Anyone dive Yellowbank?

[highveelocity]

At Santa Cruz Island? Gonna be spending the weekend there next weekend and was thinking about diving there.

 

[Leejnd]

We anchored our boat at Yellowbanks once and did a brief dive off the boat. It was just a lot of sand and eelgrass...but that might have just been that one spot. We weren't comfortable venturing too far from where we were anchored because there was a pretty strong current. Not sure that's the best place at Santa Cruz to dive. Scorpion is MUCH better. Are you on a boat, or camping, or what? If you can get over to Scorpion, that's some awesome (and better protected) diving there.

 

[highveelocity]

We have a cabin cruiser, so we'll be camping on the boat. I have dove near Little Scorpion, I believe that's near the fish preserve, and Fry's Cove.

 

[FrankPro1]

Here's some video footage of Yellow Banks courtesy of MaxBottomtime:
YouTube - Yellow Banks, Santa Cruz Island

 

[Leejnd]

Scorpion is not actually near Fry's - Scorpion and Little Scorpion are on the East end, just around San Pedro point, pretty easy to get to from the Smugglers/Yellowbanks area. Fry's is on the North side, about two-thirds of the way to the West end, so quite a bit further away. If you've got a South swell, though, I would pick the north side and Fry's over Yellowbanks in a heartbeat - that South swell will make it awfully uncomfortable at Yellowbanks. Fry's is awesome, and has fantastic, unspoiled diving - we anchored and dove there over the 4th of July. We loved it!

If you're staying at Yellowbanks, I would consider powering over to Scorpion to drop anchor to do your dives. Yellowbanks just seems too exposed to me.

 

[Leejnd]

Here's some video footage of Yellow Banks courtesy of MaxBottomtime:
YouTube - Yellow Banks, Santa Cruz Island

Wow, nice video! Looks like we just picked the wrong spot at Yellowbanks. The current was ripping that day.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

It was ripping that day as well. There are some small reefs that block the current near the sand. On our last dive, our friend John stayed on the boat while we dived. He lost our bubbles and we were swept about a half mile away. We tried to swim to a lobster float twenty feet away, but couldn't even make that. He finally heard our whistle and came for us. We considered swimming to Yellowbanks, hiking to the campground and call his cell phone.

 

[Leejnd]

Yeah it looks like the kelp in the early part of that video is laying over pretty well. That confirms my feelings about diving Yellowbanks. We don't want to have to worry about being swept out to sea!

Scorpion is much more protected. And Fry's is even better, provided you stay in the little harbor.

 

[highveelocity]

I guess I forgot how far Little Scorpion is from Fry's The weather/conditions looks like it will be cooperating for next weekend, but we all know how fast that can change

 

[White Knight]

Scorpion is fine, but "seriously" the smell of the bird crap is so strong I choose not to dive there. The current "can" be ripping at yellowbanks but I dive it all the time. It has a lot of kelp and a lot of bass including WSB. Not a lot of big fish--I think it gets fished a lot. Also, it may just be me but many times I experince "great" viz at the surface (down to 20 feet) but average at the bottom? Personally, I like diving the whole island. Have a blast