1 Minute
2 Ft Vis
3 ft Swells
I think the calm, waveless weekend is over. After 3 of the easiest shore entrance and exits, tonight was very different. But we pushed through the waves and got out to the water, dropping down only to find 2 foot visibility.
Maybe our fright-fest Halloween night dive will be better some other year!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Dive 113 - Shaw's Cove - Laguna Beach, CA
40 Minutes
33 Feet
10-12 Foot Vis
Dove with Jenni & Aubrey, quite a nice dive. VERY easy getting in and out. We saw an Eel and Aub spotted her first Spanish Shawl. Good times!
33 Feet
10-12 Foot Vis
Dove with Jenni & Aubrey, quite a nice dive. VERY easy getting in and out. We saw an Eel and Aub spotted her first Spanish Shawl. Good times!
Dive 112 - Divers Cove - Laguna Beach, CA
30 Minutes
20 Feet
10-20 Foot Vis
Diving with Jenni & Aubrey. Very fun dive with moments of good visibility. We saw lots of nice reef structure. The highlight was finding a large (2 foot long) California Halibut resting on some rocks, we watched him for about 2 minutes before he swam away. Big guy!
20 Feet
10-20 Foot Vis
Diving with Jenni & Aubrey. Very fun dive with moments of good visibility. We saw lots of nice reef structure. The highlight was finding a large (2 foot long) California Halibut resting on some rocks, we watched him for about 2 minutes before he swam away. Big guy!
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Dive 111 - Reef Point, Crystal Cove - Laguna Beach, CA
Aahhhh, back to California diving! I loved Bonaire, but nothing beats our home turf!
Surf as nothing today. In & Out was easy as can be. We swam out to split rock and followed the reef structure for 30 minutes or so. Vis got up to 25 foot at moments and we saw what I feel like was the best kelp we've ever seen.
Very enjoyable.
Surf as nothing today. In & Out was easy as can be. We swam out to split rock and followed the reef structure for 30 minutes or so. Vis got up to 25 foot at moments and we saw what I feel like was the best kelp we've ever seen.
Very enjoyable.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Dive 83 - Shaw's Cove - Laguna Beach, CA
Bottom Time: 26 min
Vis: 10 to 25 feet
Depth: 34 feet
Temp: 64 Degrees
Buddy: The lovely Jenni Wilson-Cooper
We finally got around to night diving Shaw's Cove. Funny enough we ran into our old instructor, Linda, on the way in. This was a very enjoyable, creepy and dangerous dive.
Enjoyable: We saw... Multiple juvenile Angel Sharks, a very curious juvenile Leopard Shark (Super cute award!), 2 Horn Sharks, and a giant Bat Ray that was very territorial and was warning us to move on. Tons of life for an easy little dive down the road from where we live.
The creepy. Some dives are just creepier than others, this was one of them. Running into a giant ray didn't help, but we also heard some dolphins not too far away. Love them, but when it's pitch black outside and you can only see 10 feet in front of you, it can be unsettling. Still... I wish they had come close to us...
The dangerous, at the unexpected end of the dive, Jenni's inflator hose got stuck in the on position. She quickly shot up to the top with no ability to enjoy a safety stop at a 'too fast for your ears' speed. I swam up to the surface, all was fine, but a jarring end to a night (or any) dive.
Overall, definitely my favorite dive at Shaw's, I really look forward to another night dive there soon!
Vis: 10 to 25 feet
Depth: 34 feet
Temp: 64 Degrees
Buddy: The lovely Jenni Wilson-Cooper
We finally got around to night diving Shaw's Cove. Funny enough we ran into our old instructor, Linda, on the way in. This was a very enjoyable, creepy and dangerous dive.
Enjoyable: We saw... Multiple juvenile Angel Sharks, a very curious juvenile Leopard Shark (Super cute award!), 2 Horn Sharks, and a giant Bat Ray that was very territorial and was warning us to move on. Tons of life for an easy little dive down the road from where we live.
The creepy. Some dives are just creepier than others, this was one of them. Running into a giant ray didn't help, but we also heard some dolphins not too far away. Love them, but when it's pitch black outside and you can only see 10 feet in front of you, it can be unsettling. Still... I wish they had come close to us...
The dangerous, at the unexpected end of the dive, Jenni's inflator hose got stuck in the on position. She quickly shot up to the top with no ability to enjoy a safety stop at a 'too fast for your ears' speed. I swam up to the surface, all was fine, but a jarring end to a night (or any) dive.
Overall, definitely my favorite dive at Shaw's, I really look forward to another night dive there soon!
