The Pasley Sept '06 Dive Report Thread

[headhunter]

Date:
Dive Location:
Buddy(ies):
Time:
Bottom Time:
Max Depth:
Vis:
Wave height:
Temp at depth:
Surface Temp:
Tide information:
Gas mix:
Comments:

 

[undrwater]

Date:9/1/2006
Dive Location:Vet's Park, Redondo Beach
Buddy(ies):IcyIce
Time:21:30
Bottom Time:10 min
Max Depth:4'fsw
Vis:0
Wave height:2-4'
Temp at depth:74
Surface Temp:74
Tide information:Low
Gas mix:Air
Comments:

As I parked my car, 2 divers with wetsuits but no gear (except boogie board) emerged from the stairs. "The waves are big". ICE and I walked down to the surf and surveyd the situation. The biggest waves were breaking around 4'...biggish, but manageable(?). We decided to gear up and check again, if we felt uncertain we'd thumb the dive.

The first clue should have been the fact that we were walking and walking, but not getting any deeper. Vet's usually drops off pretty quickly, but this wasn't happening. Once we got out to where the waves were breaking, we were able to duck under the first few with no problems. These were just the recivers, though. The line-backer hit us on the next set. This was a powerful wave...not big, but powerful. I addressed it with respect, but it didn't care. "You're not getting in the ocean today".

This is when we could have used a shot of estrogen...but no, testosterone won out. We tried again. :shakehead

What is it called when someone tries to the same thing over and over again, expecting a different outcome?

The second time was a repeat of the first, except we were worn out. I was on my hands and knees feeling several sets of waves washing over me until I summoned the energy to rise. I looked around for ICE, and he was still down. I prayed as I headed toward him "please get up, please get up". My prayers were answered.

Needless to say, we never got deeper than about 4', and we had a "smashing" good time. Up in the parking lot we were laughing and groaning as we were attempting to wash the sand out of EVERYTHING. Lesson learned: next time I'm unsure about the wave conditions, try body surfing with just the wetsuit...or even better, head straight to the debrief.

 

[Jake]

Date:9/2/2006
Dive Location: Corona Del Mar
Buddy(ies): Working with classes
Time: Multiple dives starting at 08:17
Max Depth: 20 fsw
Vis: Excellent
Wave height: 1-2', usually nothing
Temp at depth:64
Comments:

I was interning with an Open Water and Rescue class this morning, so I didn't get much of a chance to get under the water for very long. Nevertheless, conditions were as about as perfect for CDM as I've seen in my short time diving. Beautiful topside conditions, warm water, little to no surf, and viz in the 15-20' range, even with an OW class mucking it all up!

We didn't get a chance to dive the reef to the east, but I can't imagine conditions were much different.

Before and after the class did its last rescue scenario, I had the opportunity to snorkel around. There were numerous small (1-3') leopard sharks cruising about in the shallows. One little girl saw one and promptly started crying; I was trying my best to get close! Just amazing looking animals.

I think I might go down a little later after some of the crowds have left and give it another shot there.

 

[alaity47]

Date:9/2/2006
Dive Location: Old Marineland
Buddy(ies): Meca, plus 6 other ADPers
Time: 10am-ish
Max Depth: 20 fsw
Vis: 10-15'
Wave height: 0-1'
Temp at depth:59
Comments:

This was a "working dive" - a site survey assignment for LA County ADP. 8 of us entered at the cove, and set 2 floats with 100' of line between them on the bottom to survey. We added another 100' of line extending on out towards the point in the hopes of catching some remotely interesting topography.

Had a nice time cruising down the line taking readings, and also spotted plenty of fun critters: chestnut cowry, spanish shawl, keyhole limpets, sea hare, a big baitball (mackerel?), walleye surfperch, rainbow seaperch (a first for me).

We ran into Diver Jan and a few others in the parking lot - always kind of funny meeting someone you primarily know from their avatar! Hope you guys had a good dive.

This was my first time in the water at OML, and I'm looking forward to going back on a fun-only dive soon! Maybe I'll give the entry at the point a try next time.

