November 04 Dive Reports

[Otter]

Date:
Dive Location:
Time:
Bottom Time:
Max Depth:
Vis:
Wave height:
Temp at depth:
Surface Temp:
Tide information:
Comments:

If you dive, please post here.

 

[divinman]

Date: 11/02/2004
Dive Location: Vallecitos Point
Time: 1845
Bottom Time: 1:16:35
Max Depth:87 ft
Avg Depth: 46 ft
Vis:15-25
Wave height: knee high
Temp at depth: 58
Surface Temp: 65
Tide information: low tide


Comments: Met up with the crew and made the swim out to the buoy. After gear checks and dive plan review we dropped in at 17 feet and turned west for the canyon edge. On the way there we found a round sting ray minus the tail. Looked pretty funny with just the little flaps back there and no stinger. Lots of life out tonight including red octopus, halibut, lobster of the short size, nudibranchs here and there.

The best thing about diving with a tech diver is they are SOLID in the water. Their buoyancy is fine tuned from extensive cave diving and diving with them makes you dive better. Kinda like playing pool with someone who is really good, it pushes you to improve. Anyway, we moved along the wall and explored all the way passed the point until the cliff disappear and instead sloped away in front of the Marine Room. Reaching our turn time we reversed course and headed back along the wall. At one point I could see a glow ahead and we soon passed another group of divers headed the way we had just came from. Don't usually see other divers here, even when it's busy. Anyway, we continued on and up the slope. Man the horn sharks were everywhere tonight. I counted 10 different ones, all juvies and all cute as heck. We topped the canyon and made our first stop at 65ft before moving up further and eastward. We would make several stops on this dive to allow for ample time for off gassing. At 30 feet we crossed a huge sand dollar bed and then we hit the pipe fish patch. Aptly named as they were everywhere and in all sizes from little 2 inchers to the larger 8 "monsters". Several baby thorn-back rays were here as well, about the diameter of a venti coffee at Starbucks.

As we moved shallower still I was surprises to find a market squid in about 10ft of water. He kept butting into my light and changing colors. I have never seen one this shallow and it was a treat.

Alas my air was running short so after a 3 minute stop at 10ft we kicked in to 5 ft and exited in front of the tennis club. It's on the long walk back that I don't envy the twins they carry. It's quite a load to hump back up the beach at low tide.

It was COLD back at the truck and I stripped and dressed fast and hopped in the truck for home.

Great dive

Terry

 

[scottfiji]

Date: 11/4/2004
Dive Location: Vet's Park, Redondo
Time: 7:30PM
Bottom Time: 2 minutes
Max Depth: 5 feet
Vis: unknown
Wave height: 8-10 feet
Temp at depth: 63 UNSUUNTO degrees
Comments:

Emily (puravida) and I met up with divevets.com for a night dive. I never thought it would happen, but the waves were so bad that I actually wouldn't go in. Worse than anything I've ever seen in my little diving career by a factor of 10. Big waves from multiple directions, no lulls, no time between waves, waves breaking from shore all the out into the ocean, strong winds. Not to mention a ripping current going downshore as soon as you enter the water. Emily says "looks like fun, lets go in!". (We didn't). Many divers (read - men trying to prove their dive abilities went in anyways, only to get tossed around for a while without even getting their fins on, before getting tossed back on shore by the waves. Emily I did end up having a fun dip in the water, sans tank and weights. Ended up having a burger at the Redondo brewing company.

Scott

btw, check out the swell model below (as of 7:45AM this morning), we were at one of the peaks on the left of the graph.

http://cdip.ucsd.edu/models/la_hs.gif

 

[ChrisM]

Wow, scott, interesting report... Must have been big to keep you out. conditions were much better in Malibu

Date: 11/3
Dive Location: Nicholas Cyn
Time: 8:00 pm
Bottom Time: 74:00
Max Depth: 35
Vis: 20+
Wave height: 1-2
Temp at depth: 74:00?
Surface Temp: 64
Tide information: low, very low
Comments: Parked on PCH at Leo gate, walked a looooooooong way and entered at east side of cove. Missed the sandy entrance, rough rocky entrance, dive consisted of sandy /grassy areas and kelp. Lots of shovelnose guitarfish, not many lobsters. lost of surge. Headed east and then north to exit over sand and have an even loooooooonger walk back. 55 degree air temp and windy ... brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

