ThThTh TTN 6-16-2016

Gdog · Post by **Gdog** » Fri Jun 17, 2016 9:36 pm

This Th dive for me turned out to be real challenge. Im sure it was also for Jesse. We arrived early, as planned, at TTN, around 4:30. To our dismay, the parking area was full, as was all the parking down the main road. Tom Nic and Jeff were there, on an early dive, and Jesse and I decided to drop our gear behind Jeff's truck, set up our kits, and then park down the road. I set up my kit, and inflated it; I could hear air escaping, and traced it to the dump valve on the bottom of my wing. I pulled on the cord, hoping to reseat the valve and possibly cure the leak. Unfortunately, when I pulled on the cord, the entire valve broke free of the wing. Wow. So, after a quick huddle, and a call to a couple local dive shops, we decided to head for UWS in Federal Way, as they supposedly had a basket full of used dump valves. We figured we could get the valve replaced, then at least hit Redondo for our dive, as we would be too late to make it back to TTN for the group meet at 6:30. We called Jeff's cell and left a message with our intent. Traffic was bad, and it took us a long time to reach UWS. On the way, Jeff called us back when he got back to his vehicle, to tell us Jesse had left his fins beside the truck in the TTN parking lot! Well, usually, 3 strikes and you call the dive, but we decided to press on. UWS sports had no valve that would work, so we headed back to TTN, with me deciding to use my dry suit as surface bouyancy since I use my drysuit as bouyancy at depth. We made it back to an even larger crowd at TTN. We managed to unload, gear up, and splash a little after 7 pm. Vis was really craptastic. Probably 3-4' down to about 65 fsw. Below that it opened up to maybe 15'. We stayed deep for as long as our gas would allow, and managed to find a couple stubby squid around 90'.

Finally we headed upslope to the wonderful sluggy vis, exited, and made it to the second dive at Elliot Bay, for the second dive. Beer was cold and delish!
Thank you Jesse for being long suffering, and staying positive thru this little adventure!

Scubie Doo · Post by **Scubie Doo** » Sat Jun 18, 2016 12:11 am

Dude, any day we get to dive is a good day

your first stubby shot is exceptional! Nice work. I'll see if I got any keepers. Haven't had a chance to look yet.

Gdog · Post by **Gdog** » Sat Jun 18, 2016 12:46 am

Scubie Doo wrote:Dude, any day we get to dive is a good day your first stubby shot is exceptional! Nice work. I'll see if I got any keepers. Haven't had a chance to look yet.

True that. Im hoping you got a good one from up in the water column.

YellowEye · Post by **YellowEye** » Sat Jun 18, 2016 7:13 am

Wow, sorry to hear of those troubles but glad you got in!
Cool shots!

Scubak · Post by **Scubak** » Sat Jun 18, 2016 8:00 am

Awesome pics...
Glad you got a dive in.
I didn't get out of work in enough time to get up to 3 Tree...
Kirsten

Scubie Doo · Post by **Scubie Doo** » Sat Jun 18, 2016 10:08 am

Gdog wrote:
Scubie Doo wrote:Dude, any day we get to dive is a good day your first stubby shot is exceptional! Nice work. I'll see if I got any keepers. Haven't had a chance to look yet.
True that. Im hoping you got a good one from up in the water column.

GD, I actually meant your water column shot :-) That came up first on my phone. Your other shots are excellent too, but I really liked the one in the water column, so #2 in the sequence.

Gdog · Post by **Gdog** » Sat Jun 18, 2016 10:37 am

Scubie Doo wrote:
Gdog wrote:
Scubie Doo wrote:Dude, any day we get to dive is a good day your first stubby shot is exceptional! Nice work. I'll see if I got any keepers. Haven't had a chance to look yet.
True that. Im hoping you got a good one from up in the water column.
GD, I actually meant your water column shot :-) That came up first on my phone. Your other shots are excellent too, but I really liked the one in the water column, so #2 in the sequence.

Yeah dad gum iPhone!

Scubie Doo · Post by **Scubie Doo** » Sat Jun 18, 2016 10:51 am

Gdog wrote:
Scubie Doo wrote:
Gdog wrote:
Scubie Doo wrote:Dude, any day we get to dive is a good day your first stubby shot is exceptional! Nice work. I'll see if I got any keepers. Haven't had a chance to look yet.
True that. Im hoping you got a good one from up in the water column.
GD, I actually meant your water column shot :-) That came up first on my phone. Your other shots are excellent too, but I really liked the one in the water column, so #2 in the sequence.
Yeah dad gum iPhone!

You will be a part of the Apple cult someday, I promise you that.

Gdog · Post by **Gdog** » Sat Jun 18, 2016 11:02 am

Nope. Resistance to the end bro!

Scubie Doo · Post by **Scubie Doo** » Sat Jun 18, 2016 11:10 am

GD, I think this one is my favorite. I still have several I need to review/post to my site.

