AFTER 72 YEARS, THE FAMED SAN DIEGO BOTTOM SCRATCHERS CLUB
HAS CLOSED ITS DOORS.
The original Bottom Scratchers—1939, La Jolla Caves Area
(R to L) Glenn Orr, Jack Corbaly, Ben Stone, Bill Batzloff and Jack Prodanovich
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Sixty-five years ago a pair of gogglers swimming off a La Jolla beach, armed with glorified pitch forks, spotted a 500 pound “reef,” which was really a giant black seabass. By today’s standards, approaching such a prize with hand-held 5-prong spears seems comical. On the surface, the two intrepid divers settled on a plan. Jack explains, “Wally was to hit him on the right while I smacked him on the left.” The fish was deeper than anticipated and only Jack was able to jab the fish with his spear. Instantly, the three prongs that managed to penetrate were bent over at 90-degrees as the beast bolted. Jack says, “Our wives reported that the spear handle went past like a sub’s periscope, bound for Japan.”