In the photo below, I'm fairly sure that's the mother talking to my friends about abalone diving. The photo below is from the afternoon before the morning shots I caught above. I've been abalone-diving since 1978, so I did have some advice for this woman. She had good questions, practical questions, but she also revealed a lack of experience that troubled me. Van Damme is a protected entry and exit point, mostly, but I wouldn't call the waters out by the arch a novice dive spot at all. I pointed out some of the dangers as well as places I'd seen divers get lucky, but I also appreciated the sheer verve this woman had. She wanted to get some abalone, and she was willing to swim and work to get it. I was happy to see her and her daughter out there the next morning, but I also paddled my kayak nearby to see if they wanted any help or not. I could see some struggling with all the surge as well as some difficulty with a weight belt, but I didn't patronize these divers by trying to help them when my help wasn't wanted. I tend to paddle over and hover around any divers, checking whether any aid is wanted, I see out on a surgy day working the long swims. Male or female, I'll add. My friend E saw the two later, when they exited the water, and reports that they did not get abalone, but they saw one or two small ones. Next time, I say. Next time.
