July 04 Dive Reports
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ScubaSeanMaui
Contributor
I just did a control-alt Prt Scr which copies the entire screen into the buffer, then opened a new window in photoshop (or any image manipulation program) and pasted it in there. I think I will do that more since it's so easy.
We are going to La Jolla Shores. We try to meet up at Vallecitos 5-6pm and get in the water by 6:30. There must have been 500 people on the beach at 7pm yesterday. No parking on Vallecitos, but I did get one in the Shores lot which is a little distance from the dive spot. Your welcome to join us if you like. Just in case here's a mapquest link to Vallecitos Street:
La Jolla Shores Vallecitos Street
Terry: It was great diving with you! I'd like to see the pictures you took. I definitly will be down there tonight. I charged up my batteries and my C8 is bright!!! I just need a few more rechargeables for my smaller light. Thanks for showing me the on/off switch on my housing
It really will come in handy!!! I'll see you at Vallecitos!!!
Sean
We are going to La Jolla Shores. We try to meet up at Vallecitos 5-6pm and get in the water by 6:30. There must have been 500 people on the beach at 7pm yesterday. No parking on Vallecitos, but I did get one in the Shores lot which is a little distance from the dive spot. Your welcome to join us if you like. Just in case here's a mapquest link to Vallecitos Street:
La Jolla Shores Vallecitos Street
Terry: It was great diving with you! I'd like to see the pictures you took. I definitly will be down there tonight. I charged up my batteries and my C8 is bright!!! I just need a few more rechargeables for my smaller light. Thanks for showing me the on/off switch on my housing
It really will come in handy!!! I'll see you at Vallecitos!!!Sean
ScubaSeanMaui
Contributor
Date: 07-21-2004
Dive Location: La Jolla Shores
Time: 6:54
Bottom Time: 31:40
Max Depth: 92fsw
Vis: 3-25 feet (nice at depth)
Wave height: 2-3 feet, big swells
Temp at depth: 54 degrees
Surface Temp: 63 degrees
Tide information: High end of the tide (longer swim out)
Comments: Jane, Roya, Terry and I met at Vallecitos at 6:00 pm or so. On the swim out we encountered one Shaka Zulu from scubaboard on some sort of kaya/surfing aparatus. After some greetings and discussion, we went out and all grouped up at the white bouy. Roya was with me, and Jane with Terry. They dropped down and we saw them at the car later on. It was about 2-3 feet of vis at the buoy chain. Roya and I immediatly got seperated since she didn't decend to the bottom due to her ear equalization. I looked for 1 minute, and acended after not seeing her. She stayed underwater at the buoy chain (I could see her bubbles) so I went down again after a few mins. and we grouped up again. After making sure she was ok, we tried to move to the canyon. I gave the signal and proceeded to the canyon, and Roya was not with me after 30 seconds. She said she didn't go with me(after the dive), so eventually I surfaced again. Again I saw her bubbles and went down to the anchor chain and this time we moved out to the canyon together. At about 45 feet we paused so she could equalize her ears, then we were at the canyon's edge. We went south along the edge seeing some creatures along the ridge.
We saw 2 blue fish trying to get into a hole (I got a picture). The bigger holes were empty, but upon our approach we saw a scuplin. We almost reached the point when I saw Roya had about 800 psi left, so we started up into the sand towards the beach. It was fairly uneventful other than the fact that I had too little weight with my aluminum tank so at about 15 feet I had to surface since I was unable to stay under.
I enjoyed the dive in spite of the issues at the beginning. I was happy we were able to complete the dive as planned, perhaps a little less bottom time; no worries!
Thanks for the dive Roya, Jane and Terry! See you next Wed!
