North coast of California

My original plan was to dive for jade in Big Sur but due to a heavy surf moving in, I decided to head north. I am lucky as I live within reach of the warmer waters to the south, and the cool waters to the North. When I dive the north coast the only thing on my mind is "Abalone". It is a very tasty mollusk that taste like a cross between calamari and clams. There are very strict laws collecting this underwater snail. You are only allowed to collect them by breath hold diving only, are allowed 25 per season, and 3 per trip. There is a special license you have to get before going. And you have to fill it out as soon as you hit the beach with your catch. Otherwise you will get hit with heavy fines or face jail time. There are game wardens all over the place that keep watch with high powered scopes and are always present. On this trip when walking back to my car, there was a sting operation and 10 divers got busted for breaking the law. Abalone diving is a very dangerous sport. Its almost always rough on this stretch of coastline and there is the ever present white Shark patrolling the area. Since the season opened April 1, 6 divers have died. It is a record year for deaths. When I arrived at the site, the conditions were unbelievably calm. I swam out to this small little island and found them in about 20 to 30 ft of water. It was definitely my lucky day. On the way home I took the sceanic route and drove through Bodega Bay. This is where Alfred Hitchcock filmed "The Birds". Here are some photos of the area:




Rough water or white shark attack??




The little island where I dove:



"Abalone"




Hey look, I think I found boulder opal!:




Salmon Beach, A.KA White Shark Beach:



The birds of Bodega Bay:



Bodega Bay, a nice little town: