anchochile
Contributor
Did 8 dives on the north side of Santa Cruz island on the Truth over the weekend. Bottom temps averaged around 60F at depths of roughly 60fsw. Conditions were very calm with little to no surge or current - there was a bit of a west swell going but we dove in protected coves. Viz was better than I'm used to in Monterey but not spectacular. Probably a hazy green 40 feet Saturday, and worse at maybe 20-25 feet Sunday, with lots of particulate in the water both days. Most of our diving was in the 30-60fsw range.
The diving itself was very enjoyable but not mind blowing. Having mostly dived in Monterey, I enjoyed seeing some new stuff - lots of moray eels, some large lobster, larger and more plentiful fish than I'm used to in Monterey, and some different nudis and other invertebrates than I've seen up north. There were dense hordes of red pelagic crabs at one of the sites - very cool. Unfortunately we didn't have any marine mammal encounters, nor did we see sharks or rays (saw a few shark egg sacs, though).
But in all I found the rocky reefs a bit barren in comparison to Monterey - less color and less density of life. Still great diving, and maybe with the blue water and great viz that the islands are known for, it would have felt different.
Also, not sure if this is normal, or a result of the recent warm water conditions, or something else (urchins?), but there was zero kelp to be found along the north side of the island. Not a single growing stalk seen at any of the 5 locations we dived. I wonder if this is typical for this time of year, and if there would be a greater density and variety of critters with more kelp present to anchor the ecosystem?
All in all, though, the dives were still very nice with plenty of interesting stuff to see. I'd gladly go back, though I might try to go later in the fall. Looking forward to experiencing more SoCal diving!
The diving itself was very enjoyable but not mind blowing. Having mostly dived in Monterey, I enjoyed seeing some new stuff - lots of moray eels, some large lobster, larger and more plentiful fish than I'm used to in Monterey, and some different nudis and other invertebrates than I've seen up north. There were dense hordes of red pelagic crabs at one of the sites - very cool. Unfortunately we didn't have any marine mammal encounters, nor did we see sharks or rays (saw a few shark egg sacs, though).
But in all I found the rocky reefs a bit barren in comparison to Monterey - less color and less density of life. Still great diving, and maybe with the blue water and great viz that the islands are known for, it would have felt different.
Also, not sure if this is normal, or a result of the recent warm water conditions, or something else (urchins?), but there was zero kelp to be found along the north side of the island. Not a single growing stalk seen at any of the 5 locations we dived. I wonder if this is typical for this time of year, and if there would be a greater density and variety of critters with more kelp present to anchor the ecosystem?
All in all, though, the dives were still very nice with plenty of interesting stuff to see. I'd gladly go back, though I might try to go later in the fall. Looking forward to experiencing more SoCal diving!