Dive 82 - Shaw's Cove - Laguna Beach, CA
Bottom Time: 23 min
Depth: 26 feet
Temp: 64 Degrees
Buddies: JenniWC, Jason - Instructor from BCS, Brian - Guy learning to be an instructor
Dry Suit Cert Dive 2
Went in, went down, came out, lived to tell about it.
Depth: 26 feet
Temp: 64 Degrees
Buddies: JenniWC, Jason - Instructor from BCS, Brian - Guy learning to be an instructor
Dry Suit Cert Dive 2
Went in, went down, came out, lived to tell about it.
Dive 81 - Shaw's Cove - Laguna Beach, CA
Bottom Time: 24 min
Depth: 32 feet
Temp: 64 Degrees
Buddies: JenniWC, Jason - Instructor from BCS, Brian - Guy learning to be an instructor
This was our first of 2 dry suit cert dives. Shaw's Cove is Shaw's Cove, pretty uneventful. The drysuits are AWESOME. Surprisingly easy to dive in. We did see a Girabaldi that had about 1/4 of it's body eaten very interesting, seemed to be fine and thriving. Weird.
Depth: 32 feet
Temp: 64 Degrees
Buddies: JenniWC, Jason - Instructor from BCS, Brian - Guy learning to be an instructor
This was our first of 2 dry suit cert dives. Shaw's Cove is Shaw's Cove, pretty uneventful. The drysuits are AWESOME. Surprisingly easy to dive in. We did see a Girabaldi that had about 1/4 of it's body eaten very interesting, seemed to be fine and thriving. Weird.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Dive 80 - Little Corona - Newport Beach, CA
Bottom Time: 5 min
Depth - 30 feet
Temp - 63
Visibility - 1 to 2 feet
This was our first time Kayak Diving. VERY FUN! Combining two of our favorite outdoor activities kayaking and diving!
It was interesting figuring out how to get in and out of the kayaks, but we made it work. The anchor Jenni got me for my birthday worked out great.
The only downside to todays dive was the insanely bad conditions, we dropped down to check on the anchor the visibility was so bad you had to hit the bottom, then put you head within a foot or two of it to see the bottom. Yep, you couldn't see your own feet.
It looked like a sand storm underwater.
The other funny thing that happened, was Jenni and I were testing out our newly 'modified' safety sausages and I filled my up at 15 feet, then I immediately shot up to the surface. Jenni said that with the low visibility she saw me fill it, then instantly I was gone. It is now considered a Danger Sausage.
Depth - 30 feet
Temp - 63
Visibility - 1 to 2 feet
This was our first time Kayak Diving. VERY FUN! Combining two of our favorite outdoor activities kayaking and diving!
It was interesting figuring out how to get in and out of the kayaks, but we made it work. The anchor Jenni got me for my birthday worked out great.
The only downside to todays dive was the insanely bad conditions, we dropped down to check on the anchor the visibility was so bad you had to hit the bottom, then put you head within a foot or two of it to see the bottom. Yep, you couldn't see your own feet.
It looked like a sand storm underwater.
The other funny thing that happened, was Jenni and I were testing out our newly 'modified' safety sausages and I filled my up at 15 feet, then I immediately shot up to the surface. Jenni said that with the low visibility she saw me fill it, then instantly I was gone. It is now considered a Danger Sausage.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Dive 79 - Casino Point - Catalina Island, CA
Time: 44 min
Depth: 98 feet
Temp: 59 degrees
Vis: 30 - 40 ft
A fun dive at the Sue Jac, but we are becoming real wimps in our wetsuits!!!
Depth: 98 feet
Temp: 59 degrees
Vis: 30 - 40 ft
A fun dive at the Sue Jac, but we are becoming real wimps in our wetsuits!!!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Dive 78 - Casino Point - Catalina Island, CA
Dive Time: 55 min
Depth: 50 feet
Temp: 63
Our first night dive at Casino Point. Super fun. Jenni saw a baby eel that was very cute. I got a full grown eel on video hunting. Great dive. Highly recommend Casino Point at Night.
This was also a fun time as it was our first time spending the night in Catalina, it was my 'birthday weekend' trip for my 30th birthday! A great way to celebrate!!!
Depth: 50 feet
Temp: 63
Our first night dive at Casino Point. Super fun. Jenni saw a baby eel that was very cute. I got a full grown eel on video hunting. Great dive. Highly recommend Casino Point at Night.
