April '05 Dive Reports

[HBDiveGirl]

Date: Tuesday, 4/12/05
Dive Location: Redondo Sub. Canyon
Time: 9:40 PM
Bottom Time: 50 minutes
Max Depth: 77 ft.
Vis: 15-20ft. at depth 5-7 ft. when within 30 feet of the surface
Wave height: 1-2 ft when I got there, 3-4 ft. when we checked the surf and when we entered... 4-4.5 when we got out... talk about a fun ride..
Temp at depth: 52F
Surface Temp: 59F
Dive Buddies: HBDiveGirl (claudette) and Scottfiji

Comments: Also I saw probably 5 or 6 different species of crabs just in the first 10 minutes of the dive...

Including the ever-lovely and rare purple globe crab...the second crab we saw...on your second night dive.

While we descended we hit quite an abrupt thermocline,

Fif-fiffffy, again! You laugh, you young invulnerable thing, you!!

we came across a baby horn shark (probably 6-8 inches long) which was a very neat creature to see... throughout the course of the dive we saw 4 of them... One of them was 3+ feet long (amazing)...

The first one was especially interesting. Since we were being sooo aquatically incorrect, it was interesting to see it curl up in a perfect donut shape and play possum until we withdrew. We gave it great practice for it's natural defensive reactions...and we didn't hurt it. The world's a tough place...

After this Claudette found a TINY baby octopus.... I got it to blot a little puff of ink as it was swimming away

This guy/gal was soo tiny it was hiding in a small empty mussel shell. It swam out when my light hit it and immediately inked. I've noticed that the free-swimming little ones ink first and plan later. Bigger ones wait to ink...usually when I take a swipe at them with my 12" knife to make them flee

I caught a jumbo sized shrimp

It was a lovely 5 inch target shrimp, just beginning to develop the beautiful blue spots on the tail. You picked him up quite gently and he settled right back down in the sand after you put him down. No battery charges need be filed.

Amazing all the stuff we saw and there was not even a BIT of reef... all sand....

That's why we lovingly call it "Golden Reef"...and just to confuse the non-locals

I lost my knife.. it was a very nice titanium knife too.. so this is NOT a dive I will like to remember... I loved that knife

Sorry to hear about the awol knife, good buddy....bummer. That said, stuff can be replaced, and you now have priceless memories of a fabulous dive...just remember the good parts...your heart will recover, and you'll bond with another knife...:07:
Seth, it was again a pleasure to dive with you. Us old experienced folk have our cataract-plagued eyes carefully on you and are prepared to change the dive plan if there are any concerns. We did suggest that you not pet the sarcastic fringehead under the chin. I know Mantis shrimps when I see them and would have alerted you immediately. You're learning constantly in a way that OBVIOUSLY works really well for you. You made spot-on suggestions on the fly last night to adjust our depth profile as we were in the canyon to accomodate the fact that your computer is more conservative than mine. You never once did a "trust-and-follow" thing...you thought your way through each moment. Hardly any class setting can teach that innate skill.
Looking forward to the next good dive.
Claudette

 

[ScubaSeanMaui]

Nice Report Stryker! Scott is going to get a part-time job catching Alligators in Florida when he retires! Personally I think it's ok to touch the critters if you are extreemly gentle. Last night me and my dive buddy were able to pet an Angel Shark for a long time. He didn't mind at all... It was an amazing experience!

Here is his picture:

 

[Stryker]

Stryker,

Now about that large shrimp. There is large and then there is LARGE. If your large shrimp was large as in 3-10" long then it could have been a Mantis Shrimp. Do a Google on Mantis Shrimp http://www.amonline.net.au/factsheets/mantis_shrimp.htm I have seen them in the Redondo Beach area before and they are somewhat common around Southern California. Beautiful creatures but very nasty too.

It was not a mantis shrimp... I never touch things that I dont know waht they are...it was a regular shrimp like you would go fishing with, but just a bit bigger (or see in a shrimp cocktail )... Believe me, I am not out to hurt any animals at all...

Also its actually my 3rd night dive... I will be recieving instruction in May when I take the advanced class.... I have to say night diving beats the daytime 10X over...

 

[Diver_Jan]

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the delayed report. I was not at home last night and did not have access to my laptop.

Here goes:

Dive Report: Deadman's 4/12

Surf: 2-4 foot rapid sets initially on entry; 1-2 foot calm and easy on exit.

Swell: Minimal

Surge: none to speak of

Air temp: 57 degrees

Water Temp: 54 degrees Suunto (a tad warmer than Monday!)

Max Depth: 63-66'

ABT: 45'

Viz: 10-15+++ I would say 20 in some spots at depth!

Met up with Lexi and Bill. Kicked out to drop down point without incident. All I remember hearing 'Are we there yet??? Are we there yet??? This was Lexi's and Bill's first time diving Deandmans.

Indirectly made out way out to Deadman's. Saw the usualy suspects including Spanish Shawls, Bugs, Calico Sea Bass, Kelp fish, Greenlings, lots of large oysters hanging onto the Gorgorians, a huge Sheep Crab, tube anemones, ect, ect.

