You've all heard me beat the drum since November: GET TO MARINELAND.
This hasn't been the best week for shore diving. We tried to get out late last week, but the pre-storm surge and swell were prohibitive. We went out on Sunday and once again got turned back.
On Monday the shore was boiling - they were surfing our normal mudhole at Vet Spark. Tuesday was a gorgeous day, so I knew Wednesday would be the day.
And oh, what a day it was today.
We got to MarineLand at about 8:50 AM. The sun was blasting, the sea was calmish. We walked to the cliff and had a look down - the water didn't look clear, but with 3 storms due to slam SoCal starting Friday and ending Monday, this weekend will likely be out - so its now or we sit for another 5 days.
We gear up, load the carts and start to roll down the hill. It was so warm out that we didn't put on the dry suits - we rolled down the hill in shorts and wetsuit booties.
What a day - clear, just a teeny breeze, no swell to speak of, manageable surge. I'm so glas we're diving!
I finally got the DC glove rings onto my CLX450 (with 'Dette's help!) so this was the first time I was diving the new suit with dry hands. I also loaded my X-stand onto the top of the cart (first time I've taken that down the hill) as it adds no real weight and would make gearing up shoreside much easier.
We get down the hill, pull up shore side and the water is even calmer than when we first looked. Its not cleaner, but calmer. The high tide is at 9:58 AM today, so the plan is to get into the water around 10:00 ish at the high tide and sort of do the first part of the dive on the slack, then ride the falling tide home.
As ML is the only dive site locally where we constantly run out of Battery before we run out of gas (due to the happy topography that keeps your dive in the 40 - 60 foot range the whole time.) The plan this time was scoot about in 3rd or 2nd (we usually blast around the place) and spend more time sight-seeing (read: kicking) than we usually do so we're not humping 130's back up the hill with 1000 to 1200 PSI in them.
ABOUT THE DIVE
I figured it would be a rough entry and exit - so I left the Deathstar at home. Again, a mistake, as we walked in and walked out. No appreciable surge, waves were about knee high, but with the high tide and steep slope left over from the last storm we were taking 2 steps and then up to our chest, with step 3 up to our shoulders. Still, the entry and exit wasn't at all challenging.
The water wasn't clean. We had maybe 10 feet of vis in the cove, and once we got out of the cove it dropped to about 5 to 8 feet. Over the sand it was even less - maybe 3 to 5 feet. Still, the lights cut through it, we stayed close and this was another drama-free dive.
OK OK - What'd you see???
Fourteen species of Nudis.
Again.
Count 'em and weep, baby (Bold are new ones we didn't see on last Tuesday's night dive
1. Fed Ex
2. Hermi(the fat, juicy ML Hermis are BACK!)
3. Sandy
4. Tata
5. Hopkins Rose
6. Tri-Linny
7. Lemon
8. Polycera TriColor
9. (muh muh muh my) Cuthona (at least 4 today!)
10. Yellow Lined Cadlina (many!)
11. Black Dorid (several on eggs on those furry green hydroids)
12. Mexichromis
13. Limbaughs
14. Flavah
The underlined Nudis are ones we saw on a single rock. We saw 7 Species on one rock!
This could have easily been an eye-popping, record-setting 20+ nudi afternoon with better viz. At times on the rocks we had maybe a couple of feet. We were scooting in 2'nd gear most of the time just to keep from slamming into stuff.
Fourteen!!! AGAIN!!!!!!!!!
Oh, by the way, did I mention...
WE WERE ON SCOOTERS!
You do not want to mess with the eagle-eyed CK team. We are the Nudi Whisperers, baby!
Fourteen.
I'm still fired up!
Unreal - calm water (not too clear, but very diveable), warm morning, an even warmer afternoon.
And once again, we had the place all to ourselves!
I gotta say it again - Best local dive site in SoCal. This place never gets old.
If you didn't dive MarineLand today, before these storms come in and blow out the weekend, well, you're blowing it.
I can do this only with you, Chica. One in a zillion, Dette. Best dive buddy ever.