This was also a fun time as it was our first time spending the night in Catalina, it was my 'birthday weekend' trip for my 30th birthday! A great way to celebrate!!!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Dive 77 - La Jolla Cove, San Diego, CA
After much debate on a second dive and searching for a parking spot for 20 minutes (we went kayaking between dives with friends for Karla's birthday) we finally lucked out and got a spot spitting distance from the stairs. We took this as a sign that we should go back in the water.
After another lengthy surface swim (did I mention 20 minutes, ooof), we got to the kelp forrest for the second time that day. Immediately upon dropping in I saw a 3 foot Leopard Shark. Cute little guys and a nice treat, I've seen a ton snorkeling but never one on scuba gear.
We went back in the forrest and waited and watched. We'll at about 20 minutes into the dive it paid off as we saw a Sevengill swim by us about 20 feet away. Visibility was low, maybe 10 foot clear. So all we got was the outline of it's body, but it was amazing and I felt quite fulfilled!
We surfaced about 10 minutes later, both of us being tired from the day, we decided to set our compasses back to shore, drop down and head back in under water. This is when things got awesome.
About 5 minutes into our swim back (funny enough, literally 1 minute after my video camera's battery ran out) I looked down and saw an 8ft Sevengill in touching distance. Jenni thought I was having a problem, because apparently I just looked down in shock. Jenni quickly realized there was a large shark that her fins were grazing and the shark began to swim away.
As any good diver would do if they run into a large shark, that is swimming away from them, we decided to follow it. We got to swim with this wonderful creature for about 20 seconds, before it decided it was done with us (the shark was underneath us, so we could see if it was a male or female).
This 20 second swim was on of the best moments of diving I have ever had. Such wonderful creatures right in our shallow bays, so cool!
*A little bit about Sevengills* They come to the shallows in spring/summer to give birth to litters of up to about 80. They birth live offspring, not eggs. They grow up to 10 feet living most of their lives at depths of around 450 feet. Often hunting in packs, their diet consists of fish, smaller sharks, sea lions and dolphins. They are hunted by great whites.
Dive Time: 53 minutes
Temp: 63
Depth: 35 feet
Sharks: Jenni 2, Nate 3
After another lengthy surface swim (did I mention 20 minutes, ooof), we got to the kelp forrest for the second time that day. Immediately upon dropping in I saw a 3 foot Leopard Shark. Cute little guys and a nice treat, I've seen a ton snorkeling but never one on scuba gear.
We went back in the forrest and waited and watched. We'll at about 20 minutes into the dive it paid off as we saw a Sevengill swim by us about 20 feet away. Visibility was low, maybe 10 foot clear. So all we got was the outline of it's body, but it was amazing and I felt quite fulfilled!
We surfaced about 10 minutes later, both of us being tired from the day, we decided to set our compasses back to shore, drop down and head back in under water. This is when things got awesome.
About 5 minutes into our swim back (funny enough, literally 1 minute after my video camera's battery ran out) I looked down and saw an 8ft Sevengill in touching distance. Jenni thought I was having a problem, because apparently I just looked down in shock. Jenni quickly realized there was a large shark that her fins were grazing and the shark began to swim away.
As any good diver would do if they run into a large shark, that is swimming away from them, we decided to follow it. We got to swim with this wonderful creature for about 20 seconds, before it decided it was done with us (the shark was underneath us, so we could see if it was a male or female).
This 20 second swim was on of the best moments of diving I have ever had. Such wonderful creatures right in our shallow bays, so cool!
*A little bit about Sevengills* They come to the shallows in spring/summer to give birth to litters of up to about 80. They birth live offspring, not eggs. They grow up to 10 feet living most of their lives at depths of around 450 feet. Often hunting in packs, their diet consists of fish, smaller sharks, sea lions and dolphins. They are hunted by great whites.
Dive Time: 53 minutes
Temp: 63
Depth: 35 feet
Sharks: Jenni 2, Nate 3
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Dive 76 - La Jolla Cove, San Diego, CA
This was our first attempt to go find Sevengill sharks down in La Jolla, there have been many reports recently of sightings, some divers even seeing multiple's in a single dive.
If you've ever dove the kelp forrest outside of La Jolla Cove, you know it's not messing around when it comes to surface swims. It's about a 20 minute surface swim to get to where you drop in. Couple that with long walks from your car and it can be quite a haul to get underwater.
The dive was a huge success for Jenni and a great dive for me. Jenni had the pleasure of seeing an 8ft and a 6ft Sevengill shark. I didn't see them, despite the fact that they were only a few feet away from me, if you're a diver, you realize this happens sometimes.