Sean
pics here:
http://www.lagunashorediving.com/gallery/shores07212004
Dive Location: La Jolla Shores
Time: 6:54
Bottom Time: 31:40
Max Depth: 92fsw
Vis: 3-25 feet (nice at depth)
Wave height: 2-3 feet, big swells
Temp at depth: 54 degrees
Surface Temp: 63 degrees
Tide information: High end of the tide (longer swim out)
Comments: Jane, Roya, Terry and I met at Vallecitos at 6:00 pm or so. On the swim out we encountered one Shaka Zulu from scubaboard on some sort of kaya/surfing aparatus. After some greetings and discussion, we went out and all grouped up at the white bouy. Roya was with me, and Jane with Terry. They dropped down and we saw them at the car later on. It was about 2-3 feet of vis at the buoy chain. Roya and I immediatly got seperated since she didn't decend to the bottom due to her ear equalization. I looked for 1 minute, and acended after not seeing her. She stayed underwater at the buoy chain (I could see her bubbles) so I went down again after a few mins. and we grouped up again. After making sure she was ok, we tried to move to the canyon. I gave the signal and proceeded to the canyon, and Roya was not with me after 30 seconds. She said she didn't go with me(after the dive), so eventually I surfaced again. Again I saw her bubbles and went down to the anchor chain and this time we moved out to the canyon together. At about 45 feet we paused so she could equalize her ears, then we were at the canyon's edge. We went south along the edge seeing some creatures along the ridge.
We saw 2 blue fish trying to get into a hole (I got a picture). The bigger holes were empty, but upon our approach we saw a scuplin. We almost reached the point when I saw Roya had about 800 psi left, so we started up into the sand towards the beach. It was fairly uneventful other than the fact that I had too little weight with my aluminum tank so at about 15 feet I had to surface since I was unable to stay under.
I enjoyed the dive in spite of the issues at the beginning. I was happy we were able to complete the dive as planned, perhaps a little less bottom time; no worries!
Thanks for the dive Roya, Jane and Terry! See you next Wed!
Sean
pics here:
http://www.lagunashorediving.com/gallery/shores07212004
OP
Date: 24 July 2004
Dive Location: Deer Creek, Ventura County
Time: 8:59 A.M.
Bottom Time: 37:10
Max Depth: 26
Vis: 5-10 feet. Best was out past the kelp.
Wave height: 1-2 ft
Temp at depth: 55 SUUNTO Degrees and felt it.
Surface Temp: 63 SUUNTO Degrees
Tide information: LOW 8:19 AM 1.5 Feet High 3:22 PM 4.9 Feet
Air: Start: 2900 PSI Ending: 1910 PSI SAC: 0.42 AL 80 tank.
Comments:
Dropped down on top of the reef and swam west. We were immediately greeted by a moving wall of bait fish, very dense and estimated at about 30 feet long. Later we were greeted by a carpet of Black Perch which moved under us. Evidently they feared us less than the sea lion patrolling the edge of the kelp. Very large sheeps head crabs. Nice short dive with 3-4 foot surge and poor visibility in the shallows. We came early as while it was a nice dive, it was not a fantastic dive. Still it beats working.
Dive Location: Deer Creek, Ventura County
Time: 8:59 A.M.
Bottom Time: 37:10
Max Depth: 26
Vis: 5-10 feet. Best was out past the kelp.
Wave height: 1-2 ft
Temp at depth: 55 SUUNTO Degrees and felt it.
Surface Temp: 63 SUUNTO Degrees
Tide information: LOW 8:19 AM 1.5 Feet High 3:22 PM 4.9 Feet
Air: Start: 2900 PSI Ending: 1910 PSI SAC: 0.42 AL 80 tank.
Comments:
Dropped down on top of the reef and swam west. We were immediately greeted by a moving wall of bait fish, very dense and estimated at about 30 feet long. Later we were greeted by a carpet of Black Perch which moved under us. Evidently they feared us less than the sea lion patrolling the edge of the kelp. Very large sheeps head crabs. Nice short dive with 3-4 foot surge and poor visibility in the shallows. We came early as while it was a nice dive, it was not a fantastic dive. Still it beats working.
