It matches #114 in Dave Behrens' book.
September '05 Dive Reports
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ScubaSeanMaui
Contributor
Simon, Cheryl and I headed out to the North Wall last night in spite of the Great White reports on TV. We kicked out during dusk and dropped onto a southern wall. The wall was 10-15 feet tall so instead of heading out West we followed this wall for 10 mins or so. We saw several Brown Rockfish, Blacksmith, some Sheephead in the holes, along with a few Cancer Crabs who were either stuck in holes for the evening or walking along the structure. After the wall ran out we headed across the peninsula. We saw some Scorpionfish, a few CA Halibut, several Turbots, Pacific Staghorn Sculpins, Cusk Eels, and more. We headed west over the landslide area which made it difficult to find a decent wall.... We eventually turned east and planned to finish the wall and head back to shore. Cheryl was concerned about going into deco so just as we were hitting the nice walls we headed back up. We normally would head in on the bottom, but since Cheryl was doing her 1st tour of the north wall I thought it more prudent to do an open water stop which we did. After swimming in some distance, we again dropped down into the biolum and shut off our lights... It was pretty cool seeing everything covered in the blue trails... If we were still we could see critters glowing and putting off the trails... Very fun!
not many pics:
http://gallery.scubapost.net/v/seand/2005scubaphotos/ljs09052005/
not many pics:
http://gallery.scubapost.net/v/seand/2005scubaphotos/ljs09052005/
Date: September 5th
Dive Location: Marine Room, La Jolla
Time: 1:28 and 4:21
Bottom Time: 1:18 and 1:11
Max Depth: 68' and 57'
Vis: 10-15 beyond the swim area, baaaaaad nearshore.
Wave height: 3-4'
Temp at depth: 56F
Gas mix: Air (21%)
Comments: For my last day of vacation I joined MissyP for a couple of dives at Marine Room in search of the elusive Cuthona divae* nudibranchs that Terry (divinman) posted last month. There seems to be some question as to what these nudis actually are. On Sunday we wanted to find Hopkin's Rose nudis at Marineland and found six. Our luck held on Monday. We found five Cuthona divaes.
It's September, so the lobsters are back in the shallows. They were in every hole along the wall of the canyon as well as an engine block. One even disappeared completely by hiding in the sand dollar bed.
Other nudis were in amongst the sand dollars as well.
After my batteries died we came upon a four foot halibut. Missy tried to get next to it for size comparison, but the halibut was shy and swam about ten feet away, then up toward the shallows.
One of the highlights of La Jolla during the Summer is the entertainment. I could sit and listen to people ask,"Are you leaving?" all day.
One person came up with a solution.
Dive Location: Marine Room, La Jolla
Time: 1:28 and 4:21
Bottom Time: 1:18 and 1:11
Max Depth: 68' and 57'
Vis: 10-15 beyond the swim area, baaaaaad nearshore.
Wave height: 3-4'
Temp at depth: 56F
Gas mix: Air (21%)
Comments: For my last day of vacation I joined MissyP for a couple of dives at Marine Room in search of the elusive Cuthona divae* nudibranchs that Terry (divinman) posted last month. There seems to be some question as to what these nudis actually are. On Sunday we wanted to find Hopkin's Rose nudis at Marineland and found six. Our luck held on Monday. We found five Cuthona divaes.
It's September, so the lobsters are back in the shallows. They were in every hole along the wall of the canyon as well as an engine block. One even disappeared completely by hiding in the sand dollar bed.
Other nudis were in amongst the sand dollars as well.
After my batteries died we came upon a four foot halibut. Missy tried to get next to it for size comparison, but the halibut was shy and swam about ten feet away, then up toward the shallows.
One of the highlights of La Jolla during the Summer is the entertainment. I could sit and listen to people ask,"Are you leaving?" all day.
One person came up with a solution.
HBDiveGirl
Contributor
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It was big...it was wonderful...it was unforgettable! When can I go again??
Joined by Carlos (Dive California), and our patient and loving non-diving spouses, we boarded the Great Escape, Friday, September 2, for The Grand Tour: Three days of non-stop diving at Santa Barbara Island, San Clemente Island, and Catalina Island.
The dive stats are coming in a bit, but know that the effervescent joy of this trip could not possibly be captured in either words or photographs. If you've been on a Channel Islands multiday live-aboard on a top-notch boat such as the Great Escape, you know what I mean. If you haven't, find a way to do it...soon! It is the ultimate celebration of SoCal diving, IMNSHO .
