Date: 12/29/2005
Location: Catalina, Avalon Dive Park at Casino Point - 12/29
Attendees: Rick Inman, Priscilla Inman, HBDiveGirl, Wetrat, and myself.
Thanks to: Wetrat for organizing and hospitality, Priscilla Inman for shore logistics managment, HBDiveGirl for honoring me as my buddy - "will dive with you anytime", and Rick Inman for your wealth of knowledge and great stories.
Dive 1
Original plan fell through to organize a dive to 80' on the Valiant just outside the dive park, requires approval from the Harbor Master, but time limitations prevented us from obtaining this. So we opted for a good standby, the Su Jac wreck, with a starting point of decending the buoy chain at the far east end of the dive park in about 95 feet of water then to swim North West 270 degrees to about 74 feet and explore the wreck, and gradually continue the 270 degree heading back to the exit point along the ever shallower bottom conture until we reach the exit stairs. Dive time estimataion was 50 minutes, actual dive lasted for 48 minutes.
During the dive briefing we reviewed all gear and signals (and responses) plus made contingency plans. We also discovered on the ride over from the shuttle that Wetrat had not been as deep as 95 feet before, though pretty close. So the three more experienced divers kept a close eye on him at depth for any signs of distress, he quite simply looked like a pro.
The Su Jac visibility was at least 45 feet, Rick Inman and I did a little swim through in the Su Jac hull. I found several spanish shawl nudibranchs ... seeing them all the time I thought nothing of them, later I'd learn that Rick Inman really wanted someone to share one, if only I'd known. The entire dive was a mellow pace with all 4 divers in tight synch, responses were given clearly and without hesitation. The day was crystal clear, barely a wisp of cloud here or there, and sun enough that this evening in the mirror I realized I got a tiny burn
Visibility above and below the water was really outstanding and considering all the doomsday predictions of swell and surge all we encountered was a glass flat ocean to accomodate our journey to and from the island and a friendly at-our-backs current to help us along on our initial surface swim.
In terms of sea life, there was a small harbor seal playing in the kelp, on our intial entry, I found a moray eel at about 65 feet, got everyone's attention and we checked him out for a few minutes. We saw two small octopus, and Rick Inman found decent-sized octopus in a sand den in about 50 feet of seawater. Its eye was about the size of a grape. One of the highlights for me came from a strange encounter. Toward the end of the dive in about 25 feet, HBDiveGirl spotted the single largest Sea Hare I've ever beheld in many years of diving California waters. It would be no joke to say tightened up in a ball it was a few inches in diameter larger than a basket ball. I've seen at least one volleyball sized one before this, but this one was a monster. I handed my HID and Glove to her, and tried to coax it out a bit with a gentle back rub, but it wouldn't have any of that.
Over the course of both dives we all maintained a constant position about 4-5 feet off the bottom, everyone later drawing compliments from each other for our harmony and pace, it was a solid dive.
Dive 2
Due to logistics of packing, hailing a cab back to the express boat, and our 4:15 pm departure, we limited our surface interval to 30 minutes, and planned a shallow dive to 55 feet to see the old swim platform. This dive would take us to the opposite side of the dive park. Visibility on this dive was remarkably 50+ feet, though this end of the park tends to be a bit more barren of sea life, there was more life to be found for the discerning eye, than initially perceived. We initially explored old swim platform with its very tiny creature life requiring perfect holds of buoyancy, just about 6 feet off the bottom in order to take the time needed to focus on each little kingdom long enough to watch the tiny species of fish and anemone and plant life. Then we headed out on a 130 degree heading to find the less famous of the two plaques in the park. Along the way we found several octopus in the old piping pieces laying on the bottom. At one HBDiveGirl and I were able to coax one of them up to the top of the pipe getting it to poke its head out with the eye horns at full extension and eye slits dilating back and forth checking the 4 of us out, fluxuating colors, a real treat. Several of us spotted a few very large bass. I thought the striping colorations looked like barred sand bass, though Rick Inman later commented he saw some large Calico on this dive, so maybe there was a bit of both. Rick said it was nice to be in a protected area, many years ago he said there would be none of those unless you were viewing them from the end of one of his dive buddies spears. Large "clouds" of smelt over head seemed to "darken" the flickering sunlight through the Kelp forest, we all turned upside down a few times to get a glimps of this marvel.
We had planed this dive for only 35 minutes and the dive lasted just a few minutes longer. In about 4 feet of water after we had "ended" the dive, Rick Inman held buoyancy perfectly in the water column defying our request to end the dive, when he finally popped up, big smile on his face, he said it was hard to respond with the thumbs up, he gave it reluctantly and held on to every last minute he could.
This second dive for the visibility alone, was quite simply outstanding.
Summary: a good time was had by all, we dived our plan precisely, found everything we looked for the first time, loved the visibility above and below the water, lots of laughing and smiles all around, we all are looking forward to our next opportunity to dive together.