I had one of my best dives ever at Marineland this morning. The visibility was up from last week. 15-20 feet on the offshore reefs to the East of the cove. While practicing different techniques with my camera (I still suck) I found an 18" Triggerfish in a crevice. I took a few shots, but only from the rear. I thought about touching it to make it move for me, but decided against it. It didn't matter, as he suddenly turned and bolted for the surface. I saw him cruising along the reef later, but couldn't get close enough for a shot. All in all, a very fun dive at an old favorite site. Little to no surf, 54F at 40 feet, 15-20 feet vis, 1:30 bottom time.
ScubaSeanMaui
Contributor
Date: 24 July 2004
Dive Location: Little Solana Cove
Time: 9:07 A.M.
Bottom Time: 43:20
Max Depth: 23
Vis: 0-10 feet. Vis got better and worse
Wave height: 1-2 ft
Temp at depth: 63 degrees.
Surface Temp: 64 degrees.
Tide information: Low Tide
Comments:
North County Safari hosted by the Bottom Bunch(URL) dive coordinator Larry Cope.
Met Larry, Jennifer, John, Roy, Paul, Leila, and one additional guy in the BB.
We met up at the 56/805 Park 'n Drive which is a parking lot at those freeways. We cruised NW to the dive spots. Larry pointed out 15th Street, Fletcher Cove, then Little Solana which is where we decided to dive. We geared up and headed out. We hoped for good vis, but it turned out to be less. We all stayed together for a while, then got seperated. Roy and I decided to call the dive midway since the vis was poor and the surge was up. We ran into John on the way in, and waiting for them to exit before we climed the stairs to our cars. We all said our goodbyes and a few of us continued on to Robertos where Larry showed us his fish id book and pointed out some things he saw on his dive. Roy and I decided to do a 2nd dive at the Shores. We all said goodbye again. Onto the 2nd dive.
Date: 24 July 2004
Dive Location: La Jolla Shores
Time: 1:23 PM
Bottom Time: 42:00
Max Depth: 96 fsw
Vis: 0-25 feet. At depth vis was nice. A few clouds with no vis
Wave height: 1-2 ft
Temp at depth: 59 degrees.
Surface Temp: 66 degrees.
Tide information: Higher Tide
Comments:
After 30 minutes of finding a parking spot, Roy and I met up on the grass and prepared to dive. We kicked out to the bouy passing several groups of classes, one towing a bouy. At the white bouy there was another group who we waited to clear out before we decended. After a few mins Roy and I dropped down and wanted to check out the fish in the bouy chain, but those dives were huddled around the anchor line, so we moved on. We swam to the canyon East and dropped down into the canyon. We were farther North than I wanted, but we continued on along the canyon edge looking for stuff and decending to 90+ feet. A few dust clounds would drop vis to nothing, but we went around them and vis was back around 20-25 feet. Near the end of our dive we saw 2 massive Sheepheads (males) who were just cruising along, and finally decending beyond our sight. We saw the usual stuff, Tube-dwelling Anemones, Navanax, Halibut, Baptodoris mimetica(the yellow nudi), Speckled Sanddabs, Bay Gobbies everywhere, shrimp in holes in the canyon wall, etc. The more you look the more you see
We came across the halibut as we headed up the sand.
We exited just north of the boat launch. A great day of diving in San Diego!
Pics:
http://www.lagunashorediving.com/gallery/shores07242004
Next up, Yukon, Ruby E, Point Loma Kelp tomorrow!!! :dazzler1:
Have a great week!
Sean
Dive Location: Little Solana Cove
Time: 9:07 A.M.
Bottom Time: 43:20
Max Depth: 23
Vis: 0-10 feet. Vis got better and worse
Wave height: 1-2 ft
Temp at depth: 63 degrees.
Surface Temp: 64 degrees.
