Two weekends in a row with diving each day. All is right with the World. We haven't made this many dives since last year. And to think I was just getting used to not filling our tanks.
We stayed close to home this morning because of the wind the past two days. It turned out to be calm, albeit a bit bumpy due to the rising swells. We got to the barge off Redondo Beach right after high tide. There were three layers of water we had to pass through. Unfortunately the crisp, clear layer was in the middle. It was dark and not as nice as last weekend but we still found enough critters to keep strobes firing.
Nudibranchs, snails, flatworms and octopus have made a dramatic comeback after nearly disappearing locally. Now if only the jellies would return.
Egg laying was a popular activity today
These two pale nudis were next to a couple of dark orange Aeolidiella oliviae. They are probably the same species but it was strange to see them together.
A pair of mating Polycera atras competing with skeleton shrimp for space on bugula.
With mating done, it's time to lay eggs.
Golfball Reef is also having a rebirth. Nudibranchs once again dotted most rocks. Other than the juvenile rockfish, most of the residents have begun coming home.
UFO, or a swell shark egg
Eurylepta californica
And the usual assorted nudibranchs...
We had 51° on the barge with eighteen to twenty feet visibility at each site.
We stayed close to home this morning because of the wind the past two days. It turned out to be calm, albeit a bit bumpy due to the rising swells. We got to the barge off Redondo Beach right after high tide. There were three layers of water we had to pass through. Unfortunately the crisp, clear layer was in the middle. It was dark and not as nice as last weekend but we still found enough critters to keep strobes firing.
Nudibranchs, snails, flatworms and octopus have made a dramatic comeback after nearly disappearing locally. Now if only the jellies would return.
Egg laying was a popular activity today
These two pale nudis were next to a couple of dark orange Aeolidiella oliviae. They are probably the same species but it was strange to see them together.
A pair of mating Polycera atras competing with skeleton shrimp for space on bugula.
With mating done, it's time to lay eggs.
Golfball Reef is also having a rebirth. Nudibranchs once again dotted most rocks. Other than the juvenile rockfish, most of the residents have begun coming home.
UFO, or a swell shark egg
Eurylepta californica
And the usual assorted nudibranchs...
We had 51° on the barge with eighteen to twenty feet visibility at each site.
