Mystaadam
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I was personally shocked it was so cold.
SoCal Dive Reports - Let us know about your dive!
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JollyWaffl
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Old Redondo Pier #3, 2020/08/14 AM
Low surf, max a foot or so. Water was high 60s at the surface and leveled out at 54 F down at 40--50 ft. Upside was that visibility was much better down there, probably 20 ft or so, maybe as much as 30 on the first dive.
We managed to find one of the pillars at 36 feet on our first try. I'd estimate it was about 3 or 4 feet tall, clearly degrading, covered with little anemones and hosting a sheep crab inside. I suspect a 6-inch pillar of anemones that we found later was all that's left of another one. Didn't find any others, but we did get overtaken at 40 ft depth by a cormorant (maybe? that's the only diving bird I know) digging around at the bottom.
Also, not a great idea to try this dive and the associated staircase in the middle of a heat wave.
Low surf, max a foot or so. Water was high 60s at the surface and leveled out at 54 F down at 40--50 ft. Upside was that visibility was much better down there, probably 20 ft or so, maybe as much as 30 on the first dive.
We managed to find one of the pillars at 36 feet on our first try. I'd estimate it was about 3 or 4 feet tall, clearly degrading, covered with little anemones and hosting a sheep crab inside. I suspect a 6-inch pillar of anemones that we found later was all that's left of another one. Didn't find any others, but we did get overtaken at 40 ft depth by a cormorant (maybe? that's the only diving bird I know) digging around at the bottom.
Also, not a great idea to try this dive and the associated staircase in the middle of a heat wave.
JollyWaffl
Registered
Nice photos. Piling we were at looks like the first of your three, although think one of the top pieces is now broken and dangling. Didn't see any grasses, maybe wrong time of year?
If you head west from the pilings, you will see the short one at the edge of the canyon. There is a lot of algae, crabs, and fish there. Continue west and you will soon find yourself in very deep water. The taller pilings are in about twenty feet.
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Hombre
You made a dive in a very historical cove -- a cove where diving began in SoCal and for the world of recreational diving
FYI
An old post of mine -- re La Jolla Cove
"La Jolla Cove-- Where it all began
There are a number of vintage books devoted to spear fishing, the most desireable and rarest is of course Gilpatrics "Complete Goggler," published in 1938.
Equally rare, perhaps even rarer are vintage magazine articles. The 1949 National Geographic magazine artcle "Goggle fishing in California Waters," Vol ZCV #5,May 1949, is considered by most serious magliophile/bibliophile as the fountainhead of magazine articles devoted to spear fishing. And it all took place in LA Jolla Cove
Universally known as the "Bottom Scratcher issue," Pages 615 to 632 is jammed packed with with the photography of Lamar Boren, who later gained fame as the photographer of the Sea Hunt series, there are 7 B&W photographs, 12 "natural color" photographs (in 1949 color photography was in it's infancy) and with a text written by professional National Geographic staff member. This issue should be on every collector/historian bucket list.
There is a historical significance of articles and books of this era that provide a glimpse in to a the genesis of the sport and should be cherished as great historical documents...The crude early Churchill fins; the homemade equipment; the masks, the jab sticks (pole spears) the lack of thermal protection...All these items were in the process of future development.
So by visiting and diving La Jolla Cove you are diving "where it all began" in California by the Bottom Scratchers spear fishing club - One of the most historical diving locations in the world.
LA Jolla Cove was also the location of the famous GWS attack during the summer of 1959 when skin diver Robert Pammerdin lost his life- One of the first in California
None remain of that bygone era who were members of the Bottom Scratchers which only had 19 members. The last to pass was Jim Stewart CDO of SIO who passed on a few years ago -- see passing on this board
Enjoy all your future dives dive at the cove-- you will be diving where history was made
Cheers from CenCal
Sam
North Birdrock - 15-Aug-2020
Avg Temp - 63
Max Depth - 23 ft
Avg Depth - 15ft
Dive Time - 96 minutes
Vis - 20-30ft
Today's dive report comes from what Diving West and A Diver's Guide to Southern California's Best Beach Dives just simply calls north bird rock. Entry was down some concrete stairs in need of some TLC, but thankfully serviceable, down to a rock outcropping. I and a new dive buddy entered the water and kicked out tell we were in deeper waters, so from 2-3ft to 13ft lol. Visibility was excellent, maybe up to 30ft in places. We dropped down into a sand channel between the rocks covered in eel grass and kicked south. Initially there wasn't much to see (to my untrained eye) besides sand and eel grass. This quickly resolved into some great shallow reef structures teeming with Garibaldi, schooling Sargo and Opaleye, and sheepshead. Around the 50 minute or 2k PSI mark we surfaced and got our bearings for the return leg. While the outbound trip had a decent amount of surge there was no appreciable current pushing in any direction. The return trip was much of the same except this time we stayed mostly over the rocks. I spotted a small round stingray in the eel grass and California Halibut in the sand. All in an excellent 2,100 PSI and 96 minutes.