 

[Jake]

Date:9/2/2006
Dive Location: Corona Del Mar (east)
Buddy(ies): Rocket
Time: 17:11
Bottom Time: 63min
Max Depth: 22 fsw
Vis: 0-5, 10-20
Wave height: 1-2'
Temp at depth:65F
Comments:

I talked my gf into heading back down to Corona Del Mar in hopes that the conditions had held, and were as good over the reef. In short, they were. Our plan was to wander around in the gardens for a while, and then on the way back in to look for leopard sharks.

So...we wandered around, making it further east than I had been before; that reef just gets better the further you go that direction. It was very pretty out today with lots of life and the viz was terrific. As any of you know who have dove this spot, it's shallow, and there's lots of surge. That made it interesting at times, but it was well worth it. Lots of curious lobster poking around, as well as fearless itty-bitty garibaldi. We stopped to watch a medium bat ray for a while, but he grew annoyed and winged it away. Shortly thereafter, Rocket saw a fish caught on a discarded hook and line that had become caught on a rock. She was able to remove the hook and free the little guy.

After about 45 minutes we decided to head back and were fortunate enough to wander into what seemed like a juvenile leopard shark nursery. It was the very edge of the reef, so viz was maybe 2-4 or so, which is why I think they weren't afraid of us; they couldn't see us! For about 30 seconds we watched several 1-2' babies jet about the reef before we lost them to the sandy viz. We headed back in over the sand looking at spiny rays and tiny new hermit craps. We surfaced in about 4 fsw with about 1200 PSI left each, frightening some civvies swimming near by.

Great dive and great conditions; here's to hoping it stays that way over the weekend!

BTW, does anyone know if this place has a proper name other than just "Corona Del Mar east"? It's the area circled in white in the picture below.

 

[riguerin]

Date: 9/2/2006
Dive Location: Deadman's Reef/N.Crescent Bay, Laguna Beach
Buddy(ies): wetrat, divekim, dersaldoll, Steve-O, Mac
Time: 7:10 am
Bottom Time: 88 min
Max Depth: 56 fsw
Vis: 15-25+ ft
Wave height: 1-2 ft
Temp at depth: 57F
Surface Temp: 65F
Tide information: Pushing; High Tide - 7:52 AM PDT, +3.31 ft
Gas mix: 21%

Comments: I hooked up with a group of SCUBA Post members and La Jolla dive regulars for a morning of diving in Laguna Beach. We met bright and early at N.Cresent Bay in order to ensure some close parking spots. We scored ! Both topside and ocean conditions were ideal on this morning. We had clear sunny skies, glassy conditions, and meager small-scale surf from the S/SW in the 1-2 ft range.

For the first dive, we finned out and dropped on the DeadHenge buoy and followed the rock line to the reef. We started the dive by heading toward the East end of the reef and deeper water. After ~25 mins, we reversed tracks and eventually took a short cut across the sand and picked up the shallower inside reef line. We followed the reef line back to the beach. John and I finished the dive with a nice relaxed cruise over the sand. UW conditions were very good. Vis was running in the 15-20 ft range at Deadman's, and closer to 30 ft in the sandy shallows. Temps were a chilly mid 50's at depth out at Deadman's while a toasty mid 60's above 30 fsw.

We saw lots of cool critters during the dive, including : some Octopi, Lobster, Sheep Crab, and Cabezon; lots of different reef fish such as Galibaldi, Senortita, Blacksmith, Rock Wrasse, Barred Sand Bass, Sargos, etc. Most noteworthy were the large number of Spanish Shawls sighted. The were all over, but a few areas were just loaded with them.

Date: 9/2/2006
Dive Location: N.Crescent Bay, Laguna Beach
Buddy(ies): wetrat, divekim, dersaldoll, Mac
Time: 10:17 am
Bottom Time: 87 min
Max Depth: 33 fsw
Vis: 20-30+ ft
Wave height: 1-2 ft
Temp at depth: 64F
Surface Temp: 70F
Tide information: Draining; Low Tide - 10:47 AM PDT +3.13 feet
Gas mix: 21%

Comments: Most of the group went out for a 2nd dive. We decided to poke around the shallow inside reef area of N/Crescent. The objective was to find the infamous Wetrat's Octotropolis.

We finned out just past the splash rock, and dropped in approx 23 fsw and started out on W/SW heading that took us on top of the reef. Here, we encountered stellar vis, in the 20-30 range, while surge was 2-3+ ft. We followed the various contours of the reef toward the general direction of Seal Rock. We poked around the various hiding places along the canyons, pinnacles, and cracks in the reef. We eventually made the turn when we approached the edge of the reef and headed back in along NE heading. We finished the dive with another relaxed swim across the sandy flats. This time, Jen and I took it all the way to the beach ... finishing the dive by standing up in 5 fsw.

Well we never really found the Octotropolis ... albeit there were a few sightings of the reclusive cephalopods. We must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. Instead we ended up in what looked like SeaHare City (a.k.a. Orgy City). The reef along this stretch was loaded with them .... many engaged in numerous mating chains sighted. We stumbled across what could be Moray Lane, a series of crevices where we encountered several different California Moray Eels. We also encountered many of the other critters we saw on the first dive. Again, we had an entourage of friendly Senorita and Garibaldi who escorted throughout the dive to male sure we were all having a good time. Over the sand, we entertained ourselves by harassing little Sanddabs and watching several small rays flutter out of our way as we approached.

Afterwards, the group headed over the Cottage restaurant for a nice brunch and to recount the day's events. I was pretty sure that as the organizer of this event was supposed to pick up the tab. I'm still not quite sure how he got out of ... what are you gonna do ? Overall it, was an excellent day of fun easy diving under some beautiful local conditions. I'm glad to have had the opportunity to share this with some first time OCal divers. Thanks for some great dives ladies and gents.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Date: September 3, 2006
Dive Location: Marineland
Buddy(ies): Merry and Ice, temporarily
Time: 9:27
Bottom Time: One hour
Max Depth: 69'
Vis: 10'
Wave height: Growing
Temp at depth: 56F
Comments: Someone was trying to tell us something today. Merry and I met ICE, I.C. Elguezabal in the parking lot. He was joining us for a slow, methodical photography dive. Naturally, his housing flooded on the entry. He ditched the camera in the rocks and rejoined us. After the long swim to the Point we began our descent. I couldn't clear my left ear at all. Merry then had fin and ear troubles. Hayward had come out to meet us after a rough entry from the Point. I suggested ICE and Hayward team up while Merry and I made the 1/4 mile surface swim back. After a few minutes we decided to try again and made it to the reef without much trouble.
The conditions were poor compared to yesterday. I shot a few pictures as we made our way back to the cove. I got some shots of the Newbern wreck's anchor and chain for Jeff Shaw and Patrick Smith, but the dive itself will be put into the Ehhh folder. Things will be better tomorrow, I'm sure of it.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Date: September 4, 2006
Dive Location: Fog Wreck
Buddy(ies): Jeff and Sue Shaw
Time: 9:35
Bottom Time: 26 minutes
Max Depth: 108'
Vis: 30'+
Wave height: Large swells with a strong current
Temp at depth: 56F
Comments: Ross-O was kind enough to taxi us out for a couple of wreck dives today. We first hit the Fog wreck where we found a ripping surface current. Jeff helped Sue into her gear and I towed her to the anchor rode. As we began our descent we were suddenly in calm, serene water. Ross made a masterful anchoring job on both dives. We settled next to the wreck and began exploring. The Fog wreck was covered in Corynactus anemones as well as Metridiums, large Sheephead and Lingcod, a school of Blacksmith and a resident Wolfeel. As we began our ascent a large Sea Lion scooted along the sand in front of Sue.

Date: September 4, 2006
Dive Location: Radio Tower
Buddy(ies): Jeff Shaw
Time: 11:45
Bottom Time: 23