Buchanan's Reef and White Point Rock Report

[MaxBottomtime]

We finally paid back Dr. John Bibb for taking us to Santa Cruz and Anacapa Islands, although he got the icky end of the stick.
The sea was not as flat as yesterday, and visibility was down quite a bit. We hit Buchanan's Reef first and we were all set up for macro photography. We had to pull our way down the line, as the current was pretty stiff. Even at the bottom, it was difficult to hold still long enough for a photo.
We saw the Ocean Defenders Alliance boat, the Clearwater heading for Marineland and gave them the conditions report. They decided to follow us to White Point Rock. I pulled the net I removed from the reef yesterday and gave it to John and Cameron in the inflatable while the crew of the Clearwater cheered.

Dr. John was probably happy he didn't have to drag that sucker to the surface.


While on the bottom, I circumnavigated the reef to get an idea of its size. It's smaller than I thought, about 50 X 100 feet. Fortunately, it is a fully loaded compact. Nudis, flatworms, rockfish, hydroids, bryozoan, anemones and gorgonian cover nearly every inch of the rock.

John flies over the reef

Vermilion rockfish dart about

California scorpionfish gives me a dirty look

Zooanthids cover a gorgonian

Barnacle among friends

Merry found a large Pseudoceros luteus flatworm

And of course, the nudis...

Flabellina trilineata

Cadlina limbaughorum

Doriopsilla albopunctata

Diaulula sandiegensis

Hermissenda crassicornis

Cadlina luteomarginata

Triopha catalinae

 

[VooDooGasMan]

Max, nice find and it looks great, with the current you speak of it's no wonder the color is fantastic.

Happy Diving

 

[FrankPro1]

Great Series! Especially like the second shot of the Zooanthids. What depth does the White Point reef lay in?

 

[ligersandtions]

That really is a gorgeous reef you and Merry found! Also, a big thank you for removing that net

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Great Series! Especially like the second shot of the Zooanthids. What depth does the White Point reef lay in?

The rock is surrounded by sand at 65 feet. The top of the reef is 52'. It's like a miniature Hawthorne Reef. It's only a quarter mile off the rocks at White Point, but the life is completely different than anything nearshore. We don't even smell like sulphur after a dive there.
Despite the net I found on top of the reef yesterday, there is no evidence of any fishing. I love diving a somewhat virgin reef. A couple of years ago we got to dive a reef for the first time. Merry found a 1953 Coke bottle in pristine condition on the reef.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

That really is a gorgeous reef you and Merry found! Also, a big thank you for removing that net

The ODA crew asked how we got it to the surface. They were surprised that I carried it up. It was more than fifty feet long and very heavy. I wasn't sure if they would be there when I surfaced so I didn't use a liftbag. I decided at the last minute to bring it up.