The Lexy November '05 Dive Report thread

[Frank O]

We had a great time playing in the wild blue yonder of smokin' bioluminescence with both our light turned off.

Very similar dive for us. One of the highlights was when we were hovering around the monument and I covered my HID. Just at that moment, coincidentally, a person-sized shape sailed past a few feet directly above us, swathed in green contrails of biolum. One of the most unusual sea lion drivebys I can remember. (At least we're pretty sure it was a sea lion ... either that or a slightly late appearance by a Halloween wraith ...)

I also have to say it was easily my toastiest Vets dive this year ... 63 F at 72 ft ...

 

[divinman]

Date: 11/10/05
Time: 0618
Dive Location: San Diego/ Scripps Canyon
Bottom Time: 45 minutes
Max Depth: 130ft
Avg Depth: 60ft
Vis: solid 20-25 in the canyon
Surface Temp: 61F
Temp at depth: 55F
Surface Conditions: Small surface swell but easily manageable

Date: 11/10/05
Time: 1324
Dive Location: San Diego/ La Jolla Shores
Bottom Time: 59 minutes
Max Depth: 111ft
Avg Depth: 43ft
Vis: good 20ft or more
Surface Temp: 62F
Temp at depth: 55F
Surface Conditions: 1-3ft no power, wind chop

Date: 11/10/05
Time: 1646
Dive Location: San Diego/ La Jolla Shores
Bottom Time: 80 minutes
Max Depth: 72ft
Avg Depth: 39ft
Vis: solid 20-25 in the canyon
Surface Temp: 62F
Temp at depth: 58F
Surface Condition: 1-2ft with wind chop

Many people will opt to take off from work on their birthday, sleep in and just relax. Instead I opted to get up at 430 in the morning and go diving. Divers really are a strange species of sapiens.

Scripps was dive one and George lead the way into the deep and along the walls dripping with life. More species of nudibranchs than you will see anywhere else so if course I was in heaven. Even at our max depth there was enough ambient light to ready your gauges and compass and the views were spectacular. Once we reached our predetermined bottom time we ascended to 30ft and headed back to the exit point as a leisurely pace. George’s superior navigation bringing us up right at the ramp!! Everyone dressed quickly so they could get to work.....I took my time. ;-)

After a wonderful breakfast with Joanne and a quick stop at the LDS for some air I again headed down to La Jolla for a dive with my long time dive buddy and good friend John A. The conditions were great, warm sun, small surf and clear water. As we were gearing up I noticed a leak in my HP hose and poor John had to stand around fully geared up while I changed it. That task completed we headed out into the surf to the orange buoy. We were nearly to our drop in point when I reached for my camera to take a picture of John's mug.......DANG!! I could clearly see droplets of water INSIDE THE HOUSING!!! I informed John that I needed to take the camera back to shore and he opted to stay out there and wait for me rather than scrap the dive. It was a long swim back, a long trudge up the beach to the parking lot, turn 180, and repeat. I finally made it back to orange buoy and John was ready to go diving. At this point I will defer to Johns outstanding report already posted. I will add there are only two certainties in underwater photography. 1) You will flood your camera. 2) You will see something you never see on that dive. We saw three mantis shrimp and a stone bowl.....no pictures. Ahhh well, the dive was incredible.

I had gas for a 3rd dive but John was already late for his doctor’s appointment so he said his good byes and headed out. I was packing up when a familiar face strolled across the parking lot. At first I thought it must be a ghost. It was Jamee and she was suppose to be in Australia, at least I thought she was after the epic going away party Jayne had thrown for her. Anyway, she is trying to maximize her remaining few days of SoCal diving and was up for another dive today. Reaching for my dive computer to check my surface interval time it barked at me like and angry dog. "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT PAL" I hoped to have any bottom time I would have to wait. I was feeling a bit peckish, actually quite ravenous, so I walked over to Jeff's for a burger and fries while I off gassed as quickly as possible.

