The beautiful and rugged Sonoma coastline
With beautiful weather on the horizon, the 2015-2016 abalone season opens at 8am Wednesday in Sonoma and Mendocino counties. Thousands of divers from all over the state will soon converge on the north coast to freedive for their share of the tasty abalone, which can only be taken while breath-hold diving.
Unfortunately, the beautiful weather we’ve been having topside isn’t translating to great ocean conditions for diving this week, so far anyway. The forecast from Point Reyes to Point Arena on Wednesday is for northwest winds at 20 to 30 knots with a westerly swell of 10 to 12 feet. That could translate into big waves with a strong inshore surge, and the combination of wind, surface chop, and surge could make diving very hazardous.
If you’re planning on being an opening-day abalone diver, use extreme caution and be sure to carefully evaluate the dive conditions before heading into he water. Regardless of how far you’ve driven or how determined you are to get your abs, be prepared to cancel the dive if the conditions aren’t within your comfort zone, with a fair margin of safety around it.
Divers are also reminded of the new restrictions in place this year. The starting dive time will be 8 a.m., as ordered by the Department of Fish and Wildlife. This new time replaces the previous starting dive time of half an hour before sunrise. Up to 3 abalone may be taken per day (with no more than three in possession at any time), and the limit on abalone cards has been reduced from 24 to 18, of which nine can be taken from Sonoma and Marin counties. It’s also important to note that no more than 9 abalone of the yearly trip limit may be taken south of the boundary between Sonoma and Mendocino counties.
For more information, here’s a link to the Department of Fish & Game: California Sport Fishing Regulations for 2015-2016.