Clucking Garibaldis

[MaxBottomtime]

After a month out of the water we finally got to finish off 2000 psi from our last dive. We headed to the crane off Haggerty's in hopes of getting pictures of juvenile Garibaldis. When we were last there on May 3rd there were several nests waiting for females to visit. Today, only one nest had eggs, but the males were chasing everything away with their loud clucking.

The crane seemed to have more fish than usual today. Schools of blacksmith and rubberlips hovered above while rockfish, greenlings and blue-banded gobies darted through the truck.

Just as we were nearing the end of our dive Merry spotted one of the two resident moral eels hiding in the rear of the truck frame. I was able to coax him out for a quick shot before we headed up.

Water temperature was 59F with 12-15 feet visibility. Maybe good conditions are on their way after a lousy first half of the year.

 

[USCScubaboy]

Great pictures as always.

 

[drbill]

I found two MASSIVE nests off Santa Cruz Island last weekend. Of course the density of garibaldi there was much lower than ion our local dive park, but I was amazed those two males thought they could entice enough females in to fill those nests! At least their feeding territories were large enough to supply the males.

Hmm... looks like there are a few pile perch swimming with the rubberlips.

 

[FrankPro1]

Great compilation of shots! Is it possible to shore dive the crane from the Hag's entry?

 

[ligersandtions]

Looks like great vis!

I love the pictures of the moray....he looks so sweet and innocent I'm always so excited to see eels....definitely one of my favorites!

 

[Teamcasa]

Very nice shots! Thanks for posting them.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Great compilation of shots! Is it possible to shore dive the crane from the Hag's entry?

It's a little closer to Flat Rock, but either trail is tough with scuba gear. The crane is in 55 fsw just outside the kelp. Sometimes the kelp grows well beyond the crane, making it impossible to dive.
Line up the square concrete block on the beach near the Flat Rock trail with the first of four trees on the left atop the hill, and the large rock on the beach between Flat Rock and Haggerty's with the center of the white house on Paseo del Mar, plus the right side of the white house atop the hill.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Looks like great vis!

I love the pictures of the moray....he looks so sweet and innocent I'm always so excited to see eels....definitely one of my favorites!

In about 1,000 dives around P.V. I've only found three moray eels. One is on the reef at Malaga Cove and two live in the crane. I saw them both come out and fight in mid water once. It looked as if they were going to tie themselves in knots.

 

[FrankPro1]

In about 1,000 dives around P.V. I've only found three moray eels.

Thanks for the guide to the crane. Charlie and I are diving tomorrow, depending on conditions we might try to find it. I've also noticed the lack of Morays in PV. So far I've only found two, one in the shallows at Christmas Tree and the other at Marineland's 120 reef. I wonder why they are so scarce on the peninsula, where as a short drive south to Laguna they are so plentiful.

 

[fnfalman]

Thanks for the sweet photos of the eels. I've barely left SoCal and I already missed it.