---
Ken
This hasn't been the best week for shore diving. We tried to get out late last week, but the pre-storm surge and swell were prohibitive. We went out on Sunday and once again got turned back.
On Monday the shore was boiling - they were surfing our normal mudhole at Vet Spark. Tuesday was a gorgeous day, so I knew Wednesday would be the day.
And oh, what a day it was today.
We got to MarineLand at about 8:50 AM. The sun was blasting, the sea was calmish. We walked to the cliff and had a look down - the water didn't look clear, but with 3 storms due to slam SoCal starting Friday and ending Monday, this weekend will likely be out - so its now or we sit for another 5 days.
We gear up, load the carts and start to roll down the hill. It was so warm out that we didn't put on the dry suits - we rolled down the hill in shorts and wetsuit booties.
What a day - clear, just a teeny breeze, no swell to speak of, manageable surge. I'm so glas we're diving!
I finally got the DC glove rings onto my CLX450 (with 'Dette's help!) so this was the first time I was diving the new suit with dry hands. I also loaded my X-stand onto the top of the cart (first time I've taken that down the hill) as it adds no real weight and would make gearing up shoreside much easier.
We get down the hill, pull up shore side and the water is even calmer than when we first looked. Its not cleaner, but calmer. The high tide is at 9:58 AM today, so the plan is to get into the water around 10:00 ish at the high tide and sort of do the first part of the dive on the slack, then ride the falling tide home.
As ML is the only dive site locally where we constantly run out of Battery before we run out of gas (due to the happy topography that keeps your dive in the 40 - 60 foot range the whole time.) The plan this time was scoot about in 3rd or 2nd (we usually blast around the place) and spend more time sight-seeing (read: kicking) than we usually do so we're not humping 130's back up the hill with 1000 to 1200 PSI in them.
ABOUT THE DIVE
I figured it would be a rough entry and exit - so I left the Deathstar at home. Again, a mistake, as we walked in and walked out. No appreciable surge, waves were about knee high, but with the high tide and steep slope left over from the last storm we were taking 2 steps and then up to our chest, with step 3 up to our shoulders. Still, the entry and exit wasn't at all challenging.
The water wasn't clean. We had maybe 10 feet of vis in the cove, and once we got out of the cove it dropped to about 5 to 8 feet. Over the sand it was even less - maybe 3 to 5 feet. Still, the lights cut through it, we stayed close and this was another drama-free dive.
OK OK - What'd you see???
Fourteen species of Nudis.
Again.
Count 'em and weep, baby (Bold are new ones we didn't see on last Tuesday's night dive
1. Fed Ex
2. Hermi(the fat, juicy ML Hermis are BACK!)
3. Sandy
4. Tata
5. Hopkins Rose
6. Tri-Linny
7. Lemon
8. Polycera TriColor
9. (muh muh muh my) Cuthona (at least 4 today!)
10. Yellow Lined Cadlina (many!)
11. Black Dorid (several on eggs on those furry green hydroids)
12. Mexichromis
13. Limbaughs
14. Flavah
The underlined Nudis are ones we saw on a single rock. We saw 7 Species on one rock!
This could have easily been an eye-popping, record-setting 20+ nudi afternoon with better viz. At times on the rocks we had maybe a couple of feet. We were scooting in 2'nd gear most of the time just to keep from slamming into stuff.
Fourteen!!! AGAIN!!!!!!!!!
Oh, by the way, did I mention...
WE WERE ON SCOOTERS!
You do not want to mess with the eagle-eyed CK team. We are the Nudi Whisperers, baby!
Fourteen.
I'm still fired up!
Unreal - calm water (not too clear, but very diveable), warm morning, an even warmer afternoon.
And once again, we had the place all to ourselves!
I gotta say it again - Best local dive site in SoCal. This place never gets old.
If you didn't dive MarineLand today, before these storms come in and blow out the weekend, well, you're blowing it.
I can do this only with you, Chica. One in a zillion, Dette. Best dive buddy ever.
---
Ken
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