So, this is winter diving in SoCal?

[MaxBottomtime]

We tried to beat the rain and get in a quick dive at White Point Rock after fueling the boat. The surface water was much nicer than the ripping current and mud from yesterday. We had close to fifteen feet on the reef, but the water had dropped to 49F.
There were lots of nudibranch eggs on the reef. The juvenile blue rockfish were pestering me the way garibaldis do. I wasn't expecting that. They usually stay a few feet away.
Within a minute of surfacing, the rain came. It never let up all the way back to Redondo Beach. At least we didn't have to rinse the boat.

 

[Wiilldd1]

I always enjoy your pictures!
Thanks for sharing.

 

[FrankPro1]

Awesome Phil! More Red Bearded Sponges and as always a healthy variety of nudis, WPR doesn't disappoint. Excellent closeup of the Peltodoris and that's one of the nicest Atagema alba's I've seen you take. It might not look like much to the casual viewer but the Alba's muted coloration and texture make it extremely hard to photograph. Great series

 

[TSandM]

Thank you, as always, Max, for your photographs; and thank you, FrankPro, for the ID on the one I didn't know. Learned something new today!

 

[jenth]

Great photos! 49F...that's pretty cold for SoCal waters!! Love all the nudi shots. Surprised you were seeing blue rockfish. Is that typical? Or is it a result of the colder waters? I've never noticed them down here...but saw them everywhere when we were up in Lobos.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Until this year I had never before seen them south of Anacapa Island. I've found juveniles at White Point Rock, Hawthorne Reef and Buchanan's Reef, with a few adults at Buchanan's. 49F was a bit of a surprise, as we had 55F at Marineland yesterday.

 

[fnfalman]

What is the white band/ribbon looking thing in the photo just above the nudies photo? I've seen it before but I don't know what it's called (thus difficulty encountered while trying to google)

 

[drbill]

Yep... cool summer waters, cold winter waters... time for me to take up stakes, move to the tropics and become a coral reef rather than kelp forest ecologist!

Glad you and Merry got some dives in, Phil. I'm wet and cold enough just standing in my living room with these "persistent" rains!

 

[drbill]

What is the white band/ribbon looking thing in the photo just above the nudies photo? I've seen it before but I don't know what it's called (thus difficulty encountered while trying to google)

Dorid nudibranch egg mass

 

[fnfalman]

Dorid nudibranch egg mass

Wow, those itty bitty things put out that much eggs? I'm impressed. I've seen the big spaghetti bowl eggs from the sea hares but the sea hares are humongous.