Tide information: Low Tide
Comments:
North County Safari hosted by the Bottom Bunch(URL) dive coordinator Larry Cope.
Met Larry, Jennifer, John, Roy, Paul, Leila, and one additional guy in the BB.
We met up at the 56/805 Park 'n Drive which is a parking lot at those freeways. We cruised NW to the dive spots. Larry pointed out 15th Street, Fletcher Cove, then Little Solana which is where we decided to dive. We geared up and headed out. We hoped for good vis, but it turned out to be less. We all stayed together for a while, then got seperated. Roy and I decided to call the dive midway since the vis was poor and the surge was up. We ran into John on the way in, and waiting for them to exit before we climed the stairs to our cars. We all said our goodbyes and a few of us continued on to Robertos where Larry showed us his fish id book and pointed out some things he saw on his dive. Roy and I decided to do a 2nd dive at the Shores. We all said goodbye again. Onto the 2nd dive.
Date: 24 July 2004
Dive Location: La Jolla Shores
Time: 1:23 PM
Bottom Time: 42:00
Max Depth: 96 fsw
Vis: 0-25 feet. At depth vis was nice. A few clouds with no vis
Wave height: 1-2 ft
Temp at depth: 59 degrees.
Surface Temp: 66 degrees.
Tide information: Higher Tide
Comments:
After 30 minutes of finding a parking spot, Roy and I met up on the grass and prepared to dive. We kicked out to the bouy passing several groups of classes, one towing a bouy. At the white bouy there was another group who we waited to clear out before we decended. After a few mins Roy and I dropped down and wanted to check out the fish in the bouy chain, but those dives were huddled around the anchor line, so we moved on. We swam to the canyon East and dropped down into the canyon. We were farther North than I wanted, but we continued on along the canyon edge looking for stuff and decending to 90+ feet. A few dust clounds would drop vis to nothing, but we went around them and vis was back around 20-25 feet. Near the end of our dive we saw 2 massive Sheepheads (males) who were just cruising along, and finally decending beyond our sight. We saw the usual stuff, Tube-dwelling Anemones, Navanax, Halibut, Baptodoris mimetica(the yellow nudi), Speckled Sanddabs, Bay Gobbies everywhere, shrimp in holes in the canyon wall, etc. The more you look the more you see
We came across the halibut as we headed up the sand. We exited just north of the boat launch. A great day of diving in San Diego!
Pics:
http://www.lagunashorediving.com/gallery/shores07242004
Next up, Yukon, Ruby E, Point Loma Kelp tomorrow!!! :dazzler1:
Have a great week!
Sean
PhotoTJ
Contributor
- Messages
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- Reaction score
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- # of dives
- I just don't log dives
Date: 25 July
Dive Location: Sycamore Cove, Ventura County, CA
Time: 10 : 05 AM
Bottom Time: 46 mins
Max Depth: 45 ft
Vis: 15-18 going down to 2 towards end of dive
Wave height: 3-5
Temp at depth: 54
Surface Temp: 69
Tide information: strange
Comments:
Went to Sycamore Cove with a gang from Aloha Divers, just about everyone showed up, Two Tanks, Colleen, Dragon, Amanda, Penguin, Missy Magoo, Shark Bait, Tipsy Wagtail, Tiny, Mongo, Magic, and the rest of the usual suspects. Got our area prepped, and gear set up. I dove with Shark Bait my first dive; a good, steady buddy.
Entry was no trouble, finned up, and went down. Headed straight out South, hunting Halibut. Saw a few chips, a couple of four inchers, and one that was a foot, so no fresh lunch. Made a left at 45 ft, and headed east for a while. Lots of sand, every little species of crab in SoCal, and not much else. Coming back, a wicked current came up, so we just moved west a tad, before surfacing. Now for the fun part. While we were down, a red tide bloomed, a crazy swell came up, the wind changed, (so we had a nasty chop), a rip started running, and I thought to myself, 'Why is it so hot, and what are we doing in this handbasket?'. Throw in the thermocline we hit, and you have a recipe for a Mongolian Cluster...well, you know.
