socaljohn
Contributor
As my profile says, I started diving again a little over a year ago after a 35 yr surface interval. Most of my dives have been Laguna Beach shore dives with a couple of Catalina dives thrown in. My buddy Mark has a boat and suggested we check out the Underwater Arch in Neptune Cove off Palos Verdes. So Mark, me, and a non-diving friend who is always up for morning on the ocean, took off.
It was a great day on the ocean. It was really flat and the sky, though cloudy, was not threatening. We were off Terranea Resort when we came across the biggest pod of dolphins I have ever seen. Mark throttled back and we enjoyed them streaming by us on both sides. We estimated there were over 100 of them heading south.
Thanks to Maxbottomtimes book, we had good coordinates and a pretty good idea what to expect. As we did not want to drop the anchor right on the arch we stopped 35 yds or so seaward.
We swam on the surface to where the kelp started then dropped down. The vis was maybe 20ft but there was a lot of stuff in the water near the bottom. We took a heading that should take us to the arch.
This being my second time diving off Palos Verdes, I am still getting used to the difference in the topology and the stuff growing there. There is such a contrast between what it looks like underwater at PV as opposed to Laguna only 35 miles south. It could be a different planet.
We moved along not exactly sure we would find the arch. The bottom was pretty flat but then I noticed a pinnacle off to the right so I signaled Mark to turn with me. We came across the coolest canyons and more pinnacles and overhangs. We followed them around; I could have spent hours there shining my light into little holes looking for critters. I was focusing on little crevasses near the bottom to see what I could see when I looked at Mark and saw him waving, signaling OK and pointing. I looked up and there was the Arch. VERY COOL. There was so much growing on it. I have read a lot of posts about So Cal diving, I know a lot of you guys who have posted about the arch can pretty much name that nudi. Well that aint me, yet. I dont even carry a camera, but I was awed at the density of critters growing on the arch. We swam through, looking close at the life and swam up and over then through again. (You know like a guy would do.)
Though this was not my longest or deepest dive, I think it was a pretty good NUMBER 25!
It was a great day on the ocean. It was really flat and the sky, though cloudy, was not threatening. We were off Terranea Resort when we came across the biggest pod of dolphins I have ever seen. Mark throttled back and we enjoyed them streaming by us on both sides. We estimated there were over 100 of them heading south.
Thanks to Maxbottomtimes book, we had good coordinates and a pretty good idea what to expect. As we did not want to drop the anchor right on the arch we stopped 35 yds or so seaward.
We swam on the surface to where the kelp started then dropped down. The vis was maybe 20ft but there was a lot of stuff in the water near the bottom. We took a heading that should take us to the arch.
This being my second time diving off Palos Verdes, I am still getting used to the difference in the topology and the stuff growing there. There is such a contrast between what it looks like underwater at PV as opposed to Laguna only 35 miles south. It could be a different planet.
We moved along not exactly sure we would find the arch. The bottom was pretty flat but then I noticed a pinnacle off to the right so I signaled Mark to turn with me. We came across the coolest canyons and more pinnacles and overhangs. We followed them around; I could have spent hours there shining my light into little holes looking for critters. I was focusing on little crevasses near the bottom to see what I could see when I looked at Mark and saw him waving, signaling OK and pointing. I looked up and there was the Arch. VERY COOL. There was so much growing on it. I have read a lot of posts about So Cal diving, I know a lot of you guys who have posted about the arch can pretty much name that nudi. Well that aint me, yet. I dont even carry a camera, but I was awed at the density of critters growing on the arch. We swam through, looking close at the life and swam up and over then through again. (You know like a guy would do.)
Though this was not my longest or deepest dive, I think it was a pretty good NUMBER 25!
