When we got to Lowman Beach , we could see the tide was low (as expected). However, the exposed beach went out further than anticipated. Around here, lots of tide land usually means a shallow dive.

When setting up for a shallow dive, I’ve found it to be a good idea to carry a few extra pounds of weight. For this dive, I had a less bouyant tank than I normally use and it provided me with the extra weight needed. My dive partner, Dave, went down without any changes to his gear and had to swim around holding a big rock for the last 10 minutes of the dive!

We got into the water at about 7:30 pm. We missed the slack tide so the in coming tide was running from the north. The current was clipping along pretty good so Dave and I cut diagonally up current as we headed to deeper water.

The visibility picked up to about 25-30 feet as we got beyond the surf. The bottom was pebbly/rocky and tansitioned into a sandy/muddy bottom. We went out to 20+ feet then cut back diagonally across the current and to the North.

At the end of the dive we ran into a clay bottom at about 12 ft. of depth. There were lots of clam necks poking out of holes in the clay. The only other place I remember seeing a simular combination of clay and clams is under the east side of the Warren Ave. bridge in Bremerton. After the dive, I consulted my books and found these burrowing clams are known as the "rough piddocks". They live their life in one hole in the clay which they enlarge as they grow by moving their shells in a grinding manner. Sounds like a boring existance!

However, this dive will be best known as the "Dive of the Shield Back Kelp Crab". These rather ugly crabs have smooth backs that resemble a sheild. They are dark grey in color and have long spindley legs. They are not as graceful as the Red Rock or Dungeness crabs. They tend to move in a mechanical matter, somewhat like a robot. The little buggers seemed to be crawling all over the place. They were in the sea weed and and moving around the pebbly bottom foraging for whatever they eat. We even saw them lined up ,dangling from strands of bull kelp, high above the bottom, flopping like clothes on a clothes line, in the current of Puget Sound.

Normally, I would cruise right by these scavengers of the depths without hardly a glance, but this dive was different. We set out for this dive club dive with the intention of locating, documenting, and ultimately identifying as many underwater species as possible. So I was paying more attention to marine life than I normally do. And the most abundant species seemed to be those kelp crabs.

After seeing about twenty of those little kelp bugs, I decided to investigate them up close. I got right down on the bottom and stared at one that was particularly big. I looked him straight in the eyes at a distance of about 12 inches. He was tough. He was fearless. He was one BAD shield back kelp crab. He stared menacingly, as if daring me to mess with him. And, as he filled my mask in living color, I was suddenly struck with a sense of the magnificance of our underwater world and it’s creatures.

You see, there is not a big screen in existance that can duplicate the clarity of what we see under water. There is not a "special effect" that can provide the realism of what we experience underwater. I pity the poor land lubber who must stand in line to experience the second rate creatures generated by computers and shown on the big screen. My meeting with the toughest kelp crab in Puget Sound was special and powerful for me. And this dive, in general, was filled with adventure and excitement. For many of us divers, adventure and excitement is what diving is all about.

On that dark rainy night in December we could have gone to the movies, but instead we chose to explore the underwater world. We chose to crawl out of our comfortable little holes and pursue a life of adventure and exploration. We make many choices in life. I’m glad I chose to become a scuba diver.