Ever since I read Kyaa's post about the SunDiver's rig trip (link) I've been jumping out of my skin - I love the rigs and its been quite awhile since I've been there.
I've never dived the rigs with the SunDiver before. One of my fav sites, one of my fav Dive Operators - it had to rule.
OH MY - it sure did.
We did three dives that day - two on the Oil Platform Eureka, and a third on a shallow reef closer to shore (what Ray called "red tank reef".)
Dive 1 - Eureka
The plan was go take this first dive pretty deep (for us) - go to about 130 and look for some clear water to get some clean shots. The viz was pretty good - not as good as we've seen it, but surely not bad. This was the first time I've dived with the camera and a scooter and an AL40 of 50% - so there was a lot going on.
I had to sling the AL40 on the right side, as I carry the camera on the left. It was interesting - not at all uncomfortable. I was a bit of a cluster on the switch (it was quick, and I was breathing - it was just a bit inelegant with some twistage) but it was all good.
At about 125 - 130 FSW there are a bunch of ropes hanging and swaying in the current - they're really pretty as they're covered with Anemones and other stuff. I got some shots of Claudette amongst the ropes. We then saw two horizontal braces at about 125 so I had her to the peek-a-boo (chica-boo???) and got a fun shot.
We zoomed and zoomed. It was clear silly fun. Ran up on to this downward-facing opening, and there was a Garibaldi playing hide-and-seek in it. It would poke out, look around, then dive back in. I got a shot of her and the Gari.
At about 100 feet there was a cross brace that had a Cabezon on it. He came off the brace and came right at the dome of my camera - seeing another cabezon in it. I kept back kicking, but I couldn't shake the guy. He finally got bored and went back to sit on the brace - 'Dette rolled up on him and I got a shot of them together.
At 70 we made the gas switch - and right there was one of my favorite features on the rig. There is this thing I call the Aquarium - its this hollow brace that has a lone golden gorgonian and is surrounded by Anemones. There is a school of little fish that live there - they hang out along the outside of the brace until a diver comes over - when they suddenly all dash inside to hide. They slowly re-emerge. I didn't get a shot of them all on the outside (its striking - its like a little tropical reef in the midst of all of this industrial steel) but you'll get the idea.
A great long, deep, fun dive.
DIVE 2 - EUREKA
A decent SI, and back to the Eureka. This time the plan was for a lessaggressive assertive dive. We left the 40's on the deck and just planned a mellow dive. We got in, and we could tell the viz had begun to get a bit worse. No biggie, but it was a little sad.
We had a great dive, this time only going to about 120. We dived the other side of the rig this time - so we saw all new stuff.
One of the cool things was we stumbled onto a vent that was blasting out bubbles and stuff. Capt Ray mentioned the rig stated they'd be doing a discharge - but its a big place. I didn't think we'd find it.
Last time we dived it with a discharge we got some amazing shots (link to Rigs Fog diving.) This time the discharge wasn't nearly as large, and it didn't fill the water with the fog like last time - but it was still really cool. It had just started when we got to it, so I was able to get some shots of it blasting downward.
Chica, of course, had to scoot through it. I grabbed a shot of her emerging from the fog. It was cool, but conditions weren't as favorable as the last time we dived in the fog.
With our time up, we started out ascent. And something amazing happened: The current started really, REALLY coming up. And as it did, the water near the top - the dirtiest water began to clear up. As it did, all manner of small jelly started to drift by. We saw salps in all stages of formation (amazingly cool), lots of comb jellies, gooseberry jellies and the largest Sea Angle ever. This Sea Angle was about the size of my fist. I've only seen them in pictures - Claudette has seen them before, but never one this large.
Another excellent dive on Eureka.
DIVE 3 - Red Tank Reef
With the current coming up, and the afternoon wind now whipping, it was getting really rough. We moved off the rig to dive a reef Capt Ray has dialed in. He dropped anchor, but the wind and chop had us pull and slide 20 yards or more off the original spot before catching again.
