N. Channel Islands in October

[robint]

So we have never been out to Calif during the 'bug' madness season so a few questions...
If we come out in October, does the Spectre do regular trips, no bug hunting? OR do the boats go to bug hunting spots around Anacapa & Santa Cruz? We shoot video and photos, no interest in being on a boat if the sites are picked for bug hunting. I know the Peace is pretty much dedicated to hunting, any other boats besides Spectre that might get us diving? Or should we just plan to go to Catalina and shore dive? October is probably the first time we will be able to come out west this year.

robin

 

[fnfalman]

Don't forget the Explorer. Besides not every trip is a bug hunt trip, especially the daytime trips.

 

[ronscuba]

Hey Robin.

You planning a Channel Islands liveaboard or day trips ?

Not positive, but was thinking of giving Channel Islands or the Florida Keys a try over Labor Day or Columbus Day weekend. Fiancee is a newly certified, so California diving might be too much for her. Definitely looking at day trips only.

 

[Teamcasa]

Robin and Ron,

Please allow some time to visit with your West Coast SB buddies. Day trips on the Great Escape or even a day at the dive park would be a lot of fun!

 

[robint]

Hey Robin.

You planning a Channel Islands liveaboard or day trips ?

Not positive, but was thinking of giving Channel Islands or the Florida Keys a try over Labor Day or Columbus Day weekend. Fiancee is a newly certified, so California diving might be too much for her. Definitely looking at day trips only.

congrats Ron! glad she got certified before the wedding, so now you might be able to do a few dives on honeymoon. Catalina diving is pretty tame, especially on a boat like the Great Escape, and really fun. She might enjoy it just as much as FLA Keys. The only difference is the 7mm wetsuit needed in Calif.

Robin and Ron,

Please allow some time to visit with your West Coast SB buddies. Day trips on the Great Escape or even a day at the dive park would be a lot of fun!

and guys! We would LOVE to dive with you both. What a video party that would be!!!
we were thinking about something different, we did the Great Escape the last 3 yrs. No real plans quite yet as we have to get through NC next month, plus Ron will be starting tech training soon. That is part of the reason I was thinking Oct. The idea of not diving in Calif this year makes me very sad, so I am going to push a quick trip out. Just looking at all the options.

robin

 

[ronscuba]

She surprised me with her comfort level underwater during her checkout dives. We'll see how she does this summer.

Catalina sounds good. I'd really like to get some good sea lion/seal video. I hear Anacapa is the place for that.

 

[fnfalman]

I'd really like to get some good sea lion/seal video. I hear Anacapa is the place for that.

Anacapa has an excellent rookery, but it is on the back side of the island, so it all depends on the current and wind that determine if the boat can make it there.

 

[ronscuba]

Anacapa has an excellent rookery, but it is on the back side of the island, so it all depends on the current and wind that determine if the boat can make it there.

Any particular time of year better than others ?

 

[robint]

we have been to Anacapa several times and not once gotten to dive with the sea lions at the rookery there. There were sea lions on a few dives on the other side of the island however. And we did get to dive with sea lions at Santa Barbara Island where there is another huge rookery. (We have only been out in Aug-Sept timeframe.)

Going to Anacapa - the best way to do that is from boats in Ventura or Santa Barbara (not the island, the city). Spectre does day boat trips over most days of the week, and though the boat is rather dumpy and can be crowded, they do the same dive sites and it is a faster boat (gets to Anacapa about 1/2 hour quicker) than some others. Peace boat is nicer boat overall but a bit slower (2+ hour crossing), and only does day trips a few days a week, most trips are overnighters with groups. It is a bit more $ than the Spectre but food is better, plus they can pump nitrox. We haven't used any other boats in Ventura, but there are a couple more there. Up in Santa Barbara, Truth Aquatics has 3 boats, but they almost exclusively run multi-day trips. We booked a day-boat trip with them once and they cancelled the night before as they had a minimum of 15 people and only 12 booked (or something like that). We were lucky enough to call the Spectre that night and find that the Spectre had room for us.

One of the biggest differences to me in Channel Islands is that northern islands (Anacapa, Santa Cruz) are colder water, more nudibranchs and more schools of fish, while the southern islands (Catalina, San Clemente) have more lush kelp forests, warmer water by about 5 degrees or more. Santa Barbara is in the middle of the two, tons of sea lions, more rocky underwater with some kelp. San Clemente is definitely the most pristine of them with huge kelp forests and tons of sealife. Of course, there is also Farnsworth Bank, off the coast of Catalina, that is completely different - rainbow colors of anemones and purple hydrocoral and tons of fish and nudies, but it is a seamount and deep, rarely do boats get to dive there due to rough conditions. They are all great, just a bit different.

There is the option of going over to Catalina on the ferry and staying at a hotel there, diving off one of the two dive boats and/or shore diving. The fiance might like that, too.

robin

 

[fnfalman]

Any particular time of year better than others ?

Not really. I've been to the rookery in the deep of winter, and I've been to it at the deep of summer. Or spring. Or fall.

Really, it's just luck of the draw on how the wind blow and the current runs.