September '05 Dive Reports

[divinman]

Date: 09/9/05
Dive number: 289
Dive Location: San Diego/La Jolla Shores
Time: 06:55a
Bottom Time: 50 minutes
Max Depth: 83ft
Avg Depth: 39ft
Vis: 8-10ft , murky and green
Surface Temp: 67F
Temp at depth: 51F
Surface conditions.: large swells but easily timed for entry and exit.

Images: http://gallery.scubapost.net/v/terry/album10/090905/ Non-edited version. resized only

So the morning crazies showed up at 0600 for a before work drive. Surface conditions looked manageable and we gear up. The entry through the surf was well timed and uneventful. We swam out past the blue buoy and dropped into 21ft of water and headed west. Visibility was a green 5-8ft but opened to a fair 10ft at depth. Moving slowly along the 70ft contour heading south we explored the nooks and crannies for the strange and unusual. Didn't find either but we did see some lovely usuals. What I noted on this dive was the large number of fragile rainbow starfish that are out these days. I don't recall them being so prolific in the past. Cruising along we found rockfish and scorpionfish, 4-5 species of nudibranchs and even and octopus or two. Reaching our turn around pressure we headed up over the wall and across the sand. At ~45ft we came across a large sheep crab dragging the much deteriorated carcass of a guitarfish. He seems quite irritated at our bright lights and flashing strobes so we moved on. Near 40ft we came across a lone "island" of stone about 3ft tall and covered in algae and surf grass. Hiding here was a lovely scorpionfish and an even more lovely Santa Barbara Janolus Nudibranch. The rest of the trip in from the sand was pretty uneventful. No sharks, no rays, no crabs. Just the surge and swirling sand to 5ft where we stood up. We were between the south restroom and the boat launch so we trekked across the beach to the showers for a quick rinse before heading to work.

Sure beats the gym.

Terry S.

 

[HBDiveGirl]

Date: September 9, 2005
Dive Location: Old Marineland, Long Point
Time:0925
Bottom Time:63 minutes
Max Depth:63 fsw
Vis: 15-25
Wave height:1-2 feet
Temp at depth:54F Aeris
Tide information: Gets out stains, fresh scent
Gas mix: Air (21%)

Wonderful Friday luck: Jon D. is free to dive before work! We meet at the clifftop gazebo at Malaga cove...Beautiful morning light but incessant short-interval waves makes it look like a surgy soup-bowl. Surfers look happy...we look elsewhere. Jon's suggestion: let's go deep to avoid the surge. Marineland, here we come!

We geared up in a peaceful empty parking lot, me grinning ear-to-ear because I'm getting the chance to try a stainless steel BP/W, courtesy of Jon who has brought Frank-O's generously-offered gear. Wow...where did all the front clutter go? Cool!!! So comfortable and sleek I feel like I'm forgetting something. I do get to forget the weight belt due to the plate and tank-adapter weight...double cool!!

We pick a perfect entry rock near the point, and time it carefully between the waves, so we're close to the outer, deeper pinnacles. And Marineland comes through again: murky surface, but clear viz around the pinnacles in brisk 54F water. Nudis, nudis, nudis everywhere! 7 species, 5 types on just one rock. And Octopus!...in holes, in empty scallop shells, under ledges, resting on shelves....I lost count. (Max and Missy described it perfectly, but they must have hidden all the Hopkins roses, 'cause they were MIA.) A 5 foot shovel-nosed guitarfish swam gracefully by us in clear water. Cabezon, sculpin, sheephead, painted greenlings...lots of fish everywhere. Two garibaldi were actively laying and fertilizing eggs in a vertical nest. We found a big pile of huge chain rusted into Public Art amidst the rocks...Old wreck debris? Old Marineland stuff?
We followed the absolute outside deepest edge of the reef as it curved toward Cobble beach, always able to see the next pinnacle from the one we were currently on. I love this place...there's almost too much to look at! Jon found a fascinating little 4" sculpin with an orange patch on it's head that looked exactly like a sponge. Chesnut cowries, giant keyhole limpets, giant feather duster worms, and tall tube anemones completed the decor. Without discussing it, we both got the same idea to enjoy all our air out at these beautiful rocks...a very good choice as the viz went-to-hades-in-a-handbasket as the reef shallowed up. We warmed frozen extremities on the long surface swim, rocky exit, and hike to the parking lot.

Thanks, Jon, for a very, Very fun dive. Thank you, Frank, for generously loaning me your awesomely wonderful BP/W...As MaxBT joked, I will be assimilated and I'll like it!

