Current events at Hawthorne Reef

[MaxBottomtime]

We're heading to Morro Bay on Monday to dive the T pier so we thought we would practice nudibranch photography before we leave. I decided on Hawthorne Reef. I figured it is far enough offshore to get some decent visibility. I figured incorrectly. We had enough current to warrant a granny line to the anchor and flying like flags during our ascent. Even with the strong current, we had eight to ten feet of visibility at best.
I'm hoping the muck diving of Morro Bay will be better.

The current did bring in a few visitors. Despite staying within twenty feet of the anchor I saw four pyrosomas.

 

[FrankPro1]

Dig the first shot of the Polycera tricolor. Do they always have such pronounced oral tentacles?

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Yes. That was the first one I had seen with the dark racing stripe along the top though. I found two next to each other and called Merry over to get some shots. She was busy taking pictures of another one. After we swapped places I spotted that one a couple feet away from hers. If the vis had been better, we would have looked around the reef more and probably found a ton of subjects. I was concentrating on keeping Merry in sight in case I needed to go up and move the anchor first. Current and poor vis takes all the fun out of diving.

 

[FrankPro1]

If the vis had been better, we would have looked around the reef more and probably found a ton of subjects.

I don't doubt that one bit. Hawthorne reef is jam packed full of life. Even though I've only been there once, it definitely is in my top 3 dive spots

 

[JMdiver]

I was out there with Reef Check on the Sun Diver Express & saw you out there. You should have tried the inner reef there was no current but the vis was about the same as what you had out there.