Rainer
Contributor
This past Saturday, seven of us got out for a charter to the Palawan and Avalon that ligersandtions organized. A number of divers were having birthdays (Nicole, Kim, Jen, and Maciek) and this was a way to celebrate. Unfortunately, Maciek was ill at the last moment, but Quintin, Vincent, Stephen, and I were able to make the trip.
I'd just done these very two wrecks a few nights before, but both are excellent sites, and I was looking forward to heading back. We arrived at the marina a little after 6am, and began loading gear. With all the newly acquired Sierras, everyone had a scooter. Conditions were supposed to be nice, and we left King Harbor just before 7am.
Kim and I were planning a light T1 dive on the Palawan, and since we were to have the longest run time, we jumped in first. I'd hoped to shoot some video, but the connections on the CSI were acting up and it'll need some troubleshooting before I get any more shots. We scootered from bow to stern, dropping into various compartments as we went. Visibility here was better than I've seen in the past (~30'). Deco was uneventful and rather a bit more pleasant than the other night when we were attacked by krill (this time we saw none).
For our surface interval, our captain, Alan, headed out a bit over the Redondo Canyon in search of the large group of blue whales that have been off the LA coast the past week. What a circus! Dozens of boats (small and large), kayaks, and paddle boards dotted the area. Claudette was there and came over to say 'hi'. How fun to come off-shore and see someone you know! Soon enough, we spotted our first whale. They'd come to the surface several times to breathe, then eventually raise their massive tails and head down to feed. Often a few would be at the surface simultaneously. What an amazing sight! All made better by a dozen red velvet cupcakes in celebration of recent and upcoming birthdays. I grabbed a few surface shots (a couple of which are attached, more at the following link):
diving and blue whales these days
After a nice viewing, we turned back around and headed over to PV to dive the Avalon. This time, Stephen and I teamed up and soon we were descending onto the bow of the wreck. Visibility wasn't great (~10') and after a few minutes of searching, we were soon scootering off toward the stern. There's a large crane there and a nice swim-through. Large schools of perch and blacksmith dotted this part of the wreck. After awhile, though, we were getting cold, so we headed back to the anchor line, and began the short ascent. A quick boat ride back and we were soon unloading gear and heading to lunch. What a pleasant Saturday!
Thanks Nicole for organizing, and thansk to Kim for playing DM!
I'd just done these very two wrecks a few nights before, but both are excellent sites, and I was looking forward to heading back. We arrived at the marina a little after 6am, and began loading gear. With all the newly acquired Sierras, everyone had a scooter. Conditions were supposed to be nice, and we left King Harbor just before 7am.
Kim and I were planning a light T1 dive on the Palawan, and since we were to have the longest run time, we jumped in first. I'd hoped to shoot some video, but the connections on the CSI were acting up and it'll need some troubleshooting before I get any more shots. We scootered from bow to stern, dropping into various compartments as we went. Visibility here was better than I've seen in the past (~30'). Deco was uneventful and rather a bit more pleasant than the other night when we were attacked by krill (this time we saw none).
For our surface interval, our captain, Alan, headed out a bit over the Redondo Canyon in search of the large group of blue whales that have been off the LA coast the past week. What a circus! Dozens of boats (small and large), kayaks, and paddle boards dotted the area. Claudette was there and came over to say 'hi'. How fun to come off-shore and see someone you know! Soon enough, we spotted our first whale. They'd come to the surface several times to breathe, then eventually raise their massive tails and head down to feed. Often a few would be at the surface simultaneously. What an amazing sight! All made better by a dozen red velvet cupcakes in celebration of recent and upcoming birthdays. I grabbed a few surface shots (a couple of which are attached, more at the following link):
diving and blue whales these days
After a nice viewing, we turned back around and headed over to PV to dive the Avalon. This time, Stephen and I teamed up and soon we were descending onto the bow of the wreck. Visibility wasn't great (~10') and after a few minutes of searching, we were soon scootering off toward the stern. There's a large crane there and a nice swim-through. Large schools of perch and blacksmith dotted this part of the wreck. After awhile, though, we were getting cold, so we headed back to the anchor line, and began the short ascent. A quick boat ride back and we were soon unloading gear and heading to lunch. What a pleasant Saturday!
Thanks Nicole for organizing, and thansk to Kim for playing DM!
The presence of the whales was so amazing...I just can't seem to grasp how large they are...and how little of it we actually see breaking the surface. All that fun...and we were back to the dock by 1pm!
