I dove Sunday on the Cypress Sea for a BAUE recreational charter. The plan was to head south of Big Sur. Things looked sketchy in the morning, as predictions were calling for 20-30 knot winds by the afternoon, and as we motored out, the sea around Monterey was gray and choppy, white caps peppering the surface.
Luckily, it seemed we were able to outrun the rough seas, and the sun really burned through the marine layer as we got to our destination. We enjoyed three amazing dives, at Compost (a tall, thin pinnacle that sticks up like a pole off the sea floor), Partington Canyon, and Pfeiffer Arch. All of these sites seem to be characterized by dramatic topography and structure, and BIG fish - even the everpresent schools of blue and black rockfish had some sizable individuals.
I only had my camera for the first two dives, so of course all the novel and amazing stuff came out on the third, including a small red eel of unknown identity (the first true eel I've seen in CA). Interestingly, we also saw a couple of submerged PISCO experiment floats out by the arch, with decorator crabs hanging off of them trying to pry what I imagine was food out of a mesh tin.
I got violently seasick on the way back to Monterey, even though I tried my best to stayed well-medicated. Next time, Time to switch up medications and stock up on ginger, rare earth magnets and voodoo dolls!
Higher resolution version here: Diving Big Sur
Luckily, it seemed we were able to outrun the rough seas, and the sun really burned through the marine layer as we got to our destination. We enjoyed three amazing dives, at Compost (a tall, thin pinnacle that sticks up like a pole off the sea floor), Partington Canyon, and Pfeiffer Arch. All of these sites seem to be characterized by dramatic topography and structure, and BIG fish - even the everpresent schools of blue and black rockfish had some sizable individuals.
I only had my camera for the first two dives, so of course all the novel and amazing stuff came out on the third, including a small red eel of unknown identity (the first true eel I've seen in CA). Interestingly, we also saw a couple of submerged PISCO experiment floats out by the arch, with decorator crabs hanging off of them trying to pry what I imagine was food out of a mesh tin.
I got violently seasick on the way back to Monterey, even though I tried my best to stayed well-medicated. Next time, Time to switch up medications and stock up on ginger, rare earth magnets and voodoo dolls!