Good food, and great company post dive, at least.
Hey, I still got a dive in today.
TJ
Dive Location: Sycamore Cove, Ventura County, CA
Time: 10 : 05 AM
Bottom Time: 46 mins
Max Depth: 45 ft
Vis: 15-18 going down to 2 towards end of dive
Wave height: 3-5
Temp at depth: 54
Surface Temp: 69
Tide information: strange
Comments:
Went to Sycamore Cove with a gang from Aloha Divers, just about everyone showed up, Two Tanks, Colleen, Dragon, Amanda, Penguin, Missy Magoo, Shark Bait, Tipsy Wagtail, Tiny, Mongo, Magic, and the rest of the usual suspects. Got our area prepped, and gear set up. I dove with Shark Bait my first dive; a good, steady buddy.
Entry was no trouble, finned up, and went down. Headed straight out South, hunting Halibut. Saw a few chips, a couple of four inchers, and one that was a foot, so no fresh lunch. Made a left at 45 ft, and headed east for a while. Lots of sand, every little species of crab in SoCal, and not much else. Coming back, a wicked current came up, so we just moved west a tad, before surfacing. Now for the fun part. While we were down, a red tide bloomed, a crazy swell came up, the wind changed, (so we had a nasty chop), a rip started running, and I thought to myself, 'Why is it so hot, and what are we doing in this handbasket?'. Throw in the thermocline we hit, and you have a recipe for a Mongolian Cluster...well, you know.
Good food, and great company post dive, at least.
Hey, I still got a dive in today.
TJ
OP
Date: 25 Jul 04
Dive Location: Escondido Creek Malibu
Time: 9:26 a.m.
Bottom Time: 54:00
Max Depth: 31 FSW
Vis: 5-8 feet
Wave height: 1-2 feet
Temp at depth: 57 SUUNTO degrees my #ss, felt more like 54 to me.
Surface Temp: 63 Suunto degrees
Tide information: LOW 9:07 a.m. 2.0 feet, HIGH 3:56 p.m. 5.3 feet
Air Start: 2780 PSI End: 1330 PSI SAC 0.39
Comments:
Swam out 200 yards off shore to kelp bed and dropped down. There is a very nice reef in closer as well which we saw on the return trip. Sand bottom drops off sharply about 15 feet from waters edge (mid chest to over head.) Saw a nice octopus and several crabs. Nice dive but the visibility and slight surge made it an OK dive. We called the dive early due to boredom. Still, we had fun and it beat sitting around the house.
Dive Location: Escondido Creek Malibu
Time: 9:26 a.m.
Bottom Time: 54:00
Max Depth: 31 FSW
Vis: 5-8 feet
Wave height: 1-2 feet
Temp at depth: 57 SUUNTO degrees my #ss, felt more like 54 to me.
Surface Temp: 63 Suunto degrees
Tide information: LOW 9:07 a.m. 2.0 feet, HIGH 3:56 p.m. 5.3 feet
Air Start: 2780 PSI End: 1330 PSI SAC 0.39
Comments:
Swam out 200 yards off shore to kelp bed and dropped down. There is a very nice reef in closer as well which we saw on the return trip. Sand bottom drops off sharply about 15 feet from waters edge (mid chest to over head.) Saw a nice octopus and several crabs. Nice dive but the visibility and slight surge made it an OK dive. We called the dive early due to boredom. Still, we had fun and it beat sitting around the house.
Roughwaterjohn
Contributor
Solana Beach: Tide Park / Tabletops, July 24th
Info:
-Warm, sunny morning with bright skies and a light breeze.
-Calm seas, with mild 1-2 breakers over the sand flats, larger on the reefs.
-1.5 high tide, on a 1.0 knot flood heading up to 4.9 tide @ 3:22PM.
