“Don’t Shop. Dive.”
Do you wait all year for Black Friday? It seems only natural, if not compulsory, to drive to a mall to pick up a few items the day after Thanksgiving — at greatly reduced prices. But you end up sharpening your elbows and fighting the crowds to have a tug-of-war with fellow shoppers over gifts for your family (that are likely destined to become landfill).
One group of California divers is trying to turn the tide, skipping the human surge to celebrate the day with a healthy alternative — going scuba diving.
They call it “Blue Friday,” and it’s become a holiday with its own slogan: “Don’t Shop. Dive.”
Embracing a New Holiday Tradition
Since 2021, the Marin Scuba Club and the Dive Club of Silicon Valley, both in Northern California, have been embracing Blue Friday, the brainchild of Ken Carter of Mill Valley, CA.
“I was inspired by REI closing its stores the day after Thanksgiving,” he says. That’s why the members of both of these clubs have been giving back to the Earth by skipping the plastic consumerism and going diving at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve in Carmel-by-the-Sea —America’s first underwater reserve — located within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Often called “The crown jewel of the California State Park System,” Point Lobos gained renown from world-class photographers like Ansel Adams and Edward Weston. Francis McComas, a landscape painter, said it was “the greatest meeting of land and water in the world.”
Ken and his son at Point Lobos.
Beginnings of Blue Friday
“It started as an excuse to take my son, who had just gotten his Open Water certification, diving in California waters throughout the year,” adds Ken. “I woke up one morning and booked all of the reservations at Point Lobos in 2021. Because we had such a great time with excellent visibility and virtually no other divers, we decided to launch a second annual trip in 2022.”
Fall might be the peak time to dive Monterey Bay and other California waters. The crowds are gone, the fish are not, and the water clarity is some of the best of the year.
Blue Friday is just one day, but if you’re so inclined, you can extend it to Bluer Saturday and Bluest Sunday (especially if your extended family is in town).
Group shot: The Blue Friday 2022 Team.
Blue Friday 2022 Recap
Last fall, 11 divers (three from Marin Scuba Club and eight more from Dive Club of Silicon Valley) joined the second annual Blue Friday festivities.