Barb reported:
Twenty-four members joined in the fun for our annual Dive & Dine in August. We lucked out with the weather, as it had been very foggy prior to arrival.
On Friday, the sun came out at Noon. On Saturday, we had bright sunlight at 10:00 am. And on Sunday, we woke up to another sunny day.
The diving was spectacular due to high visibility and calm oceans. On Saturday, we dove the Mendocino Blow Hole, which can only be accomplished with calm seas. Vis was over 40 feet. The walls were covered with large colorful starfish and lots of mature abalone.
There were huge beds of green anemone blanketing many areas like a lawn. The kelp beds had more abalone and lots of rockfish, plus the usual colorful snails, crabs, and other critters. Sadly, there was also a large population of invasive purple urchins decimating some areas.
The dining was again spectacular! Huge thanks to Sean for hosting BLTs and avocado toast on Sunday breakfast. Everyone voted for another breakfast from Sean, as they are getting tired of my smoked salmon and bagels.
For our potluck epicurean indulgence:
- Ken put on his best game with delicious chicken yakitori
- Barb made lobster bisque soup
- Nancy & Rolf made their famous chili
- Charles & Norma delivered delicious BBQ skewers
- Jeffrey made farm-to-garden veggie skewers including his own crushed olive oil and seasoning
- Jim & Lilli crafted amazing appetizers and stuffed olives
- Virginia shared her amazing salad
- Brian & Anja grilled wild caught King Salmon, Ellen baked her delicious almond dessert, cauliflower sushi, and gave everyone an artisan pottery gift
- Rich & Sean grilled sausages
- Mike roasted tri-tip
- Steve & Donni made ribs and enchiladas
- Ric & Malia grilled shrimp skewers
Many others contributed, and I don’t want to leave anyone out.
“Overall, we had a weekend of fun diving, spectacular food, many hiking and kayaking excursions, as well as unrivaled Marin Scuba Club hospitality. Also noteworthy was being able to watch dozens of migrating gray whales on the horizon.”