It was still a great dive for me, because I had the luck of seeing a HUGE Bat Ray, and I mean huge. This guy had a wingspan of 5 or 6 feet and must have weighed in around 150 to 200lbs. I've never seen a Bat Ray this big. It was quite a treat and *almost* made up for not seeing any big sharks.
This was also our longest dive ever, when you factor in dive time and surf time, we were in the water for over 2 hours. Quite nice.
Dive Time: 1 Hour, 18 Minutes
Temp: 68
Depth: 31ft
Sharks: Jenni 2, Nate 0
The dive was a huge success for Jenni and a great dive for me. Jenni had the pleasure of seeing an 8ft and a 6ft Sevengill shark. I didn't see them, despite the fact that they were only a few feet away from me, if you're a diver, you realize this happens sometimes.
It was still a great dive for me, because I had the luck of seeing a HUGE Bat Ray, and I mean huge. This guy had a wingspan of 5 or 6 feet and must have weighed in around 150 to 200lbs. I've never seen a Bat Ray this big. It was quite a treat and *almost* made up for not seeing any big sharks.
This was also our longest dive ever, when you factor in dive time and surf time, we were in the water for over 2 hours. Quite nice.
Dive Time: 1 Hour, 18 Minutes
Temp: 68
Depth: 31ft
Sharks: Jenni 2, Nate 0
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Dive 75 - Casino Point - Catalina Island, CA
50 Foot Vis still!
Sat at the far North bouy for 20 minutes watching the blue at 40 feet. We saw a ton of Rays, and a giant black sea bass.
Great day of diving.
Sat at the far North bouy for 20 minutes watching the blue at 40 feet. We saw a ton of Rays, and a giant black sea bass.
Great day of diving.
Dive 73 - Casino Point - Catalina Island, CA
AMAZING DIVE!
50 foot vis in Casino Point!!!! We saw a beautiful bat ray swimming about 20 feet above us at one point. This was also our first time at the Sue Jack wreck and we could see the whole thing end to end. Wonderful dive.
Very strong thermocline. 5 feet down was 70º, 10 feet down was 68º and 60 feet down was 55º. Crazy.
50 foot vis in Casino Point!!!! We saw a beautiful bat ray swimming about 20 feet above us at one point. This was also our first time at the Sue Jack wreck and we could see the whole thing end to end. Wonderful dive.
Very strong thermocline. 5 feet down was 70º, 10 feet down was 68º and 60 feet down was 55º. Crazy.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Dive 72 - Casino Point - Catalina Island, CA
Great visibility. Best we'd seen to date at Casino Point, a solid 30 feet.
Ran into some fun fish and a friendly Eel.
Ran into some fun fish and a friendly Eel.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Dive 70 - Casino Point - Catalina Island, CA
This was easily one of my favorite dives ever. Our plan was to go out to the deep buoy follow the chain lines down and find the wreck down there. Which is exactly what we did. What we didn't account for was:
- Visibility reaching and staying upwards of 30 feet
- The most vivid colors we've ever seen from water and kelp
- A Swell Shark hiding underneath the wreck
- Near perfect bliss
Some dives you enjoy because your diving and you love diving. This dive was why I love diving.
- Visibility reaching and staying upwards of 30 feet
- The most vivid colors we've ever seen from water and kelp
- A Swell Shark hiding underneath the wreck
- Near perfect bliss
Some dives you enjoy because your diving and you love diving. This dive was why I love diving.
Dive 69 - Casino Point - Catalina Island, CA
We found our way back to the swim platforms on this dive (after a little looking). Once we arrived things got awesome!
Specifically, we saw a Bat Ray. Good size, maybe 2 to 3 feet across; at a depth of about 60 feet. We began to follow him and after maybe 15 seconds of following he decided to leave. That's when I learned how fast Bat Rays are. It was like he kicked into some hyper gear going from a slow bat rat glide to problem 15 miles an hour in the blink of an eye. Truly amazing.
I was so excited Jenni could hear me cheering.
We found a group of Sea Hares hanging out and even got to watch one eat, pretty cool stuff.
But the Bay Ray was definitely the highlight, so awesome.
***Funny side note*** We actually were trying to dive off of a ramp near lovers cove for our first dive. It was a 'secret spot' that one of the guys at the chamber told us about. Well... It was a secret spot, a long time ago. Now a days, it's illegal.
So we went over there, got suited up, were ready to walk into the water and then the Harbor Patrol showed up and kicked us out. They were nice about it, but we were embarrassed and disappointed. We had such hopes for a second shore dive spot in Avalon. Oh well.