Location: Catalina, Avalon Dive Park at Casino Point - 12/29
Attendees: Rick Inman, Priscilla Inman, HBDiveGirl, Wetrat, and myself.
Thanks to: Wetrat for organizing and hospitality, Priscilla Inman for shore logistics managment, HBDiveGirl for honoring me as my buddy - "will dive with you anytime", and Rick Inman for your wealth of knowledge and great stories.
Dive 1
Original plan fell through to organize a dive to 80' on the Valiant just outside the dive park, requires approval from the Harbor Master, but time limitations prevented us from obtaining this. So we opted for a good standby, the Su Jac wreck, with a starting point of decending the buoy chain at the far east end of the dive park in about 95 feet of water then to swim North West 270 degrees to about 74 feet and explore the wreck, and gradually continue the 270 degree heading back to the exit point along the ever shallower bottom conture until we reach the exit stairs. Dive time estimataion was 50 minutes, actual dive lasted for 48 minutes.
During the dive briefing we reviewed all gear and signals (and responses) plus made contingency plans. We also discovered on the ride over from the shuttle that Wetrat had not been as deep as 95 feet before, though pretty close. So the three more experienced divers kept a close eye on him at depth for any signs of distress, he quite simply looked like a pro.
The Su Jac visibility was at least 45 feet, Rick Inman and I did a little swim through in the Su Jac hull. I found several spanish shawl nudibranchs ... seeing them all the time I thought nothing of them, later I'd learn that Rick Inman really wanted someone to share one, if only I'd known. The entire dive was a mellow pace with all 4 divers in tight synch, responses were given clearly and without hesitation. The day was crystal clear, barely a wisp of cloud here or there, and sun enough that this evening in the mirror I realized I got a tiny burn
Visibility above and below the water was really outstanding and considering all the doomsday predictions of swell and surge all we encountered was a glass flat ocean to accomodate our journey to and from the island and a friendly at-our-backs current to help us along on our initial surface swim.
In terms of sea life, there was a small harbor seal playing in the kelp, on our intial entry, I found a moray eel at about 65 feet, got everyone's attention and we checked him out for a few minutes. We saw two small octopus, and Rick Inman found decent-sized octopus in a sand den in about 50 feet of seawater. Its eye was about the size of a grape. One of the highlights for me came from a strange encounter. Toward the end of the dive in about 25 feet, HBDiveGirl spotted the single largest Sea Hare I've ever beheld in many years of diving California waters. It would be no joke to say tightened up in a ball it was a few inches in diameter larger than a basket ball. I've seen at least one volleyball sized one before this, but this one was a monster. I handed my HID and Glove to her, and tried to coax it out a bit with a gentle back rub, but it wouldn't have any of that.
Over the course of both dives we all maintained a constant position about 4-5 feet off the bottom, everyone later drawing compliments from each other for our harmony and pace, it was a solid dive.
Dive 2
Due to logistics of packing, hailing a cab back to the express boat, and our 4:15 pm departure, we limited our surface interval to 30 minutes, and planned a shallow dive to 55 feet to see the old swim platform. This dive would take us to the opposite side of the dive park. Visibility on this dive was remarkably 50+ feet, though this end of the park tends to be a bit more barren of sea life, there was more life to be found for the discerning eye, than initially perceived. We initially explored old swim platform with its very tiny creature life requiring perfect holds of buoyancy, just about 6 feet off the bottom in order to take the time needed to focus on each little kingdom long enough to watch the tiny species of fish and anemone and plant life. Then we headed out on a 130 degree heading to find the less famous of the two plaques in the park. Along the way we found several octopus in the old piping pieces laying on the bottom. At one HBDiveGirl and I were able to coax one of them up to the top of the pipe getting it to poke its head out with the eye horns at full extension and eye slits dilating back and forth checking the 4 of us out, fluxuating colors, a real treat. Several of us spotted a few very large bass. I thought the striping colorations looked like barred sand bass, though Rick Inman later commented he saw some large Calico on this dive, so maybe there was a bit of both. Rick said it was nice to be in a protected area, many years ago he said there would be none of those unless you were viewing them from the end of one of his dive buddies spears. Large "clouds" of smelt over head seemed to "darken" the flickering sunlight through the Kelp forest, we all turned upside down a few times to get a glimps of this marvel.
We had planed this dive for only 35 minutes and the dive lasted just a few minutes longer. In about 4 feet of water after we had "ended" the dive, Rick Inman held buoyancy perfectly in the water column defying our request to end the dive, when he finally popped up, big smile on his face, he said it was hard to respond with the thumbs up, he gave it reluctantly and held on to every last minute he could.
This second dive for the visibility alone, was quite simply outstanding.
Summary: a good time was had by all, we dived our plan precisely, found everything we looked for the first time, loved the visibility above and below the water, lots of laughing and smiles all around, we all are looking forward to our next opportunity to dive together.