-Surface temperatures were in the high 60s, with mid 60s on the bottom.
-The upper water column had better visibility than the bottom. Visibility on the sand bottom ranged from a greenish 0-1. 5, while the mid and top water column shared 10.
-Maximum depth was 22 fsw, with an average depth of 17 fsw.
-Our total bottom time was 52 minutes.
The Report:
Larry, Jenn, Sean, Roy, Paul, Leila and I met up at the Park & Ride at I-5 and Hwy 56 for the start of another Bottom Bunch Dive Club North County Dive Safari, or, as we like to call it, the good ol BBDCNCDS. With many North County sites unpredictable at best, but great diving when you can do it, we took a page from the history of surfers of the 50s and 60s, loading up our Woodies with dive gear and cruising the coast in search of the perfect (lack of) wave. With the sounds of the Beach Boys rumbling inside our heads and the bright blue ocean shimmering under sunny skies to our left, we headed up the coast.
Our first stop was 15th St. / Power House Park in Del Mar. Standing on the bluffs, conditions looked fine, mild seas with little wave action, but the lower tide wouldnt have made the occasional rock reef much fun. Next stop, Fletcher Cove in Solana Beach proved much the same. Deciding to try one more spot in Solana before continuing our Safari, we cruised up Pacific St. along the bluffs before stopping at Tide Park. Standing at the top of the stairs, with Table Tops just 145 steps below, we found our site. We went back to our Woodies, geared up, and were climbing down the steps in record time.
It was an easy entry, with a long but mild surf zone, due Im sure in some small part to entering right at slack tide on a flat sand beach. We headed out on a South/West bearing; straight out from the beach and on a heading intended to keep us away from the shallow reefs until we were passed the surf. Visibility looking down from the surface looked pretty nice, but it turned out to be a trick of the sea. When we finally dropped down into 18 fsw, we found bottom conditions turbid and green, with a persistent surge keeping things stirred up and the kelp swaying. Continuing South/West, visibility improved as we entered the protection of the taller reefs and thicker stands of kelp. We had already planned our buddy teams, so Larry and Jenn, Sean and Roy, and Paul, Leila and I headed off in slightly different directions. Visibility staid around 5-7 for most of the dive, but Larry and Jenn, who made it out to 28 fsw, said they encountered 10 visibility, with occasional patches of 15.
When conditions are good, and Ive been here when they are great, this is one of the best sites in San Diego, with extensive rock reef structure, lots of kelp and plentiful life in all its diversity. The shallow nature allows plenty of bottom time if conditions warrant it. Our first sighting today was a ¾ Spanish Shawl waving in the surge as it clung to the algae covered reef. We saw a large variety of Kelp Bass, Senoritas, a few good-sized Rock Wrasse and a large school of juvenile Blacksmiths. Our explorations took us to caves filled on every inner surface with Lobster, small nooks hiding juvenile Garibaldi, while larger and more curious Garibaldi darted in and out of the kelp. Several types and sizes of Perch made their homes in and around the rocks, usually staying near the holdfasts where the kelp attaches to the bottom structure.
Once passed the surf zone, which is quite a distance from shore in the area of the reefs, we turned North/West and continued exploring. The structure is very diverse here, changing from vertical walls of rock with large cavernous overhangs, to shorter reefs between sand channels and the to the namesake tall, flat tabletop reefs reaching towards the surface. Thick forests of Kelp stretch off into the distance, that is of course, when you can see the distance, while a multitude of life hovers within or crawls upon the protection afforded by rock and plant.
We saw Sheepcrab crawling over rocks, Coonstripe Shrimp poking their shrimpy heads out of crevices, Keyhole Limpets clinging to rocky overhangs and fish by the bucketful in every direction. Opaleye, Sargo and Bass were our constant companions in the column, while crustaceans, nudibranchs and a variety of tiny dwellers crawled or hid on the bottom. Even in this poor visibility, we didnt lack for life to entertain and amaze us.