To ease from your bunk in the graying dark, pad silently onto the swaying deck and stand in awe as the sun rises, is a beautiful thing. To do this 3 days in a row is layered bliss. And to spend the time between sunrises diving, laughing, sharing stories and great food with friends...this is sweet gratitude beyond words.
Here are the descriptors and vital stats:
Day #1: Santa Barbara Island
Dive #1 7AM The Arch Reef. 99fsw, 66 minutes, 59F, 100 ft viz. Dropped through whipping current into still beauty along the wall. A stunning arch big enough to drive the Great Escape through.
Dive #2 9:45 AM Nameless cavern point. 59fsw, 54minutes, 61F, 80 ft viz. Solid carpets of multicolored brittle stars, bat rays, clumps of Aplysia californica sea hares.
Dive #3 11:50 AM Sutil Rock. 79fsw, 53 minutes, 64F, 100 ft viz. Two Giant Black Seabass in crystal clear water. Deep underwater vertical crevice, about 100 feet long, sunlit from above, sponge encrusted towering walls, 10 feet apart. Explored to end, finding GIANT lobster under boulder, owning all he surveyed. Water so clear it looked like air. Carlos wasn't floating, he was flying.
Dive #4 2PM West of the Three Sisters. 37fsw, 57 minutes, 66F, 40-60 ft viz. Outrageous rock formations, overhangs, swim throughs. Hollowed out room/cave with suspended boulder and sunrays bursting in from ceiling holes
Dive #5 3:50PM Webster's Point sealion rookery. 33fsw, 59 minutes, 67F, 60 ft viz. A dozen sealions played endlessly in a sunny clearing, even the pups approached fearlessly under mom's watchful eyes. Carlos finds a frying pan.
Dive #6(!) 7:50PM White Cavern Night dive. 42fsw, 54 minutes, 61F, open viz as far as the HID could illuminate. "FrightNight", with spooky caves, monstrous morays, startling sea lions, tiny biting isopods, crawling octopus, and hundreds of ruby eyes staring back from every crevice (shrimp!) Oh My!! Stars between the stars in an obsidian sky.
Day #2: San Clemente Island
Dive #1 8AM Wilson's Kelp bed. 61fsw, 70 minutes, 64F, 80+ viz. Diving in a crystal clear forest aquarium, giant kelp "trees" rising to the canopy. Long safety stop hanging motionless in the kelp, blue water all around, clear as air.
Dive #2 10:30AM Unknown spot #6640. 44fsw, 67 minutes, 61F, 60 ft viz. Packs of small lobster everywhere, clouds of blacksmith, sunlit garden of multicolored kelp
Dive #3 12:45PM Unknown location 43D. 54fsw, 38 minutes, 61F, 60 ft.viz. Descended and was immediately circled by a 5 foot GBS, three times around! Found Arthur's Stone, illuminated by sunbeam in dark shadows beneath kelp. Sword missing.
Dive #4 3PM Little Flower. 63fsw, 62 minutes, 61F, 40ft viz, clearer in shallows. Dramatic wall drop-off into nothingness, clouds of senioritas. Sunlit kelp garden.
Dive #5 5:45PM Little Flower. 37fsw, 39 minutes, 63F, 40-60 ft viz. Found the fuel tank wreckage. Little lobsters everywhere, eating fearlessly out in the open.
Dive #6(!) 7:30PM Little Flower. 43fsw, 65 minutes, 64F, viz as far as lights could cast. Maniacal mobs of blacksmith, lobsters everywhere, active octopuses, rockfish everywhere. Flying fish and sealions everywhere at the surface. Black sky packed full of stars and graced with the Milky Way.
Day #3: Catalina Island
Dive #1 7:20AM Little Farnsworth. 106fsw, 44 minutes, 67F, 120 ft viz. Yeah, really! One of my top 10 dives EVER! Gin-clear water, curtains of bubbles rising, backlit by the brilliant low sun, all the pinnacles visible at once, 6-7 foot GIANT Black seabass arms reach away. 2 more seen later. Rolling stops at 50, 40, 30, & 20...motionless hang in open water, 15 feet from anchor line, surrounded by diamond bubbles. Wow!