This is what I was shooting when we first dropped. Just liked the background and the color of the anemone.

And here is what the stubby thinks about your resistance to Apple. Let me translate 'f-you'

Gdog · Post by **Gdog** » Sat Jun 18, 2016 11:33 am

Yeah yeah. That stubby wants to grow up and be a market squid, with his very own android One Plus Three. I really like your first shot! Or at least that's the one that pops up first on my android.....

Tom Nic · Post by **Tom Nic** » Sat Jun 18, 2016 8:20 pm

Well, hopefully it was not my return to the Thursday crew that brought the bad luck!

Jeff and I arrived around noon, with the intent of doing 3 dives, and for once all worked as planned! Agate (Chris) met us for dive #1, his first dive at TTN. We did a site briefing and then headed South to the Cruiser.

I locked my keys in the car.

(Hmmm.... perhaps a pattern is emerging?!?) That meant no camera for dive #1. Which is just as well as visibility at a very low tide was 3 or 4' - just terrible. I don't think we went below 80fsw, and it hadn't cleared by then, so we just did a seeing eye dive back to the tire piles and the entry.

After waiting for the long suffering wife to come and deliver a set of keys (yeah, yeah, I certainly married up!) we did dive #2 straight out to 100 fsw or so and then back up. Viz was MUCH better, clearing up around 50 fsw to 15-20'. There is tons of life this time of year! It was by far the best dive of the day, although it did require spending as much time as was prudent down deep.

Jeff spotted this Decorated Warbonnet, the first and only one I've ever seen here! Love these guys...

The usual and unusual critters and little stuff made this a great dive, and dive #3 was a great one as well, although visibility was once again poor, this time all the way down to 70 or 75 fsw. We stayed deep as long as our no-deco time allowed.

All in all, really nice to be back diving with the Thursday crew! Hopefully I can find some earlier in the day dive buddies and continue the tradition or 2 or 3 dives rather than just the one at 6:30 PM. I need to get some cold water dives in!

Gdog · Post by **Gdog** » Sat Jun 18, 2016 9:34 pm

Great shots Tom! Loving that warmonger!

Scubie Doo · Post by **Scubie Doo** » Sun Jun 19, 2016 12:35 am

Gdog wrote:Great shots Tom! Loving that warmonger!

Indeed. The Warbonnet is way cool. Nice work Tom! Great seeing/diving with you again. Felt like the good old days.

Tom Nic · Post by **Tom Nic** » Sun Jun 19, 2016 7:01 am

Gdog wrote:Great shots Tom! Loving that warmonger!

Me too!

Although you have to watch out for that warmonging warbonnet out starting all those wars and such.

Although if I had that headgear I'd probably do the same.

(Sorry, I have to crack myself up sometimes...)

Tom Nic · Post by **Tom Nic** » Sun Jun 19, 2016 7:40 am

Scubie Doo wrote:
Gdog wrote:Great shots Tom! Loving that warmonger!
Indeed. The Warbonnet is way cool. Nice work Tom! Great seeing/diving with you again. Felt like the good old days.

Yes it did!

Hopefully the good ol' days will continue in the now now days!

Gdog · Post by **Gdog** » Sun Jun 19, 2016 8:45 am

Tom Nic wrote:
Gdog wrote:Great shots Tom! Loving that warmonger!
Me too!

Although you have to watch out for that warmonging warbonnet out starting all those wars and such.

Although if I had that headgear I'd probably do the same. (Sorry, I have to crack myself up sometimes...)

What's really embarrassing about it is that I was just ribbing Jesse about his iPhone, and my android type corrected warbonnet to warmonger.... Sheesh.

stphnmartin · Post by **stphnmartin** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 9:24 am

Looks like your persistence paid off! Great stubby shots. Hope you found a replacement valve for your BCD. Guess we ought to check out those parts every now and then for wear and tear!

ScubaJess · Post by **ScubaJess** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 10:20 am

Really great pics guys!
I hope to see you this week! My suits all fixed.
I hope you can get your bc fixed soon GDog.
You can borrow now bp&wing this week if you need? I can use my back up.

Gdog · Post by **Gdog** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 2:25 pm

Thanks guys... And gals. I have a new dump valve on the way should be here Wed

ScubaJess · Post by **ScubaJess** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 3:19 pm

Gdog wrote:Thanks guys... And gals. I have a new dump valve on the way should be here Wed

That's Great news!!!!!!!!

WylerBear · Post by **WylerBear** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 7:21 pm

Tom,
I think I've only seen Decorateds at Three Tree and it was also on a straight out from the entry to 100-ish fsw and back. On that particular dive we actually saw 4 of them all clustered in a couple of tire reefs right next to each other. Have seen Mossheads there before and since but I think that might have been the only Decorateds. This was maybe 3 or 4 years ago. Interesting.

Northwest Dive Club