Marineland Rocks!!!
Claudette

 

[HBDiveGirl]

Date: 09/9/05
Dive number: 289
Dive Location: San Diego/La Jolla Shores
Time: 06:55a

So the morning crazies showed up at 0600 for a before work drive.
...
Sure beats the gym.
Terry S.

Love your reports, Terry. Thanks for taking me (vicariously) to the deeps :scubadive ....instead of the gym. :sprite10:

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Here you go KillerC.

 

[corybaby]

Date:
Dive Location:
Time:
Bottom Time:
Max Depth:
Vis:
Wave height:
Temp at depth:
Surface Temp:
Tide information:
Gas mix: Air (21%)
Comments:

especially the fish tacos between dives! awesome

 

[neilah]

Date: 9/3/05
Dive Location: Leo Carrillo
Time: 1045
Bottom Time: 0
Max Depth: 12'
Vis: You mean, you're supposed to SEE things?
Wave height: 1-2'
Temp at depth: 60F Suunto
Surface Temp: 62F
Gas mix: Air (21%)
Comments:

Got together with my O/W instructor Tony and his Divemaster candidate Tom right by the north-most tower.

After beach entry at Leo Carrillo North and swimming out a good 75 yards or so, vis was atrocious. Couldn't see my fins while bobbing on the surface, and my buddy and I lost each other in the soupy mix during decent.

Rather than have an unpleasant dive, the three of us chose to abort the dive. When does the red tide end?

But it wasn't all for naught - we were closely followed by a mottled-grey seal from the kelp beds almost all the way back to shore. He'd pop his head up 15' from us, swim underneath us, and pop up 15' away again. That made the swim out and back in worthwhile.

My shore exit wasn't great -- the waves were coming in threes, and I lost count after #2 (thinking it was #3), and was nearly tossed on my back. I fought the rip and got my feet on solid ground just in time.

--Neil

 

[divinman]

Date: 09/10/05
Dive number: 290
Dive Location: San Diego/North Wall
Time: 08:57a
Bottom Time: 55 minutes
Max Depth: 86ft
Avg Depth: 44ft
Vis: 15-20
Surface Temp: 67F
Temp at depth: 54F
Surface conditions.: back to back waves but smallish and manageable. Easy
kick out

Date: 09/10/05
Dive number: 291
Dive Location: San Diego/Vallecetos Point
Time: 12:12p
Bottom Time: 53 minutes
Max Depth: 93ft
Avg Depth: 35ft
Vis: 10-15, nice out on the point
Surface Temp: 67F
Temp at depth: 53F
Surface conditions.: fair sized waves and lots of wind shop on the kick out


http://gallery.scubapost.net/v/terry/album10/091005/

Dive One: North Wall

Christian and I kicked out past the buoy and dropped to the sand 3 feet from
the wall drop off. We headed east along the wall until it petered out and
then turned back west and followed in along to the point. From there we
swam back across the peninsula and along the other side wall until we
reached our turn around pressure. The open water crossing went as planned
and soon we could make out the bottom again coming up to join us. Always a
good feeling. The sand crossing revealed little but we did find a couple of
nice elbow crabs. Other things seen on this dive were lots and lots of
female sheepheads, rockfish of many varieties, 5 species of nudibranch, a
large plank and a HUGE sheep crab. Good first dive of the day.

Dive Two: Vallecetos Point

After some snacks and dive chat and 2 hours of off gassing we again geared
up. The wind picked up and the chop made for a bumpy ride out to the buoy
at Vallecetos. Dropping in there we headed southwest to the canyon wall and
from there south as we explored the wall. Octopus were in abundance,
including two specimens side by side trying to be as flat as possible on the
wall face . Many small fish hiding in the crannies and even a couple of
lobster. Turning just past the point we made a rather uneventful crossing
in the sand. At 18ft we came across a 5 gallon bucket that used to serve as
an anchor of some kind. In it was a deep red southern kelp crab. Leaving
him to himself we continued in and exited just south of the bathrooms.
After a quick rinse at the showers we headed back to the bbq for some food
and beverages.

Great day at La Jolla.


Terry S.