When we caressed our turnaround pressure, we reversed course, returning towards our entry point. As with any site with this much diversity in terrain, the return trip was completely different from the outbound, although our path was similar. It was as enjoyable and filled with life as our first crossing. Heading into shore, we left the reefs behind and started our sandy crossing. The surge continued to stir the bottom up, so navigation was by compass and good luck. We made it approximately 2/3s of the way in, when visibility dropped completely, leaving us at the mercy of the surge and the occasional rock outcropping.
Our previous luck notwithstanding, we chose to surface and do the final kick in on top where the air was free and the sun lit our path. It was an easy exit, with the waves having increased only slightly. A quick sprint up the stairs soon found us all the way to the ..well it found us 5-6 steps from the bottom. With only 140+ steps ahead of us, we changed our modus operandi and slogged up the final soul killing, tortuous and twisting path to salvation, now bearing our soaking wet gear with slightly less than open hostility, a far cry from the effervescent friskiness we exuded on the downhill trip. What seemed like days later, we made it, proud and tired, to the top and our long forgotten Woodies. It just cant get any better than this!
John-Boy
Info:
-Warm, sunny morning with bright skies and a light breeze.
-Calm seas, with mild 1-2 breakers over the sand flats, larger on the reefs.
-1.5 high tide, on a 1.0 knot flood heading up to 4.9 tide @ 3:22PM.
-Surface temperatures were in the high 60s, with mid 60s on the bottom.
-The upper water column had better visibility than the bottom. Visibility on the sand bottom ranged from a greenish 0-1. 5, while the mid and top water column shared 10.
-Maximum depth was 22 fsw, with an average depth of 17 fsw.
-Our total bottom time was 52 minutes.
The Report:
Larry, Jenn, Sean, Roy, Paul, Leila and I met up at the Park & Ride at I-5 and Hwy 56 for the start of another Bottom Bunch Dive Club North County Dive Safari, or, as we like to call it, the good ol BBDCNCDS. With many North County sites unpredictable at best, but great diving when you can do it, we took a page from the history of surfers of the 50s and 60s, loading up our Woodies with dive gear and cruising the coast in search of the perfect (lack of) wave. With the sounds of the Beach Boys rumbling inside our heads and the bright blue ocean shimmering under sunny skies to our left, we headed up the coast.
Our first stop was 15th St. / Power House Park in Del Mar. Standing on the bluffs, conditions looked fine, mild seas with little wave action, but the lower tide wouldnt have made the occasional rock reef much fun. Next stop, Fletcher Cove in Solana Beach proved much the same. Deciding to try one more spot in Solana before continuing our Safari, we cruised up Pacific St. along the bluffs before stopping at Tide Park. Standing at the top of the stairs, with Table Tops just 145 steps below, we found our site. We went back to our Woodies, geared up, and were climbing down the steps in record time.
It was an easy entry, with a long but mild surf zone, due Im sure in some small part to entering right at slack tide on a flat sand beach. We headed out on a South/West bearing; straight out from the beach and on a heading intended to keep us away from the shallow reefs until we were passed the surf. Visibility looking down from the surface looked pretty nice, but it turned out to be a trick of the sea. When we finally dropped down into 18 fsw, we found bottom conditions turbid and green, with a persistent surge keeping things stirred up and the kelp swaying. Continuing South/West, visibility improved as we entered the protection of the taller reefs and thicker stands of kelp. We had already planned our buddy teams, so Larry and Jenn, Sean and Roy, and Paul, Leila and I headed off in slightly different directions. Visibility staid around 5-7 for most of the dive, but Larry and Jenn, who made it out to 28 fsw, said they encountered 10 visibility, with occasional patches of 15.