No biggie - go down the anchor line to the bottom (about 75 feet) and keep going in the direction of the line until you hit the reef.
We didn't see any of the other divers - I dunno what happened to them, but we got on the reef almost immediately.
WHAT A SPOT!
The current was blowing into our faces as we scooted to the reef - so the silt and yuck from the anchor drag prepared us for terrible viz. Once we got past the original anchor hook (the one that slipped) everything opened up into excellent viz.
This place was covered with Nudis. We were scootering and we saw 14 species:
1. Fed Ex
2. Sandy (lots)
3. Limbaughs (lots)
4. Flavah (one)
5. Yellow Lined Cadlina
6. Berthella (two smallish ones)
7. Montereys (only one fatty)
8. McFarlands (light table, baby!)
9. 'Tata (too many to count)
10. Clownie
11. Dendy (Dendronotus Frondosis, we think) laying eggs!
12. Aldisa (my first!)
13. Some other non-Aldisa White Dorid
14. Cuthona
TONS o' Nudis. Lots of other cool stuff, too - shrimp, crabs, lobster, scallops and all of the usual SoCal reef suspects. HUGE schools of very large perch and sargo.
I loved this dive. Lots to see. Rugged topography. Rough surface conditions (shin bashing on the ladder) but so worth it.
Huge thanks to Capt Kyaa and Ray for an excellent trip. Perfect drops and pick ups off the Rig, and a surprise reef to end the day.
Claudette - you remain the alpha buddy. The best ever. Strong, confident, fit, mad skills and enthusiastic. You are a joy to dive with.
Some pics below.
Enjoy.
---
Ken
=========================================
THE WIDES
Claudette on the ropes at about 130 FSW
Chica-Boo - peeking 'tween some braces at about 125-ish. Life on the rigs is so lush.
Dette and the curious Cabezon
The hide-and-seek Garibaldi
This is the hanging aquarium. This is my fav feature on Eureka. I always look for this at about 60 - 70 foot level. Its so cool, hanging out there by itself looking like a tropical reef. Look close and you can see the school of fish just at the mouth of the opening.
Blasting Bubbles
Dette scooting through the fizz
Part two below - The Macros
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..
I've never dived the rigs with the SunDiver before. One of my fav sites, one of my fav Dive Operators - it had to rule.
OH MY - it sure did.
We did three dives that day - two on the Oil Platform Eureka, and a third on a shallow reef closer to shore (what Ray called "red tank reef".)
Dive 1 - Eureka
The plan was go take this first dive pretty deep (for us) - go to about 130 and look for some clear water to get some clean shots. The viz was pretty good - not as good as we've seen it, but surely not bad. This was the first time I've dived with the camera and a scooter and an AL40 of 50% - so there was a lot going on.
I had to sling the AL40 on the right side, as I carry the camera on the left. It was interesting - not at all uncomfortable. I was a bit of a cluster on the switch (it was quick, and I was breathing - it was just a bit inelegant with some twistage) but it was all good.
At about 125 - 130 FSW there are a bunch of ropes hanging and swaying in the current - they're really pretty as they're covered with Anemones and other stuff. I got some shots of Claudette amongst the ropes. We then saw two horizontal braces at about 125 so I had her to the peek-a-boo (chica-boo???) and got a fun shot.
We zoomed and zoomed. It was clear silly fun. Ran up on to this downward-facing opening, and there was a Garibaldi playing hide-and-seek in it. It would poke out, look around, then dive back in. I got a shot of her and the Gari.
At about 100 feet there was a cross brace that had a Cabezon on it. He came off the brace and came right at the dome of my camera - seeing another cabezon in it. I kept back kicking, but I couldn't shake the guy. He finally got bored and went back to sit on the brace - 'Dette rolled up on him and I got a shot of them together.
At 70 we made the gas switch - and right there was one of my favorite features on the rig. There is this thing I call the Aquarium - its this hollow brace that has a lone golden gorgonian and is surrounded by Anemones. There is a school of little fish that live there - they hang out along the outside of the brace until a diver comes over - when they suddenly all dash inside to hide. They slowly re-emerge. I didn't get a shot of them all on the outside (its striking - its like a little tropical reef in the midst of all of this industrial steel) but you'll get the idea.
A great long, deep, fun dive.
DIVE 2 - EUREKA
A decent SI, and back to the Eureka. This time the plan was for a less
We had a great dive, this time only going to about 120. We dived the other side of the rig this time - so we saw all new stuff.
One of the cool things was we stumbled onto a vent that was blasting out bubbles and stuff. Capt Ray mentioned the rig stated they'd be doing a discharge - but its a big place. I didn't think we'd find it.
Last time we dived it with a discharge we got some amazing shots (link to Rigs Fog diving.) This time the discharge wasn't nearly as large, and it didn't fill the water with the fog like last time - but it was still really cool. It had just started when we got to it, so I was able to get some shots of it blasting downward.
Chica, of course, had to scoot through it. I grabbed a shot of her emerging from the fog. It was cool, but conditions weren't as favorable as the last time we dived in the fog.
With our time up, we started out ascent. And something amazing happened: The current started really, REALLY coming up. And as it did, the water near the top - the dirtiest water began to clear up. As it did, all manner of small jelly started to drift by. We saw salps in all stages of formation (amazingly cool), lots of comb jellies, gooseberry jellies and the largest Sea Angle ever. This Sea Angle was about the size of my fist. I've only seen them in pictures - Claudette has seen them before, but never one this large.
Another excellent dive on Eureka.
DIVE 3 - Red Tank Reef
With the current coming up, and the afternoon wind now whipping, it was getting really rough. We moved off the rig to dive a reef Capt Ray has dialed in. He dropped anchor, but the wind and chop had us pull and slide 20 yards or more off the original spot before catching again.
No biggie - go down the anchor line to the bottom (about 75 feet) and keep going in the direction of the line until you hit the reef.
We didn't see any of the other divers - I dunno what happened to them, but we got on the reef almost immediately.
WHAT A SPOT!
The current was blowing into our faces as we scooted to the reef - so the silt and yuck from the anchor drag prepared us for terrible viz. Once we got past the original anchor hook (the one that slipped) everything opened up into excellent viz.
This place was covered with Nudis. We were scootering and we saw 14 species:
1. Fed Ex
2. Sandy (lots)
3. Limbaughs (lots)
4. Flavah (one)
5. Yellow Lined Cadlina
6. Berthella (two smallish ones)
7. Montereys (only one fatty)
8. McFarlands (light table, baby!)
9. 'Tata (too many to count)
10. Clownie
11. Dendy (Dendronotus Frondosis, we think) laying eggs!
12. Aldisa (my first!)
13. Some other non-Aldisa White Dorid
14. Cuthona
TONS o' Nudis. Lots of other cool stuff, too - shrimp, crabs, lobster, scallops and all of the usual SoCal reef suspects. HUGE schools of very large perch and sargo.
I loved this dive. Lots to see. Rugged topography. Rough surface conditions (shin bashing on the ladder) but so worth it.
Huge thanks to Capt Kyaa and Ray for an excellent trip. Perfect drops and pick ups off the Rig, and a surprise reef to end the day.
Claudette - you remain the alpha buddy. The best ever. Strong, confident, fit, mad skills and enthusiastic. You are a joy to dive with.
Some pics below.
Enjoy.
---
Ken
=========================================
THE WIDES
Claudette on the ropes at about 130 FSW
Chica-Boo - peeking 'tween some braces at about 125-ish. Life on the rigs is so lush.
Dette and the curious Cabezon
The hide-and-seek Garibaldi
This is the hanging aquarium. This is my fav feature on Eureka. I always look for this at about 60 - 70 foot level. Its so cool, hanging out there by itself looking like a tropical reef. Look close and you can see the school of fish just at the mouth of the opening.
Blasting Bubbles
Dette scooting through the fizz
Part two below - The Macros
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