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Ad-Hoc dive experiences at Van Damme

Derek Suring, Dan Wilcox, and Oliver Edwards gathered at Van Damme state park for diving Sunday February 19. The weather was fair with small-medium waves at the beach and larger swells / breaking waves visible outside the "keyhole". Derek and Dan attempted to do a kayak dive near the keyhole, but encountered a pattern of swells converging from two different directions, leading to unpredictable peaks and troughs. They found they couldn't anchor, then Dan actually got turned over when a rouge "peak" formed right underneath him. Both divers retreated to the shore. Oliver conducted a dive with his DPV. The pre-dive plan was to rendevous with Derek and Dan in the dive area. When Oliver surfaced near the keyhole he spotted them 200 yards away or so, so he attempted to motor over to them. Unfortunately, the kayak divers kept moving! After a few tries, some waving of arms in the air, and a couple loud shouts (none of which attracted attention from Derek and Dan - probably because they were dealing with the unsettled seas) Oliver continued on his own dive. Taking a course out beyond the keyhole, Oliver eventually discovered the wall that forms the edge of Van Damme cove; a vertical rock face falling from 30' to 80'. He considered circling around the keyhole and coming back on the other side, however since the dive time was already over 45 minutes and he was below a half tank, he decided caution was prudent and traced his way back to shore basically the same way he came. Several severe sections of surge were encountered underwater (sending the dpv and it's driver backwards while under throttle) but to no harm. About 90 minutes after starting Oliver joined the kayakers at the beach, exchanging excited stories about our experiences.