How do I dive the kelp forest?

[D_B]

Wonderful video Max

I'll second staying on Catalina, It's quite charming and you can't get any easier diving than walking down the steps to the dive park (one of my favorite dive places) and the Seaport Village Inn has a good price for scuba boarders and is very diver friendly with a place to wash, store your gear, and even an elevator if you want to take your gear to a room on an upper floor

You'll also probably get to meet DrBill, the Island's unofficial ambassador of good will and a wonderful host

 

[Teamcasa]

Its a natural wonder! Makes me think why this place does not appear as a prime diving destination in dive magazines and websites as much as some other places. Just like you can dive a number of places for walls, corrals etc there are not many places that have this.

People don't like the colder waters but they really don't know what they are missing.

I'll second Ann Marie's suggestion to let us know when you plan to visit. There are a lot of SB'rs that meet this way.

 

[robint]

People don't like the colder waters but they really don't know what they are missing.
I'll second Ann Marie's suggestion to let us know when you plan to visit. There are a lot of SB'rs that meet this way.

ain't that the truth!!! I saw a photo of garibaldi in kelp on the wall in my LDS when I signed up for classes. I said - "I wanna go there!" and the ahole at the counter said, "no, you don't want to go there, that's cold water!" Good thing I wasn't completely discouraged. We did go there 5 yrs later and have been going every year since!

A few of My trip reports:
http://www.rnrscuba.net/Calif_08/CaliforniaTripReport_Aug2008.html
http://www.rnrscuba.net/Calif_07/CalifTripReport2007.html


I have videos too:
California, Channel Islands on Vimeo

robin
A California diving fan!

 

[DESERT EEL]

SHHHHHHH, don't let the secret out. Everyone will be there and they will ruin the way it is now.

 

[El Dude]

I think it was BBC's Blue Planet which called SoCal waters. "The chilly 55 degree water of the California current..." Too funny, chilly doesn't start until 45F and cold is around 39F. 55 is just bathwater.

 

[robint]

Its a natural wonder! Makes me think why this place does not appear as a prime diving destination in dive magazines and websites as much as some other places. Just like you can dive a number of places for walls, corrals etc there are not many places that have this.

Seahound - they occasionally do articles in Scubadiving.com and sportdiver.com but I have found some of the best info is here on SB and also on California Scuba Diving BBS forum

Check out these videos too:

Amazon.com: Into the Deep (IMAX): Kate Nelligan, Noel Archambault, Howard Hall, Barbara Kerr, Graeme Ferguson, Jonathan Barker, Judy Carroll, Susumu Sakane: Movies & TV

videos by our own Dr. Bill here on SB:
Star Thrower Educational Multimedia (S.T.E.M.) Products: Educational DVD's

good id video of all critters you will see: Amazon.com: California Marine Life Identification: Kristine C. Barsky, Steven M. Barsky, Steven M. Barsky, Kristine C. Barsky: Movies & TV

 

[TSandM]

SeaHound, it's also good to know that you can dive the kelp forests in places other than Catalina. (Not to denigrate Catalina; the diving there is gorgeous!) There are SoCal boats that do three-day liveaboard trips. I have done one on the Peace, and we went out to the Channel Islands and had three days of incredible diving. We had Monterey-like corynactis anemones and hydrocoral off San Miguel, and kelp and Garibaldis as we came back eastward. The bunks were comfortable enough, and the food was FABULOUS and plentiful. I'm going back to do it again this June (although I'm not sure I'd recommend June, as the two times I've been down there in that month, the visibility hasn't been great). It's just another option, that gets you diving and lodging in one fell swoop.

 

[SeaHound]

Thanks so much for all this info. I am planning for winter months so it will be after September sometime. I think this will be the first winter I will actually be waiting for he he

 

[SPKelpDiver]

I think it was BBC's Blue Planet which called SoCal waters. "The chilly 55 degree water of the California current..." Too funny, chilly doesn't start until 45F and cold is around 39F. 55 is just bathwater.

"Chilly" and "Cold" are subjective. 55 degree water is definitely chilly to me. I am not sure how much extra "bio-prene" you are wearing, but 55 degree water is enough to make me consider a drysuit. 45 degree water is damn cold by just about anybodys standard. You may be one of the lucky ones with a high tolerance to the cold.

Seahound,
Here are some tips for diving the kelp forest regardless of where you decide to dive.

-Streamline your gear. Tuck your gauges under your shoulder straps, ect.

- Probably the most important tip I can give you is Navigation. Use your compass. If you are in Catalina, the visibility will probably be pretty good. But when it drops below 30 feet (which is still excellent by my standard) you may get turned around especially when the kelp is thick. Imagine walking through a thick section of woods in a dense fog...it is easy to get disoriented. I personally take a headings facing directly into shore, directly out to the deep, and than parallel to the shore line. That way I have a general X/Y axis and I can infer angles based on those numbers. I would definitely brush up on your navigation skills at your local diving hole before you come out to California.

- Go with the flow, don't fight the kelp.
If you feel kelp snag your fins, don't kick hard to get out of it. Kick gently and as you move forward the kelp should just slide off. Try not to turn around and untangle the kelp with your hands unless absolutely necessary, this may cause more entanglement.
Also when moving through really thick kelp, keep one hand on your primary regulator hose incase it gets snagged and pulled out of your mouth. If you are wearing a snorkel, be mindful of that as it can become entangled and rip your mask right off your face if you are moving fast. Basically the best option when moving through kelp is to move slow and steadily...go with the flow.


You are going to have a blast. Let us know how it goes. The kelp forests of California are a sacred place to me, and I am sure you will soon see why.

 

[SeaHound]

People don't like the colder waters but they really don't know what they are missing.

I'll second Ann Marie's suggestion to let us know when you plan to visit. There are a lot of SB'rs that meet this way.

Dave -

Before coming I will put a post out (3 weeks in advance?). That way we can do a joint SB member dive there. I am so looking forward to this.