08/06/2011 - Breakwater Barge and Metridium Fields

[mattaphore]

Did two shore dives this Saturday, by the breakwater with two buddies. On our first dive, we did a long surface swim out to the barge spot on the BAUE map. We took 3 compass bearings off the pump house at the far end of San Carlos Beach, the Restroom on the breakwater and the daymark at the end of the breakwater. When we dropped down, the bottom was just at 59fsw, so we knew we had to do some searching. We did an expanding square pattern and wonder of wonders we were able to find the Barge in 61fsw We swam both ends of the barge and headed back towards the breakwall underwater. We did hear a boat or two go by while we were under, and when you swim that far out, you are in the middle of boat traffic. A float or SMB is a good idea to bring along.

I didn't bring my camera along on that first dive because I wanted to focus on navigation and my air consumption. Surface swimming and diving on single LP72's is probably an unorthodox way of getting to the Barge, but now that I know where it is, I'd love to go back and take some pictures.

Lots of blue rockfish were sheltering down in the wreck and there were a lot of big egg yolk jellies in the area... really lovely. Visability was probably around 20 feet and water temp was just around 53°F by my computer.

Our second dive was out at the Metridium fields. In the past, I've followed the pipe and then headed off from the end of the pipe to the metridiums, but after having found the barge, we tried to drop down directly on top of a metridium covered rock. It was a good second dive and we came across two octopuses and one of them inked (see video below).

 

[bkyaffe]

Great vid! I was out there yesterday, too. Super calm, nice viz, actually kinda warm!

 

[ktkt]

Aw man, now I really wish I hadn't needed to catch up on sleep this weekend!

 

[fisheater]

Excellent video (loved the credits).

Thanks.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

Don't use compass bearings, use line ups. You line up the day mark with something (I forget offhand what) on the skyline. You line up a corner (I forget offhand which) of the bathrooms with something (I forget offhand what) on the skyline behind. You drop there. You'll nail it. I've done it from the beach several times and never missed it (the "somethings" are in my notes, which aren't where I am).

And if you dropped in 59', you were too shallow. Go deeper before running patterns.

 

[Myka]

is it not easier to swimm to warf 13 and get the line to the barge ?
It's what I did on saturday, a 2hours round trip, with at least 45min on the barge

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

It's shorter to take the direct route and use the lineups. And gives more time on the Barge.

http://www.garlic.com/~triblet/swell/gps.html has the lineups.

 

[Myka]

thanks Chuck for the website with the GPS.

It means that people have to swimm at the surface, with all these boats around.... Mmmm, I still prefer to follow the line.
anyway, the barge is a very nice dive, I love it.
M

 

[Guy Alcala]

Don't use compass bearings, use line ups. You line up the day mark with something (I forget offhand what) on the skyline. You line up a corner (I forget offhand which) of the bathrooms with something (I forget offhand what) on the skyline behind. You drop there. You'll nail it. I've done it from the beach several times and never missed it (the "somethings" are in my notes, which aren't where I am).

And if you dropped in 59', you were too shallow. Go deeper before running patterns.

I've dived the baage with a surface swim all the way out. However, IIRR you pretty much have to use a compass bearing to the daymark, because from the water you can't see the buildings on/behind Del Monte beach. As a consequence, I tend to deliberately drop on a bearing that leaves me a bit landwards, so I know that I'm shallow and need to search deeper. And I haven't used the back lineup (corner of the bathroom with end of the fence) since the fence got bent by some big waves back in 2008 or 2009, so I don't know if that one still brings you close enough.

As to 59' being too shallow, depends on the tide. The shallowest depth I've seen at the barge (shore side) was 58', at the low tide for the year a few Decembers ago, something like -1.8 ft. For it to be less than 60' there needs to be a minus tide while you're out there. And expanding square works if you're unsure where you are relative to the barge, but if you use an offset in course as well as distance, a parallel line search perpendicular to the barge is probably faster. IIRR the barge is aligned 120-300 magnetic,.

Guy

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

The trick to lining up the daymark is to swim just a little further, note what's on the ridge above the buildings, swim back, and line that up with the daymark.