Dive #2 10:15AM Long Point. 67fsw, 61 minutes, 64F, 80+ viz. Whipping current, HotDropSinkAndCharge entry to get over to the protected wall, where the water was still and clear. Drifted between vertical life-packed wall and the BIG BLUE. LaunchKickAndHook return to anchor line, where we snapped like flags on our safety stop. Wheeeee!
Dive #3 12:15PM Ripper's Cove. 64fsw, 65 minutes, 67F, 60ft viz. Glass, clear blue water, bat rays, octopus, morays, lobster, horn sharks, bellicose Garibaldi gangsters charged my mask fearlessly. The final dive of a perfect trip.
How long until Memorial Day????
Claudette
Joined by Carlos (Dive California), and our patient and loving non-diving spouses, we boarded the Great Escape, Friday, September 2, for The Grand Tour: Three days of non-stop diving at Santa Barbara Island, San Clemente Island, and Catalina Island.
The dive stats are coming in a bit, but know that the effervescent joy of this trip could not possibly be captured in either words or photographs. If you've been on a Channel Islands multiday live-aboard on a top-notch boat such as the Great Escape, you know what I mean. If you haven't, find a way to do it...soon! It is the ultimate celebration of SoCal diving, IMNSHO
.To ease from your bunk in the graying dark, pad silently onto the swaying deck and stand in awe as the sun rises, is a beautiful thing. To do this 3 days in a row is layered bliss. And to spend the time between sunrises diving, laughing, sharing stories and great food with friends...this is sweet gratitude beyond words.
Here are the descriptors and vital stats:
Day #1: Santa Barbara Island
Dive #1 7AM The Arch Reef. 99fsw, 66 minutes, 59F, 100 ft viz. Dropped through whipping current into still beauty along the wall. A stunning arch big enough to drive the Great Escape through.
Dive #2 9:45 AM Nameless cavern point. 59fsw, 54minutes, 61F, 80 ft viz. Solid carpets of multicolored brittle stars, bat rays, clumps of Aplysia californica sea hares.
Dive #3 11:50 AM Sutil Rock. 79fsw, 53 minutes, 64F, 100 ft viz. Two Giant Black Seabass in crystal clear water. Deep underwater vertical crevice, about 100 feet long, sunlit from above, sponge encrusted towering walls, 10 feet apart. Explored to end, finding GIANT lobster under boulder, owning all he surveyed. Water so clear it looked like air. Carlos wasn't floating, he was flying.
Dive #4 2PM West of the Three Sisters. 37fsw, 57 minutes, 66F, 40-60 ft viz. Outrageous rock formations, overhangs, swim throughs. Hollowed out room/cave with suspended boulder and sunrays bursting in from ceiling holes
Dive #5 3:50PM Webster's Point sealion rookery. 33fsw, 59 minutes, 67F, 60 ft viz. A dozen sealions played endlessly in a sunny clearing, even the pups approached fearlessly under mom's watchful eyes. Carlos finds a frying pan.
Dive #6(!) 7:50PM White Cavern Night dive. 42fsw, 54 minutes, 61F, open viz as far as the HID could illuminate. "FrightNight", with spooky caves, monstrous morays, startling sea lions, tiny biting isopods, crawling octopus, and hundreds of ruby eyes staring back from every crevice (shrimp!) Oh My!! Stars between the stars in an obsidian sky.
Day #2: San Clemente Island
Dive #1 8AM Wilson's Kelp bed. 61fsw, 70 minutes, 64F, 80+ viz. Diving in a crystal clear forest aquarium, giant kelp "trees" rising to the canopy. Long safety stop hanging motionless in the kelp, blue water all around, clear as air.
Dive #2 10:30AM Unknown spot #6640. 44fsw, 67 minutes, 61F, 60 ft viz. Packs of small lobster everywhere, clouds of blacksmith, sunlit garden of multicolored kelp
Dive #3 12:45PM Unknown location 43D. 54fsw, 38 minutes, 61F, 60 ft.viz. Descended and was immediately circled by a 5 foot GBS, three times around! Found Arthur's Stone, illuminated by sunbeam in dark shadows beneath kelp. Sword missing.
Dive #4 3PM Little Flower. 63fsw, 62 minutes, 61F, 40ft viz, clearer in shallows. Dramatic wall drop-off into nothingness, clouds of senioritas. Sunlit kelp garden.
Dive #5 5:45PM Little Flower. 37fsw, 39 minutes, 63F, 40-60 ft viz. Found the fuel tank wreckage. Little lobsters everywhere, eating fearlessly out in the open.