[divinman]

Date: 11/03/2004
Dive Location: The lobster spot
Time: 19:38
Bottom Time: 88 minutes
Vis: 0-20
Wave height: waist to chest high
Temp at depth:64
Surface Temp:64
Tide information: Low tide
Comments: My 200th dive! And my longest dive an nearly 1.5 hours!! Hunting lobster with Sean, Paul, Simon and Jessica. We suited up and made the long walk down to the beach. Tide was way out and the surf was largish but manageable. After a short kick out we dropped in onto the reef and started our quest. Bugs were everywhere tonight. While they were great in number they were small in stature and we didn't fair well as a hunting party. After nearly 1.5 hours underwater, Paul was the only one to come back with a keeper. The dive itself was nice and water was warm. This was a shallow dive on patch reefs and boulders. Some of the relief is really nice with large deep overhangs to explore and tons of cracks and crevasses to peer into. Lots of sleepy fish tucked in for the night. Scorpion fish were abundant as were those dang Garibaldi. At one point I shined my light on a gorgeous yellow giant kelpfish and it swam right up to my light. Where's the camera when you need it. A large shovelnosed guitar fish was discovered by Paul. Vis out on the reef was a fair 10-20 but coming in with the south running swell over the sand it would alternated from 5-0 feet in just few fin kicks. The swirling sand as you looked down causes a kind of vertigo as the your mind can make sense of the chaotic motion. Paul and I surfaced in about 15 ft of water to get a bearing on where were. Where we were was 300 yards south of where we had intended. I need to have my compass checked. :11: Must be something wrong with it. Anyway we turned north along the beach and talked as we kicked back to the exit point. The rest of the crew, having navigated better, were already on the beach. Five divers, one bug...great dive. Breaks even in my book.

We hiked back to the vehicles and changed clothes. Jessica surprised me with a GIGANTIC cookie to congratulate me on my 200th dive. I was surprised and touched. Divers are the best people.

We had planned on going for a burrito but the shop was closed by the time we got there. The rest of the crew went to Denny's and I headed home to clean gear, complete some work stuff..... and eat some cookie.

Thanks to all who showed up and special thanks to Jessica for the thought.

Terry

 

[ScubaSeanMaui]

That cookie looks good! Congrats Terry! We also saw 2 small moray eels and an octopus. The spot was nice for diving, but the stairs were brutal!!!

See you next dive (this afternoon?)

 

[Frank O]

Wow, scott, interesting report... Must have been big to keep you out. conditions were much better in Malibu

I just checked out data for the Santa Monica Basin buoy, which had been recording wave heights in the 2.5- to 3-ft range for a couple of days. Wednesday afternoon it started building, and by 7 to 8 p.m. it was at 7.2 ft! It's eased off a little but is around 5 ft now (midday Thursday). Anyway, sounds like we got lucky in Malibu.

 

[headhunter]

We hiked back to the vehicles and changed clothes. Jessica surprised me with a GIGANTIC cookie to congratulate me on my 200th dive. I was surprised and touched. Divers are the best people.

Thanks to all who showed up and special thanks to Jessica for the thought.

Terry

That cookie is the bomb! I can't imagine how long it's going to take to eat!

Divers are definitely the coolest!

Congrats again!

Christian

 

[Ann Marie]

Date: November 4
Dive Location: South Cresent
Time: 7 am
Bottom Time: :17:
Max Depth:
Vis: 6-8 feet
Wave height: 3-4 feet
Temp at depth:
Surface Temp:
Tide information:
Comments:

Met a friend for some early morning diving. We geared up and hit the water. After kicking out he noticed that his SPG was leaking air. Between that and the crummy viz we decided to call the dive. Bummer. Hopefully the viz improves soon!

 

[mccabejc]

I wonder why the viz in Laguna is so bad...The lifeguards today said it's still around 10-12 feet. Anyone know why that is? Surf has been pretty low lately. Unless it's a tide thing.