Casino Point and invasive seaweed

[DESERT EEL]

Thanks for the info.

 

[bill22]

Spoke with Mayor and SCUBA Luv co-owner Bob Kennedy yesterday. He said the Sargassum filicinum has reached high densities everywhere on the leeward side of the island. It was already pretty bad two years ago when I was diving regularly on his boat (the King Neptune).

Having up-current sources of spores from infestations along the entire leeward coast is yet another reason why this obnoxious weed (= a plant out of place) will probably never be controlled.

ahhh... I guess you weren't kidding Bill when you said I would be running into old friends when I come to dive there Not impossible to dive in of course... but a pain in the butt nonetheless.

I'll be doing my first dives in California this weekend I'm diving Wreck Alley and Point Loma Kelp Beds with the Humboldt on Sunday

 

[robint]

so do we know of any natural control agents for the seaweed? Is there some fish that eats it?

 

[drbill]

Bill, looking forward to your visit here so we can compare notes on the Sargassum filicinum in Japan vs here. You should invite Marie to come dive with us as well if she can get a weekend flight from Tokyo!

Not much we can do about the Sargassum now except wait for global climate change to warm up Catalina waters enough to kill all kelp and begin coral reef formation. Not sure what lifetime I will be in at that time.

 

[bill22]

Bill, looking forward to your visit here so we can compare notes on the Sargassum filicinum in Japan vs here. You should invite Marie to come dive with us as well if she can get a weekend flight from Tokyo!

Not much we can do about the Sargassum now except wait for global climate change to warm up Catalina waters enough to kill all kelp and begin coral reef formation. Not sure what lifetime I will be in at that time.

I can tell you from my own experience in Japan that it was royal pain in the butt It will be interesting to see if it's as bad here, or if maybe it's doing better (or worse depending on point of view)

Marie has a standing invitation to come for a visit any time that she likes. We parted on good terms. (Life is what it is) I suspect though that she will probably want to pick a time when the water is a little warmer

With the air temperature being so much warmer here with more opportunity to warm up in between dives I had considered if I could get by in a 5mm or not. I'll have a better feel for local conditions I think after Sunday. I'm diving Wreck Alley and Point Loma Kelp Beds. I'm going to start out with my drysuit and see how I feel

I've been considering buying a 7mm, but I only have 25 dives on my drysuit over 2 winters.

In Japan in the area around Miura and Izu Peninsulas, from May to October you can generally get by in a 3mm (if you're cold tolerant) 5mm from October-December and April-May depending on air temp (don't like freezing when I take off the wetsuit and the cold air hits wet skin )

Usually by early-mid December to late March-early April you needed the drysuit or a 7mm. This period of course was when the seaweed in question was at it's thickest and we would start opting for the drive to Izu (where the depth fell off more quickly and it was less of a problem) more often instead of Hayama.

 

[drbill]

I usually dive in a 7mm year-round since I often sit still to film. However, my current 7mm (Henderson Neosport) developed inexplicable holes after less than 20 dives so I was diving a 3/2 well into November here. Temperatures are warm this year (although San Diego may be chillier as it often is).

 

[davidbaraff]

I dove Casino Pt. last April. Compared with diving Monterey, I found the visibility for all my Casino Pt. dives quite enjoyable. I was planning on coming back this April or May.

Are you saying because of the Sargassum filicinum that I should expect far less visibility at the Pt. than I did last year? Or was it like this last year as well, and I just didn't realize how much better visibility *used* to be there? 'Cause frankly I found diving at Casino Pt. last year the best shore diving I've ever done.

 

[drbill]

David, Casino Point is still a great place to dive and you can have spectacular days there with visibility up to 80 feet or more on occasion. Of course there are many unpredictable factors that will affect visibility including the onset of plankton blooms (generally nowhere near as bad as on the mainland), currents, swell, life cycle status of the Sargassum, etc.

The worst problem with the Sargassum for me is the effect on seeing marine life due to its density. Of course the native critters have a far worse time with it due to its swamping out of native seaweeds, its general inedibility and the impact on available habitat for them.

 

[fnfalman]

Those damn grass are all over Isthmus Reef and at every little reefs that we came across at Indian Rock.

Did two dives at Long Point and thank goodness, didn't see too much of it there.

 

[drbill]

Possibly because the depth at Long Point drops off quickly and this invasive kelp seems to be pretty limited depth-wise to about 70 ft (usually less).

Talking to some Orange County divers during this weekend's cleanup, I heard it has reached some sites there... probably from its mainland infestation source near Long Beach.

I read that this kelp invaded the Pacific Northwest perhaps as long ago as the 1930s (can't find the reference at the moment), so it has been in North America much longer than I thought.