Dive #6(!) 7:30PM Little Flower. 43fsw, 65 minutes, 64F, viz as far as lights could cast. Maniacal mobs of blacksmith, lobsters everywhere, active octopuses, rockfish everywhere. Flying fish and sealions everywhere at the surface. Black sky packed full of stars and graced with the Milky Way.
Day #3: Catalina Island
Dive #1 7:20AM Little Farnsworth. 106fsw, 44 minutes, 67F, 120 ft viz. Yeah, really! One of my top 10 dives EVER! Gin-clear water, curtains of bubbles rising, backlit by the brilliant low sun, all the pinnacles visible at once, 6-7 foot GIANT Black seabass arms reach away. 2 more seen later. Rolling stops at 50, 40, 30, & 20...motionless hang in open water, 15 feet from anchor line, surrounded by diamond bubbles. Wow!
Dive #2 10:15AM Long Point. 67fsw, 61 minutes, 64F, 80+ viz. Whipping current, HotDropSinkAndCharge entry to get over to the protected wall, where the water was still and clear. Drifted between vertical life-packed wall and the BIG BLUE. LaunchKickAndHook return to anchor line, where we snapped like flags on our safety stop. Wheeeee!
Dive #3 12:15PM Ripper's Cove. 64fsw, 65 minutes, 67F, 60ft viz. Glass, clear blue water, bat rays, octopus, morays, lobster, horn sharks, bellicose Garibaldi gangsters charged my mask fearlessly. The final dive of a perfect trip.
How long until Memorial Day????
Claudette
Hey Claudette,
Too bad you only got to do 15 dives in 3 days. It's especially disappointing that you only got to do 6 dives on Saturday and 6 dives on Sunday.
Great report!
Christian
Too bad you only got to do 15 dives in 3 days. It's especially disappointing that you only got to do 6 dives on Saturday and 6 dives on Sunday.
Great report!
Christian
HBDiveGirl
Contributor
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Oh, Christian, it was a feeling of abundant beauty, fluid time, and deep friendship...headhunter:Hey Claudette,
Too bad you only got to do 15 dives in 3 days. It's especially disappointing that you only got to do 6 dives on Saturday and 6 dives on Sunday.
Great report!
Christian
And the way the cheerful Great Escape crew hustled to refill tanks, it was like having a bottomless cylinder. I just chose to surface for nutritional supplements and...uhm, fluid management. (Did I mention I've bonded emotionally with my drysuit? "Louis, this may be the start of a beautiful friendship....")
These were mostly long dives...I wasn't pushing the numbers...but the tanks kept getting filled and the gates stayed open and I just kept falling in! There was never a "be back" time until the final dive of the final day. Dive-Masters Extraordinaire, Dave and Mike, just shrugged and smiled anytime I asked what time they wanted me back. "The gate's open
Go have fun!!" And I was greeted on the swim-step after each dive with a sincere, smiling, "How was your dive?" I dived straight through lunch and dinner a few times, because Nothing had priority over diving...nothing. Wow..... (The wonderful crew always had hot food for us random surfacers... everytime! They even saved pie 
Glad you liked the report
Claudette
HBDiveGirl:
:06:
Did some research...and the naming of this dive site was "BS"...another one of those "stories" on the GE...
This site was so named because of what it looks like on a NOAA chart, ",,,underwater islet rises from the depths to within 30ft of the surface. It looks roughly like a flower on the NOAA chart, hence the name."
For what its worth...
Ross-O
Registered
Dive California:
Here's one of the NOAA charts of the area.
http://diver.net/ross/GIS/noaa chart SCI.jpg
Here's an aerial shot with a GPS waypoint of Little Flower overlaid
http://diver.net/ross/San Clemente Island/dive_sites_zoom.jpg
Ross-O (getting out of control with all of my posts!)
