Craig Hoover
Guest
Woke up Sunday morning, turned on the computer and there in front of me were pictures of a nudi on my top ten list. Dr. Bill sighted four Hypselodoris californiensis over the weekend at Catalina's Casino Point. This nudibranch was common several decades ago though recent sightings have diminished to only a few. Research pointed to Casino Point as a possible location. The confirmation was the push I needed. Life put on hold, I started on logistics and gear prep.
I rechecked Dr. Bills photos and looked carefully at the rock surrounding the nudi. There was orange and white growth. No algae was visible. Now I knew the substrate that I was looking for.
At the park, I began a search on the east side between depths of 15 to 80 feet. Research suggested that they may be large so I was equipped with a 15-85 mm lens. After two hours underwater I narrowed the probable depth to between 30 and 40 feet. Undercut and vertical rock faces have limited light to support algal growth. They also fit the color scheme.
Several Triopha catalinas and Chromodoris macfarlandis were on the hull of the wreck of the Sue-Jac in 90 feet. This was an op to return for later with a macro lens. On the way back up the slope I was bit by many a nest sitting garibaldi as I searched the rocky walls and boulders for Hypselodoris.
The second dive was to the west side of the park. The bottom here is mostly sand with a few boulders. There was less area that had the habitat Hypselodoris was sighted in. I contented myself shooting some wide angle of the forest. The visibility was a fair 30 feet and I stayed above the thermocline that dropped the temperature from 62 degrees to 53.
I finished the dive shooting a California morey sharing a cave with red rock shrimp.
On the third dive I switched to a 100 mm lens. I descended at the large outer buoy to the east, feeling great to have a macro lens and some possibilities in front of me. The search for H. was less important now and I wanted some good shots to show for the day's exertion. I found my way back to the Sue-Jac but didn't have the bottom time to stay. I took a moment to try a shot of Mexichromis porterae but the camera switched over to video mode and the LCD screen turned on. My 7D gets stuck in these modes sometimes. I gave up on shooting and began a frustrating ascent up the slope.
Almost ready to call it a day, I looked under a ledge in 30 feet and there was my little blue Hypselodoris! The elation was supreme. I turned on the camera and the settings had cleared. A glance at my computer revealed 20 minutes to get the shot. Those were a blissful 20 minutes.
Many thanks to Dr. Bill, Catalina Divers Supply and the Catalina Express for their help with this search.
I rechecked Dr. Bills photos and looked carefully at the rock surrounding the nudi. There was orange and white growth. No algae was visible. Now I knew the substrate that I was looking for.
At the park, I began a search on the east side between depths of 15 to 80 feet. Research suggested that they may be large so I was equipped with a 15-85 mm lens. After two hours underwater I narrowed the probable depth to between 30 and 40 feet. Undercut and vertical rock faces have limited light to support algal growth. They also fit the color scheme.
Several Triopha catalinas and Chromodoris macfarlandis were on the hull of the wreck of the Sue-Jac in 90 feet. This was an op to return for later with a macro lens. On the way back up the slope I was bit by many a nest sitting garibaldi as I searched the rocky walls and boulders for Hypselodoris.
The second dive was to the west side of the park. The bottom here is mostly sand with a few boulders. There was less area that had the habitat Hypselodoris was sighted in. I contented myself shooting some wide angle of the forest. The visibility was a fair 30 feet and I stayed above the thermocline that dropped the temperature from 62 degrees to 53.
I finished the dive shooting a California morey sharing a cave with red rock shrimp.
On the third dive I switched to a 100 mm lens. I descended at the large outer buoy to the east, feeling great to have a macro lens and some possibilities in front of me. The search for H. was less important now and I wanted some good shots to show for the day's exertion. I found my way back to the Sue-Jac but didn't have the bottom time to stay. I took a moment to try a shot of Mexichromis porterae but the camera switched over to video mode and the LCD screen turned on. My 7D gets stuck in these modes sometimes. I gave up on shooting and began a frustrating ascent up the slope.
Almost ready to call it a day, I looked under a ledge in 30 feet and there was my little blue Hypselodoris! The elation was supreme. I turned on the camera and the settings had cleared. A glance at my computer revealed 20 minutes to get the shot. Those were a blissful 20 minutes.
Many thanks to Dr. Bill, Catalina Divers Supply and the Catalina Express for their help with this search.