Specifically, we saw a Bat Ray. Good size, maybe 2 to 3 feet across; at a depth of about 60 feet. We began to follow him and after maybe 15 seconds of following he decided to leave. That's when I learned how fast Bat Rays are. It was like he kicked into some hyper gear going from a slow bat rat glide to problem 15 miles an hour in the blink of an eye. Truly amazing.
I was so excited Jenni could hear me cheering.
We found a group of Sea Hares hanging out and even got to watch one eat, pretty cool stuff.
But the Bay Ray was definitely the highlight, so awesome.
***Funny side note*** We actually were trying to dive off of a ramp near lovers cove for our first dive. It was a 'secret spot' that one of the guys at the chamber told us about. Well... It was a secret spot, a long time ago. Now a days, it's illegal.
So we went over there, got suited up, were ready to walk into the water and then the Harbor Patrol showed up and kicked us out. They were nice about it, but we were embarrassed and disappointed. We had such hopes for a second shore dive spot in Avalon. Oh well.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Dive 68 - Blue Cavern - Catalina Island, CA
Yet another site we have been wanting to go to. We have dove 'blue cavern' at the Aquarium of the Pacific, but never the real one. We were delighted to give it a try.
This dive was pretty uneventful until the end. In the last 15 minutes of the dive we found a huge Jelly, maybe 18 inches across and 2 feet long, not THAT could sting! Shortly after we saw that we headed over to the 'cavern' for which the site is named.
This was a delightful spot, visibility got to be untampered in the cavern. It was the first time I've been in water that looked almost like air. Very strange. I've heard this about caverns and I know this is a very mild version, but wow, it was awesome.
This dive was pretty uneventful until the end. In the last 15 minutes of the dive we found a huge Jelly, maybe 18 inches across and 2 feet long, not THAT could sting! Shortly after we saw that we headed over to the 'cavern' for which the site is named.
This was a delightful spot, visibility got to be untampered in the cavern. It was the first time I've been in water that looked almost like air. Very strange. I've heard this about caverns and I know this is a very mild version, but wow, it was awesome.
Dive 67 - Ship Rock - Catalina Island, CA
We've been wanting to do a dive hear for a while, ever since we dove Eagles Reef and they showed us the pinnacle that is Ship Rock. It's mainly for advanced divers and need at least decent conditions as the pinnacle is somewhat of a distance from the shore.
It was chamber day, so the boat was filled with real divers. On top of that, swells were minimal, maybe 2 foot tops, but mostly 1 foot. This was finally our chance.
It was as cool dive, but didn't live up to my hopes. Visibility ranged from 10 to 20 feet, but mostly stayed around 10. Surge got pretty strong near the top and with the lower visibility you couldn't really see it as an underwater pinnacle, just looked like another dive site on this dive.
There were some really fun moments, we saw several Sea Lions underwater, one of whom did a show for us. Jenni also spotted a beautiful Horn Shark that I saw later only as a photo. Jenni also said she watched a Sea Lion follow me for some time without me realizing it. Pretty funny.
Overall, fun, but I look forward to going back as I'm convinced we didn't see Ship Rock for all of it's glory.
It was chamber day, so the boat was filled with real divers. On top of that, swells were minimal, maybe 2 foot tops, but mostly 1 foot. This was finally our chance.
It was as cool dive, but didn't live up to my hopes. Visibility ranged from 10 to 20 feet, but mostly stayed around 10. Surge got pretty strong near the top and with the lower visibility you couldn't really see it as an underwater pinnacle, just looked like another dive site on this dive.
There were some really fun moments, we saw several Sea Lions underwater, one of whom did a show for us. Jenni also spotted a beautiful Horn Shark that I saw later only as a photo. Jenni also said she watched a Sea Lion follow me for some time without me realizing it. Pretty funny.
Overall, fun, but I look forward to going back as I'm convinced we didn't see Ship Rock for all of it's glory.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Dive 66 - Casino Point - Catalina Island, CA
Such a great dive. Jenni lead the way to the swim platforms, which were amazing. While down there (about 60 Feet) a Sea Lion came down and did a show for Jenni, then about 30 seconds later a Comorant ran into us and got right in my face. He was so curious about us and what they heck we were doing down there. Incredible seeing a bird when you are 60 feet below the surface!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Dive 64 - White's Point - San Pedro
· Time In: 06:19pm
· Bottom Time: 00:34
· Depth: 25ft
· Buddy: Jenni Wilson-Cooper
· Visibility: 5-10 ft
· Temperature: 59º
A very nice dive. Our first shore dive in the Los Angeles area. We chose White's Point because it seemed to have the smallest swells of the area.
