20200919_Blue Heron Bridge

 Martha, Leo and Luis wanted to go to the Blue Heron Bridge, primarily to see and photograph more exotic animals like octopus and sea horses. We could not work out scheduling conflicts for last weekend, but we did schedule a last minute trip for today. We met at in the Blue Heron's parking lot at 8:00 am. High tide was 10:23 am. We ignored the various warnings and recommendations that we not dive until 30 minutes before high tide. We geared up and got in the water at about 8:30 am.  

I waded into the water and got swept up in the current as I was explaining how we should stay under the bridge structure. I grabbed one of the pilings and hung on, hoping to see the others but visibility was poor so I went to the surface. I spotted Leo hanging onto a piling at the surface and understood that he could see Luis beneath him on the same piling but that Martha was not with them. 

I decided to drift with the current and hope I would run into her or that she would come to the surface so we could spot each other. Unfortunately, I drifted about 100 yards past the fishing bridge without seeing any sign of her. I went to the bottom where the current was weaker and worked my way to the East wall where the depth was only about 4 ft and the current seriously fell off. I walked/swam back to where we had entered the water and this time I went to the piling on which I had last seen Leo.

He was still there and indicated that Martha was below him with Luis. I descended and found her. She indicated that she was fine but that she would  stay wedged into the space between two sections of the piling until the current slackened. I swam to the next piling to the South and back hoping to entice her, but she was having none of it.

Luis presented me with our dive flag which was missing the upper 1.5 ft of rod. We did eventually leave the piling to swim back towards the shore, but I lost Luis and Martha, again. 

when they reappeared, Martha was pushing a heavy rock ahead of her and then pulling herself forward using weight of the rock to fight the current. Smart. We all got out safely if somewhat sobered by the strength of the current.  Leo and Luis wanted to dive the East Bridge, but Martha and I packed up and headed home. 

I logged the dive as 47 minutes at a maximum depth of 9.7 feet and with a "very strong" current.