The Pasley June 06 Dive Report Thread

[divinman]

Dive Location: La Jolla Shores/Main Wall
Buddy(ies): Sean, Max
Time: 1930ish
Bottom Time: 56 minutes
Max Depth: 110ft
Vis: 30-40...Really. Crystal clear
Swell height: 1-2ft easily timed
Temp at depth: 49F
Surface Temp: 63F
Gas mix: 21%

Met up with Max and Sean and after borrowing some forgotten gear we headed into the minimal surf. The kick out was nice and relaxing and the sunset was gorgeous! About 200yards past the buoy we dropped in and headed west toward the draw. Lots of life out tonight including a new fish for me. It has two distinct "spines" just forward of its dorsal fin. I snapped a few pictures and we continued on. The usual suspects were out including D. Iris and lots and lots of octopus. Visibility remains stellar although the water temp is a bone chilling 49 at depth. Soooo glad I have a drysuit on dives like this.

Get out and dive. Conditions are worth the headache of parking in La Jolla.

Terry

 

[Peter McGuinness]

Date:
Dive Location: La Jolla Shores - secret garden
Buddy(ies): Jackie
Time: 8 PM
Bottom Time:49mins
Max Depth: 124
Vis: 40ft +
Wave height: 2 -3 ft
Temp at depth: cold!

It was a funny old dive tonight. Surf was lively but not much problem
and then dropping into 50ft of stunning vis was a treat we can all appreciate.

Really, the water was clear as crystal - easily better than 40ft
visibility but with the temperature to match ( nothing comes for free!)

Jackie and I set out for secret garden and I screwed up the nav for
the second time in quick succession but we did find all sorts of
interesting critters out and about, including a turbot with interesting
hitchikers (copepods?) and an octopus who tried very hard - and with a
certain amount of success - to pass itself off as a whelk. If you have
never seen this trick, it is really quite impressive; our most ingenious
molluscs continue to amuse and entertain their audience.

As we shivered along this divecicle, we found lots of fringeheads out
and about - enough for me to get quite blase about what is normally a
rare sight - but all good things come to an end, especially when you
have a wetsuit diver in sub 50 degree water and a dampsuit diver who is
wondering why his left boot is dragging somewhat ( mystery solved back
onshore after I poured six pints of water out of there!)

Wow! if you are the hardy type who can stand the cold (and why would we
dive here otherwise?) get out there and dive while the vis is good.

Here is the turbot with the hitchhikers:

and some fringhead shots:

The rest of the photos are here:
http://www.mcguinness-family.net/albums/diving/SanDiego//latest/index.php

 

[riguerin]

Date: 6/29/2006
Dive Location: N. Crescent Bay, Laguna Beach
Buddy(ies): Brandon
Time: 7:53 am
Bottom Time: 65 min
Max Depth: 39 fsw
Vis: 5-10+
Wave height: 1-2+ ft
Temp at depth: 53 F
Surface Temp: 58 F
Tide information: Low; 6:44 am. -0.32 ft
Gas mix: 21%

Comments: I dragged the B-Boy along for an AM dive at N. Crescent. Top side conditions were gorgeous. We had clear sunny skies and light NE winds. Old Southern Hemi energy continued to fade, leaving some ankle to waist high shore pound. The bay was pretty drained out due to the morning negative tide.

We dropped in ~23 fsw , just E of the big splash rock. Upon reaching the bottom we encountered substantial surge (~2-4ft) and poor vis (~5ft) due to the churning bottom. We headed S, toward deeper water before making a gradual turn toward the W and Seal Rock. Conditions were a little better along the backside of the reef; up to 10+ ft of vis, less surge, but water temps were a chilly 53 F. We slowly worked the reef. Eventually, we made the turn and followed a reciprocal path back to the beach.

We encountered some cool marine life thorough out the dive. We saw several mutant sized Sea Hare, including one mating couple; lots of nesting Garibaldi ... no vicious finger biting attacks today; several lobster molts; a large aggregation of Lightbulb Tunicates; and a big Halibut. After turning N toward the end of the dive, we came up a good sized Horn Shark (~4ft) who was just chilling out on the edge of the reef/sand line. He tolerated us for a while, lifted up his big old head and eyeballed us before finally scooting back toward the protection of reef. A few minutes later, we encountered another smaller shark out on the sand, who wasn't quite as sociable as it's larger cousin ... he scattered in cloud of silt as soon as we got close.

All in all, a fun dive despite some marginal conditions. B-Boy logged another DS dive ... getting things dialed in. Looking forward to logging some more bottom time over the long weekend.