Avg Temp - 63
Max Depth - 23 ft
Avg Depth - 15ft
Dive Time - 96 minutes
Vis - 20-30ft
Today's dive report comes from what Diving West and A Diver's Guide to Southern California's Best Beach Dives just simply calls north bird rock. Entry was down some concrete stairs in need of some TLC, but thankfully serviceable, down to a rock outcropping. I and a new dive buddy entered the water and kicked out tell we were in deeper waters, so from 2-3ft to 13ft lol. Visibility was excellent, maybe up to 30ft in places. We dropped down into a sand channel between the rocks covered in eel grass and kicked south. Initially there wasn't much to see (to my untrained eye) besides sand and eel grass. This quickly resolved into some great shallow reef structures teeming with Garibaldi, schooling Sargo and Opaleye, and sheepshead. Around the 50 minute or 2k PSI mark we surfaced and got our bearings for the return leg. While the outbound trip had a decent amount of surge there was no appreciable current pushing in any direction. The return trip was much of the same except this time we stayed mostly over the rocks. I spotted a small round stingray in the eel grass and California Halibut in the sand. All in an excellent 2,100 PSI and 96 minutes.
North Crescent Cove - 22-Aug-2020
Avg Temp - 74
Max Depth - 43 ft
Avg Depth - 30ft
Dive Time - 80 minutes
Vis - 10-20ft
First time successfully getting parkings for diving at Crescent cove so gave it a shot. Man it hot out there! On entry waves weren't too bad, kicked to our best guess and dropped down. Followed the reef tell turn around PSI, outside of the usual cast of characters we did catch a horn shark, stingray, and Orange Spiked Polycera nudi on the return leg. Exiting proved more difficult than entrance as the waves had picked up apparently. Exit was less than graceful but no gear was lost and didn't hurt myself, just a few lost cool points. Overall viz was passable, 10 by the end, and 20(ish) at the start. Very strong surge throughout the dive.
Avg Temp - 74
Max Depth - 43 ft
Avg Depth - 30ft
Dive Time - 80 minutes
Vis - 10-20ft
First time successfully getting parkings for diving at Crescent cove so gave it a shot. Man it hot out there! On entry waves weren't too bad, kicked to our best guess and dropped down. Followed the reef tell turn around PSI, outside of the usual cast of characters we did catch a horn shark, stingray, and Orange Spiked Polycera nudi on the return leg. Exiting proved more difficult than entrance as the waves had picked up apparently. Exit was less than graceful but no gear was lost and didn't hurt myself, just a few lost cool points. Overall viz was passable, 10 by the end, and 20(ish) at the start. Very strong surge throughout the dive.
HMCS Yukon - 30-Aug-2020
Avg Temp - 56
Max Depth - 93 ft
Avg Depth - 80ft
Dive Time - 33/35 minutes
Vis - 40+/20
Tale of two dives. The first dive was probably one the most enjoyable Yukon dives I've ever had. Easily 40+ visibility, the wreck really comes alive with that level of visibility. Noticeably chillier than my shallower dives, but as expected. First dive was during slack tide, unfortunately it didn't last the surface interval. Descending down the line for the 2nd dive was shocking compared to the first but more inline with "standard" conditions (so 20ish feet visibility). I really do have commend the captain and crew of Waterhorse charters. They have adapted and excelled in the current environment, absolutely my favorite charter operator in the region.
Edit: Don't type up dive reports when you are tired without the aid of a spell check, that was atrocious
Avg Temp - 56
Max Depth - 93 ft
Avg Depth - 80ft
Dive Time - 33/35 minutes
Vis - 40+/20
Tale of two dives. The first dive was probably one the most enjoyable Yukon dives I've ever had. Easily 40+ visibility, the wreck really comes alive with that level of visibility. Noticeably chillier than my shallower dives, but as expected. First dive was during slack tide, unfortunately it didn't last the surface interval. Descending down the line for the 2nd dive was shocking compared to the first but more inline with "standard" conditions (so 20ish feet visibility). I really do have commend the captain and crew of Waterhorse charters. They have adapted and excelled in the current environment, absolutely my favorite charter operator in the region.
Edit: Don't type up dive reports when you are tired without the aid of a spell check, that was atrocious
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@azstinger11
great dive reports!
written and reported they way they should be written and reported
Keep up the great work - stay wet !
Samuel Miller, 111
ps - lost your email- e mail me or PM -- I have some Information that may be of interest
great dive reports!
written and reported they way they should be written and reported
Keep up the great work - stay wet !
Samuel Miller, 111
ps - lost your email- e mail me or PM -- I have some Information that may be of interest
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