The entry/exit was quite rocky and slippery, but the rocks underwater made it all worth while.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Dive 63 - Eagle Reef - Catalina Island, CA
This was maybe the best dive site we've seen in California. The crew seemed to be very excited for us, about 5 minutes into the dive we realized why.
There were several options for this dive, we could follow Eagle Reef and stay with the East/West reef structure. Head towards a red buoy that actually was shallow enough to stand up in, but between the boat and the buoy there were a series of pinnacles. The last option was to head towards the front of the boat and go down deep.
We opted to look for pinnacles.
The dive was a decent way off shore, which I think gives it some protection from humans allowing this marine habitat to flourish. This also gave the site some exclusivity, as conditions need to be very calm to dive here. Luckily for us conditions were as calm as they get.
We found pinnacle after pinnacle. Enjoying, 2 Octopi, curious and bold fish, tons of lobsters, anemones, urchin and some of the most amazing rock/reef structures. The highlight of the dive was finding a vivid bright pink coral. It looked like a tree and was about 2 feet in every direction. When you shined your light on it, the color was truly a shade of pink we cannot reproduce. Simply amazing.
I can't wait to go back to Eagle Reef. It's just a reminder of how little we have dove California and how much more there is to explore. Those divers that live out here but stick to the Caribbean are really missing out on something special.
There were several options for this dive, we could follow Eagle Reef and stay with the East/West reef structure. Head towards a red buoy that actually was shallow enough to stand up in, but between the boat and the buoy there were a series of pinnacles. The last option was to head towards the front of the boat and go down deep.
We opted to look for pinnacles.
The dive was a decent way off shore, which I think gives it some protection from humans allowing this marine habitat to flourish. This also gave the site some exclusivity, as conditions need to be very calm to dive here. Luckily for us conditions were as calm as they get.
We found pinnacle after pinnacle. Enjoying, 2 Octopi, curious and bold fish, tons of lobsters, anemones, urchin and some of the most amazing rock/reef structures. The highlight of the dive was finding a vivid bright pink coral. It looked like a tree and was about 2 feet in every direction. When you shined your light on it, the color was truly a shade of pink we cannot reproduce. Simply amazing.
I can't wait to go back to Eagle Reef. It's just a reminder of how little we have dove California and how much more there is to explore. Those divers that live out here but stick to the Caribbean are really missing out on something special.
· Time In: 02:55
· Bottom Time: 00:35
· Depth: 45ft
· Buddy: Jenni Wilson-Cooper
· Visibility: 10-15 ft
· Temperature: 59º
Dive 62 - Indian Rock - Catalina Island, CA
We were a little sad when we heard they were staying at Indian Rock for dive 2, but hey, it happens. Oh wow, we were so glad they stayed. With our first dive experience we approached this dive totally different. I left my camcorder on the boat, and we embraced the kelp. We clawed our way through the thick kelp until we got to the rock and began exploring every tiny pocket we could find.
There were times we had to approach from over head because of the kelp but we found some great little creatures.
To add to the madness, as we got to the rock the surge kicked up. At one point when looking at some shrimp, the surge pushed me into a crevice where I disturbed a Moray Eel. I started to check him out and quickly realized he was ready to attack me, as he thought I was a threat. I felt like explaining to him that I was a vegetarian, but I'm not sure if that would have helped. I've heard enough stories of fingers lost to those strong jawed creatures.
LEARN: did you know that Eels have 2 sets of jaws. When they bite down, basically another set of jaws comes out of their throat and bites down again. CRAZY!
Shortly after that, we came to the highlight of the day. 2 Octopi hanging out together. They were shy, but not totally reclusive. One of them even sucked on Jenni's bare hand!
LEARN: When you're diving with an Octopus, if you want to touch it you must take off your gloves. The texture of gloves can rub off some of their natural coating leaving the Octopi more prone to infection.
This was a magical dive!
There were times we had to approach from over head because of the kelp but we found some great little creatures.
To add to the madness, as we got to the rock the surge kicked up. At one point when looking at some shrimp, the surge pushed me into a crevice where I disturbed a Moray Eel. I started to check him out and quickly realized he was ready to attack me, as he thought I was a threat. I felt like explaining to him that I was a vegetarian, but I'm not sure if that would have helped. I've heard enough stories of fingers lost to those strong jawed creatures.
LEARN: did you know that Eels have 2 sets of jaws. When they bite down, basically another set of jaws comes out of their throat and bites down again. CRAZY!
Shortly after that, we came to the highlight of the day. 2 Octopi hanging out together. They were shy, but not totally reclusive. One of them even sucked on Jenni's bare hand!
