Fort Bragg/Mendocino Diving

[Jeff_O]

I’ve been thinking of building my own scooter..

I have and old SeaDoo Sea Scooter GTI. It only has a 12Ahr 12v battery, but still is fun. Another time I 'll try it out on scuba. In all the years I had it I only did breath hold snorkeling with it.

Today did about hour an half under surface of Gualala River. Also maybe 1/2 hr in-between times when snorkel but with tank on at the surface.

Saw aquatic lichen. White with a circular look and radiant streaks. A 10 ft piece of I beam steel with colored yellow growth on it. Saw resting on bottom about 3in long reticulate sculpin. Lots of aquatic plant growth and interesting shape rock structures. Only got to 17ft max depth. Very clear visibility.

Got some extra Velcro webbing to get my air 2 on my Ranger BC wing to not float way up. Still works easy right with mouth piece. After a while got neutral buoyancy to a point, breathe in slight rise, breathe out slight sink. No bruising from suspender buckle snap in newer CF200, cause I swapped the old suspenders from old defunct CF200 that did not have snap. Very dry and not too warm. Water was around 60 to 65 F. The last storm was not enough to get the depth to 30ft. Also really no current to speak of. I dove in strong current zero vis last year. Not fun or worth the risk.

Had filled the air in my tires with hand bike pump for my wagon and so the gravel to pull my stuff to stage on the beach on the way out was better. Had about 5 pound in each tire going in. 20 works way better.

Thinking of soon to get Olympus Tough uw camera. Could start out possibly easy conditions in river if it holds the way it is now. Get the hang of digital. Then to more interesting salt water venue.

 

[Jeff_O]

I have and old SeaDoo Sea Scooter GTI. It only has a 12Ahr 12v battery, but still is fun. Another time I 'll try it out on scuba. In all the years I had it I only did breath hold snorkeling with it.

Today did about hour an half under surface of Gualala River. Also maybe 1/2 hr in-between times when snorkel but with tank on at the surface.

Saw aquatic lichen. White with a circular look and radiant streaks. A 10 ft piece of I beam steel with colored yellow growth on it. Saw resting on bottom about 3in long reticulate sculpin. Lots of aquatic plant growth and interesting shape rock structures. Only got to 17ft max depth. Very clear visibility.

Got some extra Velcro webbing to get my air 2 on my Ranger BC wing to not float way up. Still works easy right with mouth piece. After a while got neutral buoyancy to a point, breathe in slight rise, breathe out slight sink. No bruising from suspender buckle snap in newer CF200, cause I swapped the old suspenders from old defunct CF200 that did not have snap. Very dry and not too warm. Water was around 60 to 65 F. The last storm was not enough to get the depth to 30ft. Also really no current to speak of. I dove in strong current zero vis last year. Not fun or worth the risk.

Had filled the air in my tires with hand bike pump for my wagon and so the gravel to pull my stuff to stage on the beach on the way out was better. Had about 5 pound in each tire going in. 20 works way better.

Thinking of soon to get Olympus Tough uw camera. Could start out possibly easy conditions in river if it holds the way it is now. Get the hang of digital. Then to more interesting salt water venue.

Maybe another thread better to post, but since I thought maybe salt water was just all I would be interested in. Fresh water not as exciting. Well recent second discovery of a dug out canoe from ages ago found upon exiting water after scuba diving Lake Mendota WI. First find was carbon dated one thousand years old. Recent canoe dated three thousand years old. Google it. Picture showing it in a sling and maybe top one third is missing, otherwise intact. I watched how these things were made by burning away some wood and axe cut to shape final work.

 

[Jeff_O]

Wednesday dove Russian Gulch SP. The vis was not as good as last time there. Beach still very small waves. Gearing up in water not a problem with little waves. 27ft max for 47min. Some surface swim out and some time recheck direction with compass. About half way out to wash rock, but to left side of cove was checking out a huge sea anemone. It was big due to probably being in a good flow of surge. About 5 foot one way and after a few seconds the other. Got close enough in the shallower location and then moved back deeper, where was slightly cooler too. Chiton had nice shimmering colors, small rust colored fish blending in with leaf like kelp, about foot long reddish dark woody brown colored fish that has multiple square patch look (going to check my Audubon Salt Water Fish Guide) juvenile kelp greenling possibly, in the sand one eyed flounder (hehe!), sea slug which had a shell on its back, various kelp types to checkout, maybe more come to mind later that were highlights of the dive. Update: no nudibranch this time, but saw variety of sea stars. One area with purple and red sea urchins cleaned off a small area it looked like near where I was checking out the giant green sea anemone.