The hightlight of the dive is that we were joined by two very playful sea lions at depth.

All in all, a great dive. Water seemed warmer. I still couldn't feel my toes, but other body parts weren't as affected.

Thanks Bill and Lexi for a great time!

Jan

 

[SoCalAngel]

Stryker,
I am glad you enjoyed your dive. Good dive report but you did not mention it was your FIRST NIGHT dive :11: and after only 7 or 8 lifetime dives too. So how do you like night diving? It can be fun, but it is worth while to take some instruction in the subject and to be very comfortable with diving before adding night diving to it. You were in good company on last nights dive, but you should get some night diving lessons too.

Hey Melvin, this wasn't his first night dive...I took him out to Deadman's a week and a half ago... :11:

 

[Stryker]

Hey Melvin, this wasn't his first night dive...I took him out to Deadman's a week and a half ago... :11:

And about a week before that I dove Shaw's at night also... nothing like night diving... thats for sure...

 

[Frank O]

Date: 4/13/05
Location: Ruby E
Time: 10:57 a.m.
Run time: 32:00
Max depth: 76 ft
Vis: 8-12 ft
Temp at depth: 52 F

During a stay in La Jolla for a few days, booked a two-tanker on the six-pack Dive Bliss. Quite a bit of current and limited vis on the Ruby. Marine life on the wreck was also limited ... blacksmith schools, a couple of Spanish shawls. During the surface interval, capt. Robin spotted a gray whale and paced it at a moderate distance for a bit.

Location: Kelp near New Hope rock
Time: 1:13 p.m.
Run time: 28:00
Max depth: 57 ft
Vis: 3-8 ft
Temp at depth: 50 F

Second dive was at a site that Robin says goes by the name 'The Awesome Site' at some structure about 1,000 ft southwest of New Hope Rock, just before a dropoff into deeper water. A mild thermocline brought the water a little chillier at depth, unfortunately with no help for the vis. Moderate amount of marine life ... large sheephead, rockfish, etc. Saw a lot of objects on the bottom that looked like orange spheres, about the size of a tennis ball or an orange -- I'm guessing these are orange puffball sponges, Tethya aurantia? Also noticed a small, lone anemone at a depth of nearly 60 ft with a coloration new to me:

http://www.inkbox.net/sandiego/wazzit.jpg

I'm guessing Urticina ... possibly Urticina mcpeaki?

 

[scottfiji]

Saw a lot of objects on the bottom that looked like orange spheres, about the size of a tennis ball or an orange -- I'm guessing these are orange puffball sponges, Tethya aurantia?

I'm guessing Urticina ... possibly Urticina mcpeaki?

nice pic!

Interesting information here on Urticina mcpeaki:
http://hercules.kgs.ku.edu/hexacora...rticina&species=mcpeaki&subgenus=&subspecies=

seems like its a new species, fits your picture. My other guess was urticina columbiana (sand-rose anemone).

Yes, sounds like orange puffball sponges! They are common at marineland, the avalon wreck, and point dume. Here is one of my pics of one at Point Dume:

http://www.scubapost.net/gallery/PointDume20050313/OrangePuffballSponge

Scott

 

[mccabejc]

Oooo, SCOTT !!!! I love it when you talk all smart like that !!!

Mcpeaki ?? Is that like a Mcmuffin?

 

[ICY ICE]

Date: 4/16/05
Location: Oil Rigs - Elly
Time: 0815/1145
BT: 35/24 min
Max depth: 85/76ft
Vis: 2-15 ft
Temp at depth: +/- 50 F

Headed to the rigs on the Sea Bass (www.diveseabass.com) with the www.divevets.com team. A great day for diving, the sun was coming out and the sea was very flat. When we arrived we saw dozens of seal hanging around the rigs, and a few other fishing boats including the dive boat The Magician which was at Eureka.

We were dropped off and headed under the rigs. We decended with a dive plan of 90Ft Max Depth. Durring the decend vis was horrible, the rigs cross members could not be seen. In short we were in complete darkness, when we got to 80ft we took a bearing and found a vertical pillar. This was the only landmark for navigation we had, so Mike and I followed the structure up and accross the rig. As we got to 50-40 ft vis improved enough to see other cross members. At 45' there is a vertical beam that runs around the rig, we continued to follow it and circled the rig. We surfaced exactly where we got dropped off and headed for the boat when instructed.

The second dive was held due to a thick fog that moved in. The rigs dissapeared at 300yds away. The captain did several passes, and the bottom of the rigs could not be seen.

Finally after a few hours the fog cleared enough to do a dive, we quickly donned and were dropped off. This dive was more enjoyable, we decended to 45' and did some navigation drills following the structure. Again, the vis was not good but was still fun. Some seals came within touching distance on this dive. We surface exactly where we got dropped off and headed for the boat when instructed.

Although the conditions of the dive were not the greatest, we still managed to dive and succesfully navigate through almost darkness.

BTW: For those treasure hunters: I left my light cannon behind, you can find it at about 260' under Elly, has new batteries.