Back to the truck I geared up and we made the stroll out into the dropping surf. Wind chop was less now as the afternoon cooled and before long we were nearly to the buoy again. Jamee, like most women divers I know, have gills instead of lungs and she was toting a hot water heater sized tank, I had my twin 72's so we dropped in shallower than usual and headed southwest toward the canyon. Life was everywhere and abundant. Nudis seen included dirona picta, california armina, D.frondosus, spanish shawls, three line aoelids and lots of hermissendas. Flat fish from little tiny soles to a large 3' halibut made appearances. Crabs of all kinds including a very, um, crabby sheepcrab scurried, huddled or swam around. Octopus from softball to thimble size tried every magic trick to "vanish" into the background. The list of life was endless. We kept close watch on our gauges and adjusted depth as we approached NDL. We eventually crossed into the sand dollar beds and then into the flats. We finally surfaced in 4ft of water in front of the south showers. The ocean had calmed and the wind had died and the evening was warm. A quick rinse and we were back to the trucks.

Thanks to Jamee for hanging out and diving with me. I am soooo envious of your new career in Australia. Don't forget about us SoCal muck divers. I am sure everyone will enjoy hearing of your dive adventures from down under.

Terry S.

 

[wetrat]

Date: 11/11/05
Dive Location: Cleo Street, Laguna
Time: 7:42 am
Bottom Time: 58 minutes
Max Depth: 61 fsw
Vis: 20+
Wave height: 2 to 3 ft
Temp at depth: 62F
Tide information: Slack time
Gas mix: Air 21%
Comments:
Found the perfect parking spot on Cleo street, right by the stairs. My son and I geared up to dive the wreck of the Cleo Street Barge, a gravel barge that foundered in 1958 during a storm:

http://www.cawreckdivers.org/Wrecks/Foss125.htm

We dropped down in about 20 fsw and assumed a bearing of 230 degrees. The water was insanely beautiful blue and vis was fantastic. We came upon several "mini-reefs" with some magnificent specimens of gorgonian sea fans and tube anemones. Senoritas, blacksmith, garibaldi, and sand bass were plentiful. A school of topsmelt made a long, lazy arc around us at one point. We searched for the wreck in about 55 fsw but never did find her. We did find a section of concrete sewer pipe about ten feet long by six feet in diamater with plenty of growth on it, so we must have been pretty close. (The barge was being used for sewer construction when she foundered.) Unfortunately, we were past our turnaround pressure so we headed back and surfaced in about 30 fsw with 500 psi. It was a Looooooooooooooooooooooooong surface swim back. After the dive, we dropped by Heisler Park to say hi to Diver Jan. We didn't see her, but we did run into MaxBottomtime, which is always a pleasure. Stopped into the local dive shop and the manager said it's almost impossible to find the wreck and that he was beginning to think it was a "figment of everyone's imagination." Naaah, it's there....... somewhere. :05:

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Date: November 11, 2005
Dive Location: Jan's Veteran's Day BBQ at Heisler Park
Time: 12:26 and 3:30
Bottom Time: 1:37 and 1:00
Max Depth: 39' and 36'
Vis: 15'+ horizontally and much nicer vertically, at least 30 feet
Wave height: 2-3'
Temp at depth: 62F
Comments: Only six of us braved the good conditions at Laguna this morning for Jan's little get together. MissyP and I swam out to the outer reef where we found several nudibranchs before. Not much luck today. Missy found two San Diego dorids together and got some great shots, including this one.

I hope she will post them later. She also found a Cuthona rickettsi, but didn't get any good shots. I got a couple, but not very good.

There were lots of Blennies, octopus and the usual assortment of bass hanging out with us plus a few tiny blue ring snails, less that 1/16" inch.

Missy also found a very large lobster hiding out with a smaller Moray eel for protection. Who protects whom in that relationship?
We found at least a half dozen Batrays flying around the sand in the center of Diver's Cove. No pics though.

