Observations Confirmed

Over the weekend I was in San Diego visiting family. Unfortunately, I was unable to get in the water to dive, but I did go for a swim with my dad at La Jolla Cove. When we arrived we debated whether or not to get in because the conditions were not ideal. The waves were big and they were breaking just off shore. The beach at La Jolla Cove is relatively small and it is bordered by rock outcroppings. The shoreline is littered with rocks; even on a calm day you would have to be careful to not bang up against one. In our case, with the waves, there was the worry of getting caught up in a break and being pushed toward, hopefully not into, the outcroppings on either side of the beach. The water was a brisk 57 degrees and, without wetsuits, we were going to really feel the cold. We decided to go for it. Getting out past the waves was a bit of a challenge and the visibility was very limited (I get the heebeejeebees when I can’t see my hand in front of me when I’m swimming), but we made it and the chilly water was refreshing.

As I was toweling off, I noticed four divers heading down the stairs to the beach, which made me nervous. Each diver was overloaded with gear, everything from multiple camera set-ups to lift bags to dive slates. They had so much stuff that they could not attach it all to their bodies, and they were having to carry some of the gear in hand. La Jolla Cove is a location that I would guess is probably fairly calm most days because of the topography, but it was not at this time. These people used a significant amount of energy getting down the steep stairs to the ocean and were about to enter a rocky shore with a large break. Most of them did not have a hand to steady themselves if they got off balance. It did not look like a safe situation to me. I knew from being in already it was a struggle to get out, even with the maneuverability of not having any gear on. Plus, the visibility was limited and so they would not be seeing much even if they did make it past the waves with no incident. As I was standing there debating whether to point out my observations to them, a lifeguard came running up. I am assuming he explained to the group it was not a wise decision to get in because, after they finished speaking, the four hauled their gear back up the stairs and did not attempt the dive.

It was a relief they did not dive and also nice to have my observations confirmed by the lifeguard. I was glad the divers came down to the beach though, because it gave me an opportunity to answer questions about scuba diving for my thirteen year-old cousin. I explained how a buoyancy compensator operates and how it works with the regulator, octo and tank. I talked about the importance of having good buoyancy control and the risks associated with diving if you do not. I hope maybe I piqued enough interest for him to consider diving when he gets older. Maybe in the future, if he gets certified, I can take him diving at La Jolla Cove on a good day.

Photo by Kyle Pearce

http://www.dreamlajolla.com/la-jolla-cove-pictures.html