 

[divinman]

Dive Location: La Jolla Shores/South Wall
Buddy (ies): Jen and Janet (in spirit at least)
Time: 06:20
Bottom Time: 58 minutes
Max Depth: 87ft
Vis: 20-30 a bit "murkier" that previously
Swell height: ankle slappers
Temp at depth: 51F
Surface Temp: 63F
Gas mix: 21%

Gallery:http://www.scubapost.net/forums/Scorpionfish/062906/

Got up far too early this morning and headed to the shores for a quick dive before work. Surprisingly, I was NOT the only diver there and other groups were gearing up as I snagged one of the last spots on Vallecetos. I put out the broadcast yesterday and only two responded. Jen and Janet P. So I waited for them as a put my rig together and went through my mental checklist. Jen showed up a few minutes later and as the minutes ticked by we geared up. At 530 I called and got Janet’s VM so I assumed she was still in dream land. A later email from her confirmed this.

We walked out through the small waves and watched the many large shovel nose guitarfish scatter a head of us in the clear shallow water. Once past the "break" we pulled on the fins and headed out to the drop point about even with the orange buoy. Final checks completed we dropped in and leveled off just off the bottom at 22ft and headed west. It was.....quiet. Ahhhhh. Just the rhythmic hiss of exhaled air to mark the time as we approached and then dropped over the canyon edge. Ahhhhhh.

All the usual matter of life was out today including octopus, fringeheads, bat rays and the like. Also seen was the much touted sea bass. He/She didn't stay long but even a brief encounter is worth the price of an air fill.

Pictures were taken and bubbles were blown and before you can say moon snail we were back at the beach and strolling again through baby waves to the beach.....

.....where even more divers were gearing up and eager for reports of good vis. They were not disappointed.

Terry

 

[wrinkles]

With all of these dive reports and pics i am wanting to go back to the shores!!!!! Looks like its almost time for a road trip.

 

[Jake]

Dive Location: Marine Land
Buddy: my better half
Time in: 10:19
Bottom Time: 69 minutes
Max Depth: 26ft
Vis: 10-20, mostly on the 15-20 side
Wave height: 0-1' for most of the cove (if that!)
Temp at depth: 58F (nice!)
Air Temp: 84F (hot!)

This was only my 4th dive at OML, so my frame of reference isn't all that great yet, but diving was excellent today! Very slight breeze + no surf + only a tiny amount of surge in one or two places + nice viz + sunny day + decent water temp = great diving!

We showed up with no one else around except some men who looked like contractor types. Overheard two of them talking about all of the trees that were going to get ripped out: "all of those pine trees, all of those trees over there...." This was my petite g/f's first time diving here, and given the heat and all the weight, I opted to head down the trail with our tanks on a small dolly so that she wouldn't have to deal with it. What an easy way to make that hike. I might be doing that everytime! The especially nice part was having my wetsuit down on my waist and only a BC on my back.

Lots of life hanging around: still metric butt loads of nudicranchs out as well as all sorts of other mollusks in the throes of passion and egg laying. Many sea hares and cucumbers all over the place. We saw a large number of urchins that I had never seen before: all-white with some blue/purple coloring. They were quite pretty. We had a group of fish following us for much of the dive, apparently intent on getting fed. Always nice when the neighbors come along! The remnants of the old pier (?) were particularly alive today and looked really cool in the bright sunlight.

The exit was even easier than the entry. What a great dive. Hopefully it'll stay that way this weekend.

-jake

 

[DMS]

Off to the right (although a long surface swim) there are really nice sized boulders with tons of life on them. I'll take you there soon. I can't wait to see your post after we dive Monterey.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Here's a view of the best places to dive at Marineland. If it's flat enough to enter from the Point, do so. It saves 1/4 mile of swimming. I like to begin each dive near Ted's Rock, look around the edge of the reef at 65-70' and slowly make my way toward the cove. It can easily be navigated without a compass. Make sure to look closely at each rock if you stop. You can find up to a half dozen or more species of nudis on each rock. The nice wall on the map has a 20' vertical wall that is covered entirely by every color in the rainbow.

 

[divinman]

With all of these dive reports and pics i am wanting to go back to the shores!!!!! Looks like its almost time for a road trip.

Any time Ana. You know I think you are the bomb digity dive buddy.

Terry

 

[LLKZ16]

Here's a view of the best places to dive at Marineland. If it's flat enough to enter from the Point, do so. It saves 1/4 mile of swimming. I like to begin each dive near Ted's Rock, look around the edge of the reef at 65-70' and slowly make my way toward the cove. It can easily be navigated without a compass. Make sure to look closely at each rock if you stop. You can find up to a half dozen or more species of nudis on each rock. The nice wall on the map has a 20' vertical wall that is covered entirely by every color in the rainbow.

Great Job Phil!!!