My drysuit leaked on the first dive so I had to remove some of my undergarments between dives. During the second dive it flooded completely. Because I didn't have much insulation, I could feel it coming in through the inflator. Hopefully it's just got some sand in it. It will be hanging in my backyard for at least 24 hours though. I had a couple gallons of water inside. Brrr. We did a lot of swimming, so Missy had to stop and rest a bit.

We had a nice, mellow day of diving. Much better than being at work.

 

[MissyP]

Date: November 11, 2005
Dive Location: Jan's Veteran's Day BBQ at Heisler Park
Time: 12:26 and 3:30
Bottom Time: 1:37 and 1:00
We did a lot of swimming, so Missy had to stop and rest a bit.

We had a nice, mellow day of diving. Much better than being at work.

well, it was a 1 hr + 37 min dive, of course I needed a break! lol
Batrays abound! Dozens of octos.. bazillions of fish... Excellent vis for Laguna
Great meeting you Jan (and son) & the Andy's!
Definitely a couple of the better dives that I've had lately !!

 

[wetrat]

Phil and Missy, those pictures were nice and CRISP! Wish we could've stayed to dive with you guys.

 

[JMdiver]

Date:11/11/05
Dive locationalos Verde Reef
Time:8:30PM
Bottom Time:29mins.
Max Depth:47ft
Vis.:20ft
Wave Height:2ft
Temp. at Bottom:64 deg.

#2
11/11/05
Palos Verde Reef
9:45PM
32mins.
44ft
20ft
2ft
64 deg.

This was my 2nd & 3rd night dives & it was awesome. I can't believe all the bugs out in the open, still wasn't easy catching them but I managed to get one. I caught 3 but had to let 2 go too small. The moon was almost full last night & on the first dive when I was surfacing I was looking up & seen a light & thought it was the boat but it was the moon, that was so cool.

Happy Diving
John

 

[mark99]

Date: 11/12/05
Dive Location: Catalina Island: Blue Cavern, Bird Rock, Ship Rock
Time: 8:30, 10:30, 12:15
Bottom Time: :25, :42, :31
Max Depth: 79, 55, 52 fsw
Vis: 15'
Wave height: 1-2 ft swells
Temp at depth: 63F
Gas mix: Air 21%
Comments: Had a nice quick ride over on the Psalty V, there were some bigger swells out in the middle but the wind was calm and there was very little chop. The vis. today was much worse than usual, but the water seemed warmer and there was no current. Along the island it was virtually flat, and the sun was shining. Didn't see anything unusual on the 1st and 3rd dives. Did a nice complete swim around Ship Rock. Saw an unusual number of lobsters along the ridges at Bird Rock. (all down in the rocks). Had a fun time pretending I might actually catch one. Flooded my HID light, when I got to the surface smoke was pouring out of it, taking it apart was like opening a bottle of soda water that you just shook up, hissing and spraying foul liquid all over the place.

Did my 51st dive today, since I certified in May it seems like so long ago, and then again almost yesterday.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Date: November 13, 2005
Dive Location: Marineland
Time: 11:38
Bottom Time: 1:21
Max Depth: 55'
Vis: 10'
Wave height: 0-2'
Temp at depth: 60F
Comments: Missy and her husband Doug joined me for my 1100th dive today at Marineland. I found a Cuthona Divae nudi and Doug spotted the only Hopkin's Rose nudi, taking the job away from Missy. She usually finds everything. She did find another Cuthona later, but I was first today. Unfortunately, my pictures sucked more than the hole in my neck seal.
There were about two dozen divers at Marineland today, but the reefs are so large and spread out that we didn't see anyone else underwater. There were a few times I could barely make out Missy's dayglow yellow fins fluttering away. Still, any dive you don't get killed during is a good one in my book. I need one more dive to reach 100 for the year, then it's off to 1200. I have to take a brief break though. My flooded drysuit Friday was caused by the two inch tear in my neck seal. Hopefully I can replace it in a couple days and be back in action.

 

[divinman]

Outstanding images Phil. Looks like you had some good conditions up north. I really need to make it up there some day.

Terry