The River, Miso Soup, And Surf 'n Turf

[coach_izzy]

What a weekend! The weather deities showed compassion and revealed the glorious, incandescent orbe high above. Living in the PNW, I can understand why folks in the past were more than willing to sacrifice others to beckon its presence.

Oh yeah, that must have triggered some wicked pollen showers as allergies showed up in a beastly fashion. I do rarely get allergies anymore but this must have been something different as I never experienced allergies of this magnituded in the PNW, or this late in the year. Regardless, my wife and I were ready to spend the weekend at "Casa de Grateful Diver".

Bob Bailey is one amazing host and humble about his culinary skills. The man can whip up amazing meals that are good for you! We arrived to his place Saturday night, not sure if I'd be able to dive the day after as I was stuffed up with madly itchy eyes, burning throat, and all the plesantries brought up by allergic reactions. Not to be mean but as soon as I heard one of his neighbors sneeze like 10 times in a row, I felt somewhat better. There was somebody having a more miserable time.

A good night sleep, Chinese herbs, and a saline rinse helped and after breakfast, Bob and I headed to Redondo for some diving. The tide was quite low and still retreating but the water looked clear from the surface. My allergies seemed under control so we decided to splash. My wife would be fishing while Bob and I dove.

This was a unique dive in many aspects with many amazing lessons. This is the first time since I started diving dry that I actually felt like one with my gear. No leaks, excellent fit, good weight distribution, I felt good about it. I can still fine-tune my BP/W a bit more and more diving will get me there. Regardless, upon descent, visibility was 2 or 3 feet and it opened to about 10 feet at a depth of 50. Lots of flounders, some lingcods, and a GPO. I was suprised there weren't that many crabs around. I must have seen a total of only 3 Red Rocks and no Dungies. As we ascended to 40 feet, things got interesting.

The mild current against which we started had picked-up and we had to start crawling, visibility varied from 0 to 2 feet. Next thing I know, seaweed was raining and wrapping around my regulator and mask. Kicking hard and crawling was slow and I felt I was not wearing enough weight. The same amount of lead that allowed me to hover at 5 feet 2 weeks ago now felt insufficient.

The seaweed and silt rain got even stronger. As I removed seaweed from my mask and regulator, I lost touch with the bottom. Next thing I know, I did not know what was top or bottom or sideways and my head started spinning. Though I could not quite see Bob, I knew he was within reach and I was able to get a hold of him while my head settled. He helped me find the bottom again and when my head settled, we continued.

At this point I felt I was very underweight and dumping air off my suit and BCD was not keeping me down. The soupy mix was still roaring furiously and I felt I was being pushed upward. Bob was close and we thumbed it. It was a controlled ascent from about 20 feet and the end of the ride.

Oof!

Diving currents? Been there

Diving low viz? Done that

Diving a seaweed storm? Never

Diving the 3 combined? I did not even think such thing could be possible!

"That's why some call it The Redondo River" Bob said as we were swimming back "And diving in those conditions is like diving in Miso Soup". I could not have described it better.

That is what I love about diving! There's always something new to learn.

That was an environment I had never experienced before and I'm quite sure I will find again but the next time it won't come as a shock. I feel fortunate to have been with Bob as his experience was tremendous in helping me handle the situation.

I passed on another dive. There were too many new variables I felt I needed to understand well before returning to the water. It is something I have carefully recorded in my log and I replay the scenario in my head with every possible outcome, emphasizing and understanding the ones with positive results.

That did not mean we'd stop having fun. Bob, Kat (my wife) and I headed to Tiger Mountain for an awesome hike. Bob knows his spots in the water and On-land. What a beautiful Hike! The top of the west trail was a tad busyi when we arrived but soon it cleared and for about 20 minutes, it was only the 3 of us in that peaceful and beautiful spot, absorbing the rays of Helios, enjoying a good snack, and playing with the Jays begging for a morsel.

A great dinner after made by Chef Bob upon our return (complete with dessert) with some good conversation and we were ready to call it a day. Man, did I sleep great or what! The day after my allergies seemed to have subsided significantly and were debating to go for a hike or back diving. Seeing how the conditions of the day were similar to the day before, we headed to Snow Lake for a hike.

Gorgeous day, a clear ski, bright sun, and a different hike. Snow Lake lived up to its name with a significant part of the trail still covered in snow, but the views... Wow! Worth it! We could not make it to the lake as it was closed because of, yes, too much snow! It still surprises me to hear about too much snow in July. You were not allowed unless you had Ice climbing gear. Nevertheless, a gorgeous invigorating hike. Bob took us to Snoqualmie falls on the way back. We had never been there and just like Bob predicted, those falls were roaring. Unfortunately access to the low areas of the falls is closed until spring 2013 due to construction. Oh well, no complaints!

We finished the day with dinner at Salty's Redondo soaking up the sun and views.

What a grea weekend of Surf and Turf, perhaps more turf than surf but those seemed like appropriate decisions at the moment, and whenever friends have a great time, it is definitely the correct decision. Thanks again Bob for a fun weekend and we'll be diving soon again.

[LCF]

Well, next time you come down, I want to join you guys!

I have been caught in the Redondo River several times -- the first one was at night, and it was totally disorienting, but not nearly as bad as the day Lauri DeVore and I got into it and ended up on the wrong side of the boat launch! Redondo can be one of the easiest sites in the Sound to dive, but it can be really quirky. And nobody I know knows how to predict what days you'll hit the river.

[coach_izzy]

Redondo can be one of the easiest sites in the Sound to dive, but it can be really quirky. And nobody I know knows how to predict what days you'll hit the river.

That is why I felt fortunate to be under the guidance of Bob and a great reminder of why we must always be prepared and continue training. That was a fun site overall and I would love to visit again and it'd be fun if we all went together.

[Grateful Diver]

It's what I love about living here ... when the diving sucks, there's always plenty of other cool stuff to do.

Here's a few pics from yesterday ...











... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[coach_izzy]

Hey Bob, thanks for posting those pics! That was an amazing hike on a gorgeous day. Looking forward to it again.

P.S.
Would you please send me the pics when you get a chance? Thank you