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