Sea Nettle report

[myriad50]

OK, I like the jellies just as much as the next person, but for me, the first time diving with them they were cool, second time they were a nuisance but pretty easy to avoid, but now it's a month later, and they're STILL here and it's gotten worse! At least, in my experience it has.
I went to the metridiums today (my first time there shore diving) and as we got closer, the jellies got so much worse. In a 10 x 10 x 10 area there was always more than 6 of them in view, little 4" ones to huge 2 foot ones whose tentacles seemed to stretch forever.
I don't want to dive with the jellies anymore. Why haven't they moved on? I'm diving with Fuggler tomorrow, also from SB. Can anyone recommend a place they went to today (from shore) where they didn't have jelly soup to swim through? Maybe a MacAbee or Lover's report (where I will most likely be tomorrow).
On a better note I got to dive with a couple other SB'ers, IanK and Myriad50 today. I was following Ian and saw a sea lion trying to play hide and seek with us in the kelp. That was fun. Thanks guys!
-Kristina

It was fun meeting up with you and IanK (and Vincent was it?) too on Saturday. I agree, playing finding Nemo with those Jellies was a PITA!!! Glad to hear you had more luck on Sunday though!

 

[micboucher]

I had a great weekend of diving too! Sat I was on the Sanctuary and we dove Pescadaro Rock, Point, FireRock...whatever you want to call it and had about 30 ft vis and no Sea Nettles (woohoo!), then came back to Aumentos and saw a few Nettles there. Not like previous weekends, but enough for me to blow my safety stop.

Sunday we dove Outer Pinnacle with only a few Egg Yoke jellies and about 35-40ft vis. The second dive was a new spot by Cypress Point with about 25-30ft vis and only had a few Sea Nettles going by on the safety stop. They're really nice to look at when there's only a few, but not fun when they're "attacking you".

 

[bbianchi]

Ugh the nettles... my main reason for not having a huge urge to get back out in the middle of them.... my dive late last month to the barge. SO many, and the tide/current direction plus desired direction of the nettle herd made the swim back hell. Nothing but the trailing tentacles in your face... oh yea 5 foot vis just to make it more fun. The 20 of us that did the dive (part of a class) all got stung at least once, most 2-3 times. However my suit's got a few dives left in it before I need to send it in for some maintenance. Looking at possibly going this weekend or next. Lets hope for no nettles.

I hear they are usually up in Santa Cruz this time of year, but its not normal for them to be here. Perhaps something current wise pushed them our way.... wheres the molas when you need them!?

 

[mikeguerrero]

Have you ever seen a Mola mola eat one?

 

[pacificgal]

I've not yet even seen a mola mola (except at the aquarium). How many have you seen? Is it just me missing them?

 

[zf2nt]

I hear they are usually up in Santa Cruz this time of year, but its not normal for them to be here. Perhaps something current wise pushed them our way.... wheres the molas when you need them!?

Exactly! I had a chat the other day with a top marine biologist from Hopkins Marine Labs. She told me the nettles are always thick this time of year, only they normally cluster over on the Santa Cruz side of the bay where we never dive. For some reason not well-understood, the pack has drifted over to the south side of the bay this year. Personally, I would be quite happy to keep Santa Cruz weird and give them back.

Bruce

 

[myriad50]

Handful of dives today at BW and the nettles were no where even remotely close in numbers compared to last weekend. Did not go to the Metridium fields but still, even just the wall was a bit much for my taste last weekend...maybe they've started their migration back to wherever . Today it seemed as though there were so few it was actually 'fun' to observe them vs. playing underwater Speed Racer trying not to get stung!!!