Dive 1
Date: 04-28-2005
Dive Location: Laguna - Crescent Bay - Deadman's Reef
Dive buddy: Robert Phillips
Time: 3:00pm
Bottom Time: 40 Min.
Max Depth: 50 ft.
Vis: 20+ ft.
Wave height: 2 - 3 ft.
Temp at depth: 60 degrees
Surface Temp: 60 degrees
Tide information: High tide 2:45pm (2.92 ft.) Low tide @ 5:45pm (2.66 ft.)
Comments:
We dropped down right in the center of the reef and then made our way to the inside of it. I used my portable depth finder (which also lets me know the distance to an object underwater) to verify my visibility.
Since the sun was still higher in the sky during the first dive at about 3pm, the vis was a bit better on this first dive. According to the depth finder, it was between 20 and 23 feet as long as we were on Deadman's. As we made our way toward shore it dropped rapidly to around 10 feet and even more like 5 feet closer to shore. We followed the inside of the reef toward Seal Rock and then headed toward shore. When we hit about 35 feet in depth we decided to surface stopping for 1 min. at 30 ft, 1 min. at 20 ft, and 1 min. at 10 ft. We then did a short surface swim back to shore.
The vis on the first dive was not a clear 20 - 23 feet. It was a bit murky with lots of particulate matter in the water, but it was still pretty nice compared to most of what we've had lately.
Dive 2
Date: 04-28-2005
Dive Location: Laguna - Crescent Bay - Deadman's Reef
Dive buddy: dazedone
Time: 5:30pm
Bottom Time: 52 min.
Max Depth: 63 ft.
Vis: 15 - 25 ft.
Wave height: 3 - 4 ft.
Temp at depth: 60 degrees
Surface Temp: 60 degrees
Tide information: High tide 2:45pm (2.92 ft.) Low tide @ 5:45pm (2.66 ft.)
Comments:
We dropped down on the outside edge of the reef in about 60 feet. We followed the outside of the reef for a while and then followed a channel to the inside of the reef. We continued to follow the reef over toward Seal Rock and back to the sand. Then we headed straight toward shore across the sand and sufaced just outside of the surf zone and make an easy exit.
Since the sun was still shining on the outer edge of the reef at around 5:30pm the vis was about 25 feet there. As we moved through the channel and over the middle of the reef the vis dropped to about 20 feet. When we got to the inside of the reef it was getting a bit shaded from the sun and dropped to about 15 feet. We spent most of this dive on the inside of the reef, so most of the dive was in about 15 feet of vis, so it wasn't quite as good as the previous dive because of the sun going down.
Dives 1 & 2
On both dives there were lots of little friends to visit with and I enjoyed watching the many schools of Topsmelt, Blacksmiths and Garibaldi that seemed to just take turns swimming with us where ever we went. The Black Croakers seemed content with checking us out from their hiding places, but we could see them when we shined a light in. I saw a few Rock Wrasse just hanging out well camoflaged and a couple of halibut making a quick getaway as we went by. Of course, there were all the other usual suspects like various anemones, seafans, star fish, rock fish. It was nice to finally have good enough vis to just be able to see things swimming around us instead of having to put my face right up against whatever it was that I was trying to look at.
On both dives there was much less surge toward the outside of the reef than the inside of it and even more closer to shore. Almost no surge outside the reef, 2 - 3 foot surge on the middle and inside and about 5 ft. closer to shore.
Christian
. And I've only seen pictures of that Panamic Arrow Crab from the underside on San Diego DiveBums so I can't be sure it this is correct. If you look at the tip of the head there appear to be two 'antennae' whereas the pictures on Divebums seem to show a single protrusion.
We are just a bunch of divers diving... Isn't it beautiful? 
More images can be seen at 