Date: 09/7/05
Dive number: 288
Dive Location: San Diego/Vallecetos Point
Time: 06:42a
Bottom Time: 47 minutes
Max Depth: 88ft
Avg Depth: 43ft
Vis: 8-15 with spots better and worse
Surface Temp: 67F
Temp at depth: 52F
Surface conditions.: slight chop but nice and calm, swell shallow but not too bad
Images: http://gallery.scubapost.net/v/terry/album10/090705/
Sean, Cheryl and I met up at Vallecetos and geared up for an early morning dive yesterday. The sea was mostly calm as we strolled out through the dawn light and into the brown shallow water. Swimming out we arrived at the orange buoy and dropped to ~15ft and headed west to canyon edge. Cruising along slowly we found the usual animals coming out or heading home. Little bitty octos were everywhere as were California Sea slugs, rockfish of various species and size, scorpionfish, cabezon and others were in abundance. Cruising up over the wall we found navanax, solitary hydroids, and a lone Iris nudibranch who, having just left her eggs on a bit of stone and algae, was off for a drink and some rest. The swim in was uneventful save for the HUGE lizardfish that shot out of the sand and nearly caused Cheryl to wet her suit.....the look on her face was priceless. We kicked in to 5ft of water and made and easy walk out. I had to head off to the dentist and then to work so Sean and Cheryl went out for breakfast. I did get to share a bagel and coffee with Joanne before work so it was a pleasant surprise for me.
Visibility has definitely diminished from the stellar conditions we had but its still nice out there. I am actually enjoying the morning dive before work. Email me if you would like to join in. Beats running on the treadmill at the gym by a long ways.
Dive number: 288
Dive Location: San Diego/Vallecetos Point
Time: 06:42a
Bottom Time: 47 minutes
Max Depth: 88ft
Avg Depth: 43ft
Vis: 8-15 with spots better and worse
Surface Temp: 67F
Temp at depth: 52F
Surface conditions.: slight chop but nice and calm, swell shallow but not too bad
Images: http://gallery.scubapost.net/v/terry/album10/090705/
Sean, Cheryl and I met up at Vallecetos and geared up for an early morning dive yesterday. The sea was mostly calm as we strolled out through the dawn light and into the brown shallow water. Swimming out we arrived at the orange buoy and dropped to ~15ft and headed west to canyon edge. Cruising along slowly we found the usual animals coming out or heading home. Little bitty octos were everywhere as were California Sea slugs, rockfish of various species and size, scorpionfish, cabezon and others were in abundance. Cruising up over the wall we found navanax, solitary hydroids, and a lone Iris nudibranch who, having just left her eggs on a bit of stone and algae, was off for a drink and some rest. The swim in was uneventful save for the HUGE lizardfish that shot out of the sand and nearly caused Cheryl to wet her suit.....the look on her face was priceless. We kicked in to 5ft of water and made and easy walk out. I had to head off to the dentist and then to work so Sean and Cheryl went out for breakfast. I did get to share a bagel and coffee with Joanne before work so it was a pleasant surprise for me.
Visibility has definitely diminished from the stellar conditions we had but its still nice out there. I am actually enjoying the morning dive before work. Email me if you would like to join in. Beats running on the treadmill at the gym by a long ways.
Date:September 8th
Dive Location:White Point, San Pedro
Time: 7:10
Bottom Time: 1:00
Max Depth: 37'
Vis: 25'+
Wave height: 0-1 as we entered, 6-8 as we exited on the rocks. Ouch!
Temp at depth: 57F
Tide information:Low
Gas mix: Air (21%)
Comments: Jeff Shaw took me up on my suggestion of White Point for our not-very-weekly Thursday night dive. I hadn't been here for years due to the usual poor vis, but we had 25'+ tonight. Highlights included a Banded Guitarfish and a four foot Black Sea Bass that came up to my face three times. There were lobsters everywhere in the shallows near shore, none outside the reefs. We warmed our hands in one of the hot water vents before surfacing to find Victory at Sea. We made it back to the beach after an eternity of waiting, then hiked back up the fire road. I had forgotten how long that road is with a tank on my back.
Dive Location:White Point, San Pedro
Time: 7:10
Bottom Time: 1:00
Max Depth: 37'
Vis: 25'+
Wave height: 0-1 as we entered, 6-8 as we exited on the rocks. Ouch!
Temp at depth: 57F
Tide information:Low
Gas mix: Air (21%)
Comments: Jeff Shaw took me up on my suggestion of White Point for our not-very-weekly Thursday night dive. I hadn't been here for years due to the usual poor vis, but we had 25'+ tonight. Highlights included a Banded Guitarfish and a four foot Black Sea Bass that came up to my face three times. There were lobsters everywhere in the shallows near shore, none outside the reefs. We warmed our hands in one of the hot water vents before surfacing to find Victory at Sea. We made it back to the beach after an eternity of waiting, then hiked back up the fire road. I had forgotten how long that road is with a tank on my back.
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