When conditions are good, and Ive been here when they are great, this is one of the best sites in San Diego, with extensive rock reef structure, lots of kelp and plentiful life in all its diversity. The shallow nature allows plenty of bottom time if conditions warrant it. Our first sighting today was a ¾ Spanish Shawl waving in the surge as it clung to the algae covered reef. We saw a large variety of Kelp Bass, Senoritas, a few good-sized Rock Wrasse and a large school of juvenile Blacksmiths. Our explorations took us to caves filled on every inner surface with Lobster, small nooks hiding juvenile Garibaldi, while larger and more curious Garibaldi darted in and out of the kelp. Several types and sizes of Perch made their homes in and around the rocks, usually staying near the holdfasts where the kelp attaches to the bottom structure.
Once passed the surf zone, which is quite a distance from shore in the area of the reefs, we turned North/West and continued exploring. The structure is very diverse here, changing from vertical walls of rock with large cavernous overhangs, to shorter reefs between sand channels and the to the namesake tall, flat tabletop reefs reaching towards the surface. Thick forests of Kelp stretch off into the distance, that is of course, when you can see the distance, while a multitude of life hovers within or crawls upon the protection afforded by rock and plant.
We saw Sheepcrab crawling over rocks, Coonstripe Shrimp poking their shrimpy heads out of crevices, Keyhole Limpets clinging to rocky overhangs and fish by the bucketful in every direction. Opaleye, Sargo and Bass were our constant companions in the column, while crustaceans, nudibranchs and a variety of tiny dwellers crawled or hid on the bottom. Even in this poor visibility, we didnt lack for life to entertain and amaze us.
When we caressed our turnaround pressure, we reversed course, returning towards our entry point. As with any site with this much diversity in terrain, the return trip was completely different from the outbound, although our path was similar. It was as enjoyable and filled with life as our first crossing. Heading into shore, we left the reefs behind and started our sandy crossing. The surge continued to stir the bottom up, so navigation was by compass and good luck. We made it approximately 2/3s of the way in, when visibility dropped completely, leaving us at the mercy of the surge and the occasional rock outcropping.
Our previous luck notwithstanding, we chose to surface and do the final kick in on top where the air was free and the sun lit our path. It was an easy exit, with the waves having increased only slightly. A quick sprint up the stairs soon found us all the way to the ..well it found us 5-6 steps from the bottom. With only 140+ steps ahead of us, we changed our modus operandi and slogged up the final soul killing, tortuous and twisting path to salvation, now bearing our soaking wet gear with slightly less than open hostility, a far cry from the effervescent friskiness we exuded on the downhill trip. What seemed like days later, we made it, proud and tired, to the top and our long forgotten Woodies. It just cant get any better than this!
John-Boy
Robert Phillips
Contributor
Time:9:24
Bottom time:66 min
Max Depth:27'
Vis'.:5-12' depending on location
Wave Hieght:1-3'
Surge: Light
Temp at depth: 62 degrees
Surface temp:71 degrees
Tide: High (3.2)@ 03:49 low (2.0)@9:30something
Comments:
Skills/fun dive in the shallows. Nothing much to see. It seems that T.I. is becoming the spot to do classes at as it is becoming more crowded than it was last year. We found a cool, short little swim through that was fun to play in. We saw some common California Sand Farmer fish on the outside of the reef. Interesting creatures!
Dive safe, dive often!
Robert
Bottom time:66 min
Max Depth:27'
Vis'.:5-12' depending on location
Wave Hieght:1-3'
Surge: Light
Temp at depth: 62 degrees
Surface temp:71 degrees
Tide: High (3.2)@ 03:49 low (2.0)@9:30something
Comments:
Skills/fun dive in the shallows. Nothing much to see. It seems that T.I. is becoming the spot to do classes at as it is becoming more crowded than it was last year. We found a cool, short little swim through that was fun to play in. We saw some common California Sand Farmer fish on the outside of the reef. Interesting creatures!
Dive safe, dive often!
Robert
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