock….
“The step”…..stop by sometime and see it…its sweet….saaaaweet