 

[HBDiveGirl]

Sept 10, 2005
Location: Wrecks of the Monfalcone and JohannaSmith
San Pedro shelf, out of San Pedro harbor
These debris piles were once huge wooden cargo ships, then reincarnated as gambling barges in the wild 1920's and '30's, and have now become man-made reefs packed with life. Great stories, maps and diagrams on the Calif. Wreck Divers site:
http://www.cawreckdivers.org/Wrecks/Monfalcone.htm
http://www.cawreckdivers.org/Wrecks/JohannaSmith.htm

Time: 0900, and 1100
Depth: 77fsw, and 83fsw
Bottom time: 41" and 36"
Temp: 54F (Aeris)
Tide info: If swallowed, induce vomiting. Call poison control center.
Gas: Air (21%)

Ross-O and the good ship Orion III welcomed us aboard for a morning of dropping in on some local wrecks. Joined by Carlos (Dive California) and Frank-O, we motored out of the harbor for the short trip to the wreck sites. It was beautifully calm and increasingly sunny, but the water looked like barley soup... "Let's just drop down and look at the Monfalcone. If it sucks, we'll bounce back up and go looking for better viz."

Hey..."Diving??"...Count me in!!!

Last time I "saw" this wreck, the viz was only 2.5 feet, I was shivering, and I still loved seeing all the metridium anemones. And this time I actually got to see about 15 feet of debris at a time while staying comfy in my drysuit. Lots of big oak timbers and deep crevices with lots of fish. "Horizontal trim" was the word of the day, because every surface was blanketed in scorpion fish. It looked like a staging area for a scorpion fish invasion!! I counted 15 in four-foot square. "Keep your hands inside the vehicle and your knees up!"

Ross and Carlos liberated a group of lobster being held against their wills..."Fly, my monkeys...Fly!!" They bolted frantically in all directions...(the lobsters, not my dive buddies...)

We roamed about enjoying the abundance of life concentrated on this 1930 wreck, with nudibranchs (Spanish shawls, albopuncta, Triopha catalinae) and carpets of corynactis rewarding up-close examination. Many foot-tall white metridiums seemed to glow like table lamps in the dim green water. It's hard to imagine these piles having once been a huge cargo ship. "Thanks" to the California Wreck Divers' site for really adding to the fun of exploring these wrecks.

Lunch, sunshine and a short motor trip brought us to the wreck site of the JohannaSmith. Ross darted the hook into the sand exactly next to the wreck, so it was easy to find in the 10-15ft viz. The captain had ushered us off his deck, while he patiently awaited our reports topside... unfortunately sidelined by a wrist-seal that gave up the ghost after the first dive. This debris was more scattered than the Monfalcone, but had very cool vertical pillars standing up 10-15 feet off the sand. Corynactis anemones completely covered the pillar: patchs of cherry red next to lavendar, next to pale orange, next to pale pink. It was absolutely beautiful when lit up with a diving light. Funny sight: a motionless scorpion fish with a big brown sea cucumber plastered across its forehead. It looked like an icebag for a headache! A big old snagged fishing net was inhabited by several different nudibranchs (Spanish shawls, cuthona divae, Triopha catalina, Facelina stearnsii)
We ascended next to the anchor line, up into the murk, doing rolling stops every 10 feet from 40fsw up. It's in interesting sensation to manage depth with no visual cues other than the anchor line and the digits on the Bend-o-matic. I think it feels great to "hover in place" as the particulates race by, totally neutral and balanced in this world of measured, pressured light.
It was a good day to play in the sea.
Thank you Ross for generously taking us out to play, and "WELCOME BACK INTO THE POOL!!!"
Thank you Carlos and Frank for the fun, companionship, and safety.
Claudette

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Date:September 10th
Dive Location:La Jolla Shores
Time:All day!!!
Bottom Time:Max
Max Depth:Not too deep
Vis:8-20 in the canyon
Wave height: 1-3
Temp at depth: 54F
Surface Temp: 66F
Gas mix: Air (21%)
Comments:Another nudi hunt. Also a nice day to spend with Scubaboarders, including my favorite.
Phil and Missy

Dirona picta

Dirona picta

Dendronotus frondosus

Pleurobranchaea californica

Navanax inermis

Diaulula sandiegensis

Dendronotus iris

Dead Leopard shark

Closeup

Cute little rows of teeth

 

[MissyP]

Date:September 10th
Dive Location:La Jolla Shores
Time:All day!!!

yuck, the leopard shark... Great nudi day though- definitely found a LOT, and so many types as well- new (to us) ones and old familiar ones. And more pipefish than I've ever seen... The snoozing sheephead group on the night dive were pretty cute.
Fun group at Wrinkles- I think everybody had a good time