Little vis. Little surge. Lotsa life!.

[MaxBottomtime]

We finally got to dive with Frank Lukowski and Charlie Bartleson today after first reading their dive reports two years ago. It was well worth the wait. We dropped into dirty water at White Point Rock and it did not clear much until we made it to the sand. Next to the anchor was a sand rose anemone, Urticina columbiana. Merry took several shots of it. I was having issues with my camera today. I learned when I got home that I forgot to turn on the internal flash. D-oh!

Due to the poor visibility, I remained in the same area throughout the dive. Fortunately, the small reef is so loaded with life that even with flash problems I still managed to get a few decent shots. Merry got this Cadlina limbaughorum in a bed of anemones.

My humble efforts;

Acanthodoris hudsoni on a file clam

Diaulula sandiegensis

Peltodoris nobilis

Triopha catalinae

Flabellina trilineata

One of the subjecta I was unable to capture very well was a three and one half foot lingcod. I found it in one of the small caves in the first five minutes of the dive. I finally got Merry, Frank and Charlie together to come and look. The lingcod dwarfs a lobster in the same hole.

 

[FrankPro1]

Awesome Flabellina trilineata and fish eating Anemone shots!

Where to start? What an unbelievable reef! After a month of sickness, poor conditions and busy schedules, Charlie and I were finally able to dive with Phil and Merry. Conditions weren't the best, but it doesn't matter when your exploring a pristine reef packed with critters. So much invertebrate life can be found on WPR. Every nook and cranny has something to photograph. As I did a giant stride off the No Pressure I realized I hadn't put batteries in my strobe, so no still photography for me on this dive. I decided to shoot some video and just take the sights in for once. I have dove almost all the inshore dive spots on the peninsula and let me tell you that WPR outclasses them all. Phil and Merry's diving and boating expertise is something to aspire towards. Thank you both for the opportunity to share in your explorations of our underwater world

Here is a short vid of what footage I could salvage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SClKgz2FFYA

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Did you have any trouble clearing? I was thinking about that ling so much that I forgot to ask.

 

[FrankPro1]

Did you have any trouble clearing? I was thinking about that ling so much that I forgot to ask.

On the way up the anchor line I had a small block but it went away after going down a few feet. Besides that no problem 24hour Allegra and Flonase works wonders!

 

[TSandM]

That's a Seattle-sized ling cod!

 

[fnfalman]

Wow, all those nudies on one little reef!!!

 

[FrankPro1]

I learned when I got home that I forgot to turn on the internal flash. D-oh!

Don't feel too bad. Turns out I not only forgot to put batteries in my strobe, but also forgot to tighten down the battery hatch itself. Luckily the flood wasn't too bad and after a couple fresh water/ alcohol rinses the strobe is working fine.

 

[FrankPro1]

Wow, all those nudies on one little reef!!!

Agreed! WPR is jam packed full of invertebrates. The inshore-PV reefs, Catalina & Santa Cruz Island and Orange county "everywhere I've dived" can't come even remotely close to this little gem sitting just off the coast of one of the peninsula's less-then glamorous shore diving spots.