Fish storm at Farnsworth Bank

[Merry]

Last Sunday, we joined Phil Colla, Kevin Lee, Dana Rodda and Nannette and Bill Van Antwerp on the Giant Stride for what we thought would be your typical dives at Farnsworth. Ha! We were in for a truly mind-blowing experience. Our first clue should have been when Captain Jim Simmerman said the bottom looked to be at ~40 feet (if memory serves), meaning that fish were obscuring the actual depth. Okay, a school of fish would be good, but what we got was great.

Descending into blue water with 60' vis is a rare treat for the senses in itself, but added to that, we found ourselves in the middle of what looked like the beginning of creation. Massive schools of jack mackerel, topsmelt and possibly sardines, formed undulating masses that traversed the water column. All the while, endless rivers of mackerel swirled past. By the time I settled down and made it to the reef, huge schools of halfmoons also dominated the pinnacle tops.


Blue water

Purple hydrocoral, Stylaster californicus

Phil Colla safety stop

 

[Johnoly]

..but what we got was great.

That was 'Way Better than Great',,,,,Thanks for the awesome pictures between both of you!!

 

[beldridg]

Unreal. Looks like the Caribbean. Thanks for the pics.

 

[Regulatrix]

Last Sunday, we joined Phil Colla, Kevin Lee, Dana Rodda and Nannette and Bill Van Antwerp on the Giant Stride for what we thought would be your typical dives at Farnsworth. Ha! We were in for a truly mind-blowing experience. Our first clue should have been when Captain Jim Simmerman said the bottom looked to be at ~40 feet (if memory serves), meaning that fish were obscuring the actual depth. Okay, a school of fish would be good, but what we got was great.

Descending into blue water with 60' vis is a rare treat for the senses in itself, but added to that, we found ourselves in the middle of what looked like the beginning of creation. Massive schools of jack mackerel, topsmelt and possibly sardines, formed undulating masses that traversed the water column. All the while, endless rivers of mackerel swirled past. By the time I settled down and made it to the reef, huge schools of halfmoons also dominated the pinnacle tops.


Blue water
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Purple hydrocoral, Stylaster californicus
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Phil Colla safety stop
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Gorgeous photos! Not from California, and so I'm wondering about the water temps (cold, I assume). Possible to dive in a wetsuit? Or is a dry suit more realistic?

 

[Esprise Me]

Gorgeous photos! Not from California, and so I'm wondering about the water temps (cold, I assume). Possible to dive in a wetsuit? Or is a dry suit more realistic?

Definitely possible to do it wet, though many prefer dry. I was out there last weekend too and recorded temps of 61 and 58 at 100 feet.

 

[Regulatrix]

Definitely possible to do it wet, though many prefer dry. I was out there last weekend too and recorded temps of 61 and 58 at 100 feet.

Thanks for the insight. I appreciate it. About how long were you down? I regularly dive a 5mm for about 75-80 minutes in 70-72 degrees F water (pretty shallow), and so I tend to gauge my exposure suit needs on that. (Of course, these are typically one-off dives, rather than multiple dives in such conditions.)

Edited to add: I also wear a 3mm cap and gloves, and 5 mm boots.

 

[Esprise Me]

Thanks for the insight. I appreciate it. About how long were you down? I regularly dive a 5mm for about 75-80 minutes in 70-72 degrees F water (pretty shallow), and so I tend to gauge my exposure suit needs on that. (Of course, these are typically one-off dives, rather than multiple dives in such conditions.)

Edited to add: I also wear a 3mm cap and gloves, and 5 mm boots.

I would suggest a 7mm and hood, plus a good boat coat for surface intervals. My dives lasted 52 and 54 minutes, with an average depth of 63 feet. I was in a drysuit, but I've done Farnsworth in a wetsuit before. In the summer, the water is usually in the 70s at the surface, with air temperatures in the 70s-80s, which makes things a lot more comfortable than they would be if it was in the high 50s/low 60s all the way up.

 

[Regulatrix]

I would suggest a 7mm and hood, plus a good boat coat for surface intervals. My dives lasted 52 and 54 minutes, with an average depth of 63 feet. I was in a drysuit, but I've done Farnsworth in a wetsuit before. In the summer, the water is usually in the 70s at the surface, with air temperatures in the 70s-80s, which makes things a lot more comfortable than they would be if it was in the high 50s/low 60s all the way up.

Roger that, thanks so much. It's so funny--this time of year, we try to dive as early as possible since we need fairly significant exposure protection for our dive site, and yet the ambient temps will be really hot and humid and we have to schlep everything a little ways to the entry point (mmm . . . Texas in the dead of summer . . .) So, of course, the drill is to set everything up and to leave donning our wetsuits until the last moment to avoid heat stroke. But come January-February, it's like, yeah, let's get those wetsuits on, stat!

 

[Esprise Me]

Same here, though our seasonal differences are more subtle than yours.

Diving can be good here all year, but if you want to come visit, summer or fall would probably be your best bet.