Morro Bay 11/24

[parabolic]

I did a dive at the North T-pier yesterday with my daughter Coleen. Visibility was unusually bad (10ft max) but there were lots of nudibranchs as usual. Found an unusual one, Aeolidia papillosa, I have only seen him one other time in the last 20 years:

Still lots of big Triopha maculata wandering around:

A big yellow dorid in the red bryozoan:

 

[ejg62]

Great pictures!!!

What are the dive spots in Morro Bay? I come to Pismo Beach frequently (currently here this long weekend). I have tried to find dive locations in the area but have not found anything greatl I visited the Pismo Beach Dive Shop and they gave some reccomendations, but with 2 younger kids the locations are not the easiest for entry and exit.

Thanks

Jim G

 

[parabolic]

ejg62
I have dived only two spots in Morro Bay, one is the North T-Pier (the Coast Guard Pier) and Fairbanks Point (the point just south of the Inn at Morro Bay), in the Park. I know that an area out by the Rock is dived also, but I am not familiar with details. The entry and exit for the pier dive is not very easy (a 12-ft giant stride off the pier, and a strenuous exit climb up a rocky slope in front of the Harbormaster's office, or a long swim past the power plant inlet to a sandy beach). The SLO Ocean Currents dive shop in San Luis Obispo, on Higuera, can give you good information about diving in Morro Bay, I think they do a lot of their classes there. The pier is strictly a muck dive, generally poor visibility but lots of critters in the junk under the pier. Fairbanks Point is the deepest spot in Morro Bay (you can get to about 60fsw) and is a little bit more scenic than the pier with generally better visibility.

 

[ejg62]

Thanks for the reply. I have visited any other dive sites in Central California (north or south of Morro Bay)?

I have heard people dive Morro Rock but understand it is primarily a sandy bottom dive. Yesterday we drove the 2.5 hours to Montery where we dove Pt Lobos. But that is a long drive for diving during our visists, plus the water is cold (52F). Everyone else was very cold after 1 dive. Luckily my kids went the first dive and my wife did the second dive. All were too cold to do another dive.

Jim G

 

[Larry C]

Nice pics, Ken. I'm glad to see I'm not alone in being unable to make those orange Sea Lemon variants attractive. They always look crusty and plain, no matter how I shoot them. You got some great detail, especially considering the conditions. I've never seen either of the first two. I guess they don't get this far north, or I've been diving the wrong sites.

 

[parabolic]

Nice pics, Ken. I'm glad to see I'm not alone in being unable to make those orange Sea Lemon variants attractive. They always look crusty and plain, no matter how I shoot them.

Thanks Larry. You are not alone. Maybe if you took a spray can of compressed air and some paint down with you, cleaned them up, and painted on a pattern, maybe a happy face like this one.

 

[parabolic]

Thanks for the reply. I have visited any other dive sites in Central California (north or south of Morro Bay)? Jim G

Jim, not sure if you are asking me if I have visited other Central California dive sites. If you are, the answer is no, Morro Bay is the only Central California site I have dived. I have done a lot of diving in and around Monterey Bay, and I have dived all of the Channel Islands (except Clemente) and a lot of beach dives in Southern California. If that's not what you are asking please disregard the above

 

[parabolic]

Larry

I think this is the best I've ever been able to do with one of those lemon dorid variants. But even it needs the negative space (the brittle stars) to perk it up:

 

[ejg62]

Jim, not sure if you are asking me if I have visited other Central California dive sites. If you are, the answer is no, Morro Bay is the only Central California site I have dived. I have done a lot of diving in and around Monterey Bay, and I have dived all of the Channel Islands (except Clemente) and a lot of beach dives in Southern California. If that's not what you are asking please disregard the above

You did answer my question. Sometimes my mind works faster than my typing and I miss something while proofing the comments.

Jim