LEARN: When you're diving with an Octopus, if you want to touch it you must take off your gloves. The texture of gloves can rub off some of their natural coating leaving the Octopi more prone to infection.
This was a magical dive!
· Time In: 12:58
· Bottom Time: 00:35
· Depth: 33ft
· Buddy: Jenni Wilson-Cooper
· Visibility: 10-15 ft
· Temperature: 59º
Dive 61 - Indian Rock - Catalina Island, CA
After going diving the day before and seeing great conditions in Laguna Beach, we had to find a boat to Catalina. We would have loved to go over on the Catalina Flyer, but it's still out of commission until March.
This was our first dive with Eco Dive Center and the Sand Dollar boat. Very good experience. $125 per person for 3 dives at Catalina with a TON of food.
This was also our first dive at Indian Rock. We were really excited and quickly got in the water to what looked amazing Kelp forests and 2 great Rocks to dive around. Well... both were true. However, we did not realize just how thick the kelp forests were.
I've just never been in kelp that thick. It was continually grabbing our gear and wrapping around our limbs. Amazing to swim through, but not recommended for beginners or the faint of heart. We almost could not get to Indian Rock because the kelp was so thick. We wound up not seeing much and it was a somewhat frustrating dive, because it was such good conditions and not an equally good dive.
There was one highlight in this dive. Jenni spotted a small Horn Shark sleeping in some rocks. Very cool.
Here's a little video I shot on the dive.
· Time In: 10:58
· Bottom Time: 00:48
· Depth: 27ft
· Buddy: Jenni Wilson-Cooper
· Visibility: 10-15 ft
· Temperature: 59º
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Dive 60 - The Montage - Laguna Beach, CA
This was our 2nd and last dive of the day on the boat. It had high expectations from the quality of the last dive and unfortunately was no where near as good.
Slightly less visiblity, slightly colder, more surge and less to see. I can't even really remember anything note worth about this dive.
Slightly less visiblity, slightly colder, more surge and less to see. I can't even really remember anything note worth about this dive.
· Time In: 01:55
· Bottom Time: 00:35
· Depth: 45ft
· Buddy: Mike Kelly
· Visibility: 5-10 ft
· Temperature: 57º
Dive 59 - Dead Mans Cove - Laguna Beach, CA
This was my first dive without Jenni. It was weird. It was still fun, but not quite the same without her. It's kind of like playing with a friends dog, it's still fun, you're still playing with a dog; but it's not as great as playing with your own dog. Not that Jenni is a dog... she's more of an octopus...
Anyhow.
Fun dive. Mike invited me out on the Riviera he showed up hung over, possibly still drunk; not sure. But it's always fun to dive with Mike. I felt a little bad, because in talking to other people on the boat I realized everyone else was pretty lacking in experience. It's not a good sign when I'm the 'experienced' diver in a group. So Mike wound up leading the dive, I buddied up with a guy named Adam and we also had a couple and a pair of lesbians from a clown school join us (yep, that's the truth).
All in all it was the best conditions I've seen to date in Laguna Beach. We dove dead mans reef. Good vis and we got to see 2 awesome things. We saw a mother Octopus protecting her babies, so she wouldn't come out and play. I did learn that mother octopi will actually eat there own arms before they leave their crevice when they are protecting their young. That was great. But my favorite part of the dive was seeing a Sea Hare that was probably 18 inches long and 12 inches tall/wide. To give you an idea, most Sea Hares are about the size of your hand, this one was the size of a 20lb dog. It basically looked like a GIANT slug. So cool.
This was easly the best dive I've ever had off the Riviera.
Anyhow.
Fun dive. Mike invited me out on the Riviera he showed up hung over, possibly still drunk; not sure. But it's always fun to dive with Mike. I felt a little bad, because in talking to other people on the boat I realized everyone else was pretty lacking in experience. It's not a good sign when I'm the 'experienced' diver in a group. So Mike wound up leading the dive, I buddied up with a guy named Adam and we also had a couple and a pair of lesbians from a clown school join us (yep, that's the truth).
All in all it was the best conditions I've seen to date in Laguna Beach. We dove dead mans reef. Good vis and we got to see 2 awesome things. We saw a mother Octopus protecting her babies, so she wouldn't come out and play. I did learn that mother octopi will actually eat there own arms before they leave their crevice when they are protecting their young. That was great. But my favorite part of the dive was seeing a Sea Hare that was probably 18 inches long and 12 inches tall/wide. To give you an idea, most Sea Hares are about the size of your hand, this one was the size of a 20lb dog. It basically looked like a GIANT slug. So cool.
