Christmas Tree Cove 4.21.09

[FrankPro1]

Conditions at CTC today were close to Biblical Status. I've only encountered visibility this good once before at CTC and it was in the late summer/early fall of 08. Visibility went as low as 20ft in spots, but in the right areas was well over 40ft. There was a very very mild surge, but compared to what it has been lately... it was a great relief. My buddy "SpKelpDiver" and I got there around 9:00 and there was only an ankle high break coming on shore. We could see the majority of the inner cove's submerged rocks, we knew we were up for a treat. We decided to take a 210 heading out off the South Point, so that we could hit the outer reefs. That was soon squashed as the photographer "me" decided to scoot in the opposite direction towards a series of large reefs covered in club tipped anemones, Shawl's, worms and sponges. My buddy put me back on the right heading and we continued to go down deeper through a series of kelp beds. In about 55-60ft of water we exited one of the kelp beds and swam out through some sandy patches. Spkelpdiver then took the lead and led us around to a deeper reef. We hung around as much as our tanks would allow and took the return heading back to the point. We surfaced in very shallow water between the outer point and the shore. We did a short surface swim into deeper water and descended again, heading towards our exit. A great dive with lots of life and beautiful visibility.

Here is my dive profile and some pics from today:

 

[Teamcasa]

Outstanding Frank. I have only been there once but have plans to dive there again and again.
Your photos are second to none. Good work and thanks for posting them!

 

[ligersandtions]

I'm amazingly jealous! Diving mid-morning on a Tuesday....it really doesn't get much better than that! If you had to guess, how far from the shore did you make it? When I went out, it was on a boat, and we were fairly far from the shore (far enough that I wouldn't be inclined to surface swim out that far), and it was mostly an urchin barren that had kelp, surprisingly enough. We saw some fish, but really no nudis (which is really disappointing to someone who's kind of obsessed with nudis!).

Looks like you guys had a great dive and managed to find all kinds of cool critters.

Oh, and I see you got to update your profile from 0-24, huh? Yay! Congrats!

 

[FrankPro1]

Outstanding Frank. I have only been there once but have plans to dive there again and again.
Your photos are second to none. Good work and thanks for posting them!

Much appreciated Casa, especially coming from someone like you. Your one of the big boys on the block here on Scubaboard. CTC is a great spot, I love it to death. I'm still waiting impatiently for Marineland to reopen, but until then I'm not too bummed to take the steep walk down to Christmas Tree Cove.

If you had to guess, how far from the shore did you make it? When I went out, it was on a boat, and we were fairly far from the shore (far enough that I wouldn't be inclined to surface swim out that far), and it was mostly an urchin barren that had kelp, surprisingly enough. We saw some fish, but really no nudis (which is really disappointing to someone who's kind of obsessed with nudis!).

Oh, and I see you got to update your profile from 0-24, huh? Yay! Congrats!

If your looking from shore, off towards the point, you can see two large outer kelp beds "not the three inner ones". We weren't on the farthest outer kelp bed "which Phil Garner says goes out to 80ft", but the closer one that ends in about 60ft.

I'm a nudi fanatic too! That's why I love Marineland so much. I've only seen Spainsh Shawl's and Hopkin's Roses at CTC, but thats good enough for now

Thanks for the Congrats's! I am very very inebriated as I type this, just because of my leveling up at Scubaboard. So.... I'm celebrating with a few pints and some Irish drinking songs. Finally got away from that 0-24. It feels good. Very good

 

[SPKelpDiver]

It was an epic dive, one I won't forget. Yea you have to make a really long surface swim to get past the urchin barrens, no way around it accept by boat. Typical Palos Verdes. The challenge of the whole dive (the huge hike, sketchy entry, long swim ) is what keep keeps the fair weather fans away, which is fine by me.

A lot of unfortunate divers who haven't dove California before dive vets park and conclude all California shore diving is this way, well it obviously not (Frank's Photos will attest). This is a site for those with a strong back, strong legs, and a strong will. If you don't have the first two, the latter will do I suppose. Yea and I am going to toot my own horn here, I make the hike with a Steel 120. (Flexes).

If you are up to the challenge, than dive Christmas Tree Cove in good conditions and you will briefly wonder why your paying for a boat to Catalina. Than you will finish your dive only to look up at the hill and remember why.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Wow! Congrats on getting to Level Two and on mastering your new camera already. Merry and I dived Vet's this morning to shoot macro. It was dirty and there was red tide in a few spots. We later stopped by Marineland to check out the construction progress. Still none. Grrr!
We could see Garibaldis on the inner 120 Reef, but it was murky.

 

[FrankPro1]

Wow! Congrats on getting to Level Two and on mastering your new camera already. Merry and I dived Vet's this morning to shoot macro. It was dirty and there was red tide in a few spots. We later stopped by Marineland to check out the construction progress. Still none. Grrr!
We could see Garibaldis on the inner 120 Reef, but it was murky.

Thank's Phil I'm planning on purchasing my first strobe next week, so that should help when shooting macro. Right now if I want to use the internal flash and shoot up close, I have to line up my target in the top left corner. This way my subject is fully lit and not darkened by the port shadow.

From what I see it seems there doing a lot of construction on areas around the resort, but nothing which concerns the beach reopening. I've heard rumors that there not going to reopen the beach until the grand opening of the resort in June. I hope not, I plan on diving Marineland for my B-Day in May.

Visibility was very poor at 120's inner reef yesterday, no way I could have seen Garibaldi's then. Conditions must have improved since then.

 

[fnfalman]

I love the kelp shot.

What is that weird thing that's right below the kelp shot?

 

[FrankPro1]

What is that weird thing that's right below the kelp shot?

That is a macro shot of three arms on a sunflower star. I was pretty surprised myself when it came out that way. It almost looks like the surface of an anemone. Go figure.

 

[ScottBuck]

Wow, You take some great pictures, any photography classes?