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FYI,
Deadmans reef;
For many years this reef was unknow to the general diving public and was the private domain of a selected few Orange County divers. It was a very productive reef for shell fish and pelagics in the formulative years of the sport. Because of its distance from shore it was an area whch generally could be counted on for clean clear water and very few if any other divers.
In 1970 the first dive guide for SoCal was produced titled 'Diving West,' With Ron Merker and my self as the major OC contributors. We had several long discussions if the then almost unknown Deadmans should be inclided in the guide, it was, at that time just too far for the ill equiped but certainly better qualified diver of the era. So we listed it as an advanced dive, and Advanced dive it has remained. However I agree with "Rakkis" it is advanced on two counts distance to swim, depth and possibly the third factor, open water enviroment
I am not positive but I think it was Ron Merker who gave "Dead Man reef" it's colorful name, long before most of you were born; Therefore to give credit where credit it do it should be Merker Reef.
About 1957 (50 years ago!) a group of divers, lead by Joe Armfeild (aka Jose Armpits, now Dr Armfeild) found a whale skelton on the reef, raised most of it and formed a very active OC club called the "Newport Whalers."
There are many many fringing protective reefs off of Orange county, known a select few antique divers which have been a secret for several gernerations and possibly will remain a secret until you, the current crop becomes more adventerous and explores the "unexplored."
There is one other idenified reef at Moss Street that Dale let out of the bag in his recent guide book. It is a little farther out and a little deeper and certainly does not have name as colorful as "Deadmans Reef."
SDM
Deadmans reef;
For many years this reef was unknow to the general diving public and was the private domain of a selected few Orange County divers. It was a very productive reef for shell fish and pelagics in the formulative years of the sport. Because of its distance from shore it was an area whch generally could be counted on for clean clear water and very few if any other divers.
In 1970 the first dive guide for SoCal was produced titled 'Diving West,' With Ron Merker and my self as the major OC contributors. We had several long discussions if the then almost unknown Deadmans should be inclided in the guide, it was, at that time just too far for the ill equiped but certainly better qualified diver of the era. So we listed it as an advanced dive, and Advanced dive it has remained. However I agree with "Rakkis" it is advanced on two counts distance to swim, depth and possibly the third factor, open water enviroment
I am not positive but I think it was Ron Merker who gave "Dead Man reef" it's colorful name, long before most of you were born; Therefore to give credit where credit it do it should be Merker Reef.
About 1957 (50 years ago!) a group of divers, lead by Joe Armfeild (aka Jose Armpits, now Dr Armfeild) found a whale skelton on the reef, raised most of it and formed a very active OC club called the "Newport Whalers."
There are many many fringing protective reefs off of Orange county, known a select few antique divers which have been a secret for several gernerations and possibly will remain a secret until you, the current crop becomes more adventerous and explores the "unexplored."
There is one other idenified reef at Moss Street that Dale let out of the bag in his recent guide book. It is a little farther out and a little deeper and certainly does not have name as colorful as "Deadmans Reef."
SDM