This was easly the best dive I've ever had off the Riviera.
· Time In: 11:58
· Bottom Time: 00:35
· Depth: 35ft
· Buddy: Mike Kelly
· Visibility: 10-15 ft
· Temperature: 59º
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Dive 58 - Casino Point - Catalina Island, CA
1.1.11 - Casino Point - Catalina Island, CA USA
Somehow on this dive the tide was even lower than before. We actually considered getting in without our BC's on and putting them on once we could get to a few feet of water.
We debated doing a second dive or not, as Jenni was very cold. We decided to do one more dive as conditions looked nice. We planned on it being a short dive, so we decided not to get new tanks. Jenni started with 1500PSI and I had 1000PSI. Amazingly I was able to do the entire 18 minutes with 600PSI left in my tank, it definitely helped staying shallow, but I was quite excited about my increased ability to conserve air. I'm pretty sure I've cut my air intake to well below half of what it was when I had only 10 dives.
This dive was a bit of a tip-of-the-hat to the first dive of the day. We practiced our navigation skills by finding the same Moray Eel from the first dive of the day. Happily it was a very easy success, as navigation is becoming much more natural that it has been in the past. We even ran into some other divers (who didn't wear hoods, insane!!!) and were able to show them where the eel was hidden.
Another great day at Casino Point and very uncrowded thanks to the colder weather. Since we did only two dives there was plenty of time for a pizza and a bottle of wine, while over looking the harbor. :D
Lastly, the boat ride home was nothing short of spectacular, we watched the sunset over Catalina for about half an hour followed by a nice nap!
Somehow on this dive the tide was even lower than before. We actually considered getting in without our BC's on and putting them on once we could get to a few feet of water.
We debated doing a second dive or not, as Jenni was very cold. We decided to do one more dive as conditions looked nice. We planned on it being a short dive, so we decided not to get new tanks. Jenni started with 1500PSI and I had 1000PSI. Amazingly I was able to do the entire 18 minutes with 600PSI left in my tank, it definitely helped staying shallow, but I was quite excited about my increased ability to conserve air. I'm pretty sure I've cut my air intake to well below half of what it was when I had only 10 dives.
This dive was a bit of a tip-of-the-hat to the first dive of the day. We practiced our navigation skills by finding the same Moray Eel from the first dive of the day. Happily it was a very easy success, as navigation is becoming much more natural that it has been in the past. We even ran into some other divers (who didn't wear hoods, insane!!!) and were able to show them where the eel was hidden.
Another great day at Casino Point and very uncrowded thanks to the colder weather. Since we did only two dives there was plenty of time for a pizza and a bottle of wine, while over looking the harbor. :D
Lastly, the boat ride home was nothing short of spectacular, we watched the sunset over Catalina for about half an hour followed by a nice nap!
· Time In: 01:12
· Bottom Time: 00:18
· Depth: 31ft
· Buddy: Jenni Wilson-Cooper
· Visibility: 10-15 ft
· Temperature: 57º
Dive 57 - Casino Point - Catalina Island, CA
1/1/11
Another great dive at Casino Point. The tide was lower than we've ever seen it so it was a bit hard getting in and out on the stairs.
Highlights include Jenni finding another Moray Eel (she is amazing at spotting eels!), swimming through the spawning kelp forests, and floating on our backs looking up at hundreds of fish above us. There were also about a dozen or so sacks of fish eggs, maybe about 6 inches long. Very strange looking. So much of the underwater world is should be from another planet.
We went in from the stairs swam out about 20 yards, then dropped down. Our compasses we're set to 290 and we headed to the left. The current was very strong heading west, but calmed down towards the end of the dive. We spent most of the dive at the first group of rocks or at the sunken piers.
Another great dive at Casino Point. The tide was lower than we've ever seen it so it was a bit hard getting in and out on the stairs.
Highlights include Jenni finding another Moray Eel (she is amazing at spotting eels!), swimming through the spawning kelp forests, and floating on our backs looking up at hundreds of fish above us. There were also about a dozen or so sacks of fish eggs, maybe about 6 inches long. Very strange looking. So much of the underwater world is should be from another planet.
We went in from the stairs swam out about 20 yards, then dropped down. Our compasses we're set to 290 and we headed to the left. The current was very strong heading west, but calmed down towards the end of the dive. We spent most of the dive at the first group of rocks or at the sunken piers.
· Time In: 11:19
· Bottom Time: 00:42
· Depth: 37ft
· Buddy: Jenni Wilson-Cooper
· Visibility: 10-15 ft
· Temperature: 57º
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