 

[Jeff_O]

Wednesday dove Russian Gulch SP. The vis was not as good as last time there. Beach still very small waves. Gearing up in water not a problem with little waves. 27ft max for 47min. Some surface swim out and some time recheck direction with compass. About half way out to wash rock, but to left side of cove was checking out a huge sea anemone. It was big due to probably being in a good flow of surge. About 5 foot one way and after a few seconds the other. Got close enough in the shallower location and then moved back deeper, where was slightly cooler too. Chiton had nice shimmering colors, small rust colored fish blending in with leaf like kelp, about foot long reddish dark woody brown colored fish that has multiple square patch look (going to check my Audubon Salt Water Fish Guide) juvenile kelp greenling possibly, in the sand one eyed flounder (hehe!), sea slug which had a shell on its back, various kelp types to checkout, maybe more come to mind later that were highlights of the dive. Update: no nudibranch this time, but saw variety of sea stars. One area with purple and red sea urchins cleaned off a small area it looked like near where I was checking out the giant green sea anemone.

Just heard today verbally and checked on I newspaper internet about last couple of days sightings of great white sharks bumping kayakers near Van Damme SP near Mendocino. Humboldt County surfer of recent had leg injury requiring 20 stitches and recouping. It might be good to dive if going to check the conditions. I know people fishing is not best to be diving close due to lines, but also now thinking the other. Any information about the mentioning that October has more sightings for some particular reason in these parts? It said this on the article. Think it was Mendo Voice I saw it online, but first from shopping at market today.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Just heard today verbally and checked on I newspaper internet about last couple of days sightings of great white sharks bumping kayakers near Van Damme SP near Mendocino. Humboldt County surfer of recent had leg injury requiring 20 stitches and recouping. It might be good to dive if going to check the conditions. I know people fishing is not best to be diving close due to lines, but also now thinking the other. Any information about the mentioning that October has more sightings for some particular reason in these parts? It said this on the article. Think it was Mendo Voice I saw it online, but first from shopping at market today.

This is the time of year that great white’s congregate along the coast to feed on mating sea lions.
September through January are the most dangerous months along our coast.
After that they leave for Hawaii.
It’s also when the big lingcod come in and some of the best diving conditions happen, so I go anyway.

 

[anenomefish2001]

Too funny, I was up at Russian Gulch diving Oct 15th.
Yeah, while getting ready, a lady I was talking to mentioned the GW's bumping the kayaks.
Yeah, wasn't what I wanted to hear. I still dove. I hope the bubbles and the scooter noise scare them off.
Right?

I usually stick to the bottom with some structure on my side.

Plus side, I found a 2nd anchor in the outer part of the Russian Gulch cove. I think I had found it before as it had the huge chain on it.

I'll be up there again on the 19th..hope the weather is good to get wet.

Below is a short video is made scootering on the ocean side of the Van Damme reef to about 88ft back in May. It gives one a good idea of what the struture looks like on the other side of the reef, out to the south.

 

[anenomefish2001]

Dove Russian Gulch last weekend.
The viz was so so, maybe 15-20ft, bu still fun to get deep out there.

I talked with a lifeguard about the recent GW encounters.
Evidently there were a couple dead whales, that were subsequently towed out to deeper water.
So the GW's must have been cruising around closer to shore looking for a dead whale.

My season is done up there, looking forward to getting out there in the spring.

 

[Akimbo]

My season is done up there, looking forward to getting out there in the spring.

It can be a real crap shoot this time of year but some of our best diving and weather can be in January. We often have 3 weeks with no rain, lots of sun, and a week with very little wind.

 

[anenomefish2001]

So true about it being a crap shoot this time of year.
My best dives have been in October/ November.

Last weekend looked like it was starting to clear up. It was still good enough

What complicates my dive trips is the lodging. We rent a rustic cabin at odd times, reserved months in advance (Feb, May, July, Oct & Nov).

So I am at the mercy of the conditions being perfect or crap when I go up there.

Let me see about January!

 

[sea_ledford]

View attachment 744333
This is a great shore dive too, that slot just to the right of the land bridge, between the land bridge and Goat Island to the right. This is out on the Mendocino Headland.
There is a switch back trail around to the right of where I took this photo that goes down the bank and leads to a small protected gravel beach in the cove, or some people park out in the headland area hike over the land bridge and scamper down the rock. Right at the edge of the land bridge you can giant stride right into the water in the slot. It’s a vertical drop and about 40’ deep right there.
There is an old decommissioned sewer line that lays in that slot and heads out to sea. It’s a steady cascading drop down out to a gravel bed and the pipe ends in about 65’. As the pipe heads down the canyon there are all sorts of boulders and crazy terrain with some big 25 lb cabezon hanging out.

I love that dive site! I never knew why it was called Pipeline though. I don't remember ever seeing the pipe, but it's also been 25 years. We always did a giant stride of the rocks on the other side of the arch, but had DM at the time that jumped in off the arch itself.

Pipeline and Jack Peters Cove were my two favorite sites in Mendo. Miss those days!