Flintstones

One of the most frequently visited sites on the Big Sur coast, Flintstones offers breathtaking panoramas that comprise Metridium anemones, towering walls blanketed in Corynactis and tufts of greenery that sway in the surge. You might wonder somewhat at the name - I always have. Here's my best guess at its origin -- but remember, this guess may very well be worth what you paid for it: There's a local term on on the Monterey dive scene that refers to an unskilled, incapable diver. These hapless folk are often dubbed "Barneys". In fact, I've heard that there was an actual person named Barney whose lack of skill, despite hours and hours of practice, gave rise to the term. Purple dinosaurs aside, Barney isn't a common name, and I suspect many, as I do, automaticly associate this name with Barney Rubble, Fred Flintstone's long time pal. So, I suspect the dive site name is an oblique reference to some Barney, or Barney's in general. Certainly, it's not a place for the inexperienced.

Young pacific pompano (Peprilus simillimus) engulf a purple jellyfish
(Pelagia colorata).

    "Flintstones", Big Sur, California
    July 30, 2005



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