Lynn:
Jim is correct in that it is highly unlikely you'll see every critter on every dive, but there is plenty to see on most dives.
With your being from the left coast, you might find even the common critters more interesting than the the local divers in search of something really special.
I liken diving there to doing the safari ride at Disney's Animal Kingdom. I have done the ride enough with my kid that we've seen the cheetahs, the lions, the merekats, the lions, etc; just not all on the same day. But we always saw elephants, hippos, giraffes and rhinos which always made my daughter happy.
Jim is correct in that it is highly unlikely you'll see every critter on every dive, but there is plenty to see on most dives.
With your being from the left coast, you might find even the common critters more interesting than the the local divers in search of something really special.
I liken diving there to doing the safari ride at Disney's Animal Kingdom. I have done the ride enough with my kid that we've seen the cheetahs, the lions, the merekats, the lions, etc; just not all on the same day. But we always saw elephants, hippos, giraffes and rhinos which always made my daughter happy.
There are those days at the bridge, but they are far and few between
On most days one will "attempt" to find those conditions and be happy with 1/2 hour of the total 2+ hour dive when we do find something.
Many of us regulars carry marking sticks (Popsicle, etc.) so we can mark those areas after we have our photos, and then grab divers in the area to "show" them too... It is seldom "everywhere you turn" and often "everywhere someone shows you"... Often the photos we show online are not seen (even by us). They were smaller than we can really make out. We rely on our ability to stay in a small area and observe small changes in the area to determine what to shoot and later hope it comes out enough to post...
That being stated....
The large stuff happens around us and we hope to have the lens in place to take the shot when it does. Sometimes we get the Eagle Ray shot, Southern Ray (I have actually been slapped in the mask and not gotten the picture), Gunnard, Sea Robin, Frogfish, videos... Just like caves, the more you dive an area, the more you see...