fnfalman
Contributor
Living in Idaho really cramped my style. I should have cracked the 200th way back in 2010 instead of now, but beggars can't be choosers.
The ride out was pretty darn rough, but we made it to Santa Cruz on the Explorer and anchored at Orizaba Cove. We pretty much stayed there for all three dives because the wind was crazy everywhere else. The Spectre only did two dives and had to go back early.
However, underwater conditions were super nice. Hardly any surge and no currents though viz was maybe 15-ft max. An inquisitive sea lion tagged along with us for two dives and a harbor seal also cruised with several divers, my buddy and I included. There were some decent scallops to be had, and I saw one gigantic sheephead - this sucker had to be like 3-ft long. Lots of fat rubber lips perches as well.
My bud and I circumnavigated the rock on the first two dives and then went to the kelps forest closer to the cove on the third dive. The kelps reef had some massive Noble Dorids. These suckers were about 3" long and nearly as wide. A little kelp crab decided to hitch its way up on my wetsuit too.
Overall, an excellent day out and there's no better way of celebrating my 200th and 201th dives than doing it in SoCal. I could have done these dives in the Idahoan muck, but I held out until now.
The ride out was pretty darn rough, but we made it to Santa Cruz on the Explorer and anchored at Orizaba Cove. We pretty much stayed there for all three dives because the wind was crazy everywhere else. The Spectre only did two dives and had to go back early.
However, underwater conditions were super nice. Hardly any surge and no currents though viz was maybe 15-ft max. An inquisitive sea lion tagged along with us for two dives and a harbor seal also cruised with several divers, my buddy and I included. There were some decent scallops to be had, and I saw one gigantic sheephead - this sucker had to be like 3-ft long. Lots of fat rubber lips perches as well.
My bud and I circumnavigated the rock on the first two dives and then went to the kelps forest closer to the cove on the third dive. The kelps reef had some massive Noble Dorids. These suckers were about 3" long and nearly as wide. A little kelp crab decided to hitch its way up on my wetsuit too.
Overall, an excellent day out and there's no better way of celebrating my 200th and 201th dives than doing it in SoCal. I could have done these dives in the Idahoan muck, but I held out until now.
