Monterey conditions. (let's keep it going )

[wnissen]

The water has been a bit on the warmer side; and there is a decent algal bloom -- not quite as terrible as Summers past, where it looked like chocolate milk and carried with it a sizable funk.

3-4 meters on the Monterey side at best, as of Wednesday; maybe 5-6 at depth on the Carmel side. There is a small craft advisory through tomorrow night; though the specific coastal waters report doesn't sound too bad . . .

This was a weird one, there was a small craft in the SF coastal waters but nothing down in Monterey. Breakwater was basically a lake. I would guess about 100 divers on site.

This was an Aqua Tutus ad-hoc club dive, so we all gathered at 7:30 a.m., and all the lower parking was full by 8. First dive we swam out along the wall and dropped at the 8 marker. Could probably have swum out a bit more, was very green and milky, maybe 3 m / 10 ft of vis. Once we got out just a bit further, it really opened up. At least 7 m / 20 ft. and you could really see the kelp stretching to the surface. However, the water temp was 11ºC / 52 ºF, so it was pretty chilly, especially given that the air temperature was only 70. Quite a few clown nudibranchs out to feed, nice school of blacksmith? fish, scallops, strawberry anemones, a baby decorator crab, just your classic breakwater dive. Saw a larger fish with a net wrapped on its head, but it wasn't willing to let me get close enough to remove it. No mammals topside or underwater. 55 minutes, max depth of 10 m.

Second dive Oliver brought his Blacktop DPV, and graciously lent it to Derek. Not going to lie, I was jealous watching him do laps around us! The kelp is getting pretty thick in front of the pipe, we ended up descending to get through some of it, a good sign and interesting because I hear in other places nearby it's not doing as well. Got to see a group of sanddabs feeding on a smaller anemone, they were never taught to share. Metridia were not out as much as normal, but always nice to see. Viz was similar, not good close to shore but reasonably clear at depth. 52 minutes, max depth of 15 m / 50 ft.

Kudos to Bamboo Reef, I needed a fill at 7 and they not only gave me perfect 100% fills but noticed that the o-ring in my first stage had somehow gotten itself stuck in the valve. They spotted me a spare, which is something I really should have had in my kit.

 

[lattehiatus]

Great day of diving with Aqua Tutus as always. A playful seal swam with Derek and me for a minute on the first dive, then we lost each other underwater when we spotted a big ling cod that darted behind a big rock and chased after it to get a better look.

A huge thanks to the kind soul who spotted my camera on the lawn and took it over to the unofficial lost-and-found at the scuba shop! This good samaritan restored my faith in humanity.

 

[lexvil]

I could hear the scooter as we returned from metritim field.

 

[lattehiatus]

Three dives on Saturday (July 15), including a night dive.

#1: Morning boat drop onto Eric's Pinnacle. Visibility was murky until 40 - 60 ft depth, where it opened up to 30+ ft viz though the water was quite green. Temperature averaged 50 degrees F at 50 ft depth. Highlights include big schools of pelagic fish circling the kelp, lots of blue rockfish in crevices, and a cluster of sea pens and tube anemones on the sandbed.

#2: We were supposed to be dropped onto the metridium fields but swells and nearby divers prevented a direct descent. Never made it to the fields due to low visibility of 5 - 10 ft, good for practicing navigation. Highlight was a hungry cormorant pecking for tasty treats in the rocks and sand.

#3: Shore entry at 9:30pm into Breakwater, about an hour after sunset. Dropped by the 12 marker and welcomed the 20+ ft visibility. Lots of crabs and sleeping fish, a seal that fished by our lights for a minute, and a stingray sighting that I somehow missed. On the surface swim back a couple otters popped up in the kelp along the wall that we initially mistook for another group of divers. Several in our group reported 60 degrees F at the surface, 50 degrees at 30 - 40 ft. Friendly reminder for those nightdiving Breakwater - the restrooms close at 8pm, so if possible plan metabolic activities accordingly during the dive.

 

[Bigbella]

Groucho Marx once famously said that, "Outside of a book, a dog is man's best friend, and inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."

We were both inside that "dog" -- and wouldn't have repeated this morning's assignment, even if we had both lost a bet.

Two "night" dives this morning -- one in Carmel and the other, off Monterey. Some of the worst visibility I have seen in years; the algal bloom is just that bad. Were it not for lights, the dives would have been aborted.

And, damn, my dive equipment is carrying a great and terrible funk . . .

 

[jowe]

Yep -Visibility mostly kind of poor yesterday and "what visibility"? today.

There were jests about deserving automatic night dive certification after today! Despite diving to 43' in slightly diluted pea soup over last 2 days, I'm newly PADI certified and totally happy - and it can only get better from here!

 

[lattehiatus]

There were jests about deserving automatic night dive certification after today! Despite diving to 43' in slightly diluted pea soup over last 2 days, I'm newly PADI certified and totally happy - and it can only get better from here!

Congratulations!!! Let's go diving!

 

[jowe]

Congratulations!!! Let's go diving!

WooHoo! Thank you!! I need a bunch of practice on everything I've learned, the key one being better control, I'm yo-yoing at times, in between those blissful periods of neutral buoyancy. So next up the "Peak Performance Buoyancy Control" class

 

[lattehiatus]

WooHoo! Thank you!! I need a bunch of practice on everything I've learned, the key one being better control, I'm yo-yoing at times, in between those blissful periods of neutral buoyancy. So next up the "Peak Performance Buoyancy Control" class

Great job, keep at it - the best way to improve is to dive more frequently with folks that are willing to impart and share their expertise with you.

 

[lattehiatus]

Great day of diving with Aqua Tutus at South Monastery on Saturday July 22. I went in with low expectations based on earlier reports of algae blooms, and it didn't help there were no cars parked alongside the beach at 8:30am with nary a dive group in sight. Fortunately we were rewarded with spectacular dive conditions.

Both dives were 50 minutes, aided by easy entry from the south part of the beach sheltered by rocks, where waves were only 1 - 2 ft in contrast to 4+ ft breakers at the middle of the beach. For the first dive we made our way northwest around the point toward the direction of Point Lobos, the second dive followed the kelp line. Visibility opened up to 25 - 30 ft once we got under 40 ft depth, a bit hazy but at least not green. There were several curious chains of floating pelagic translucent sea salps - which I learned are called (no joke) Thetys vagina salps - too many different fishes to list, a couple decorator crabs, and a moray. Water was 51 degrees F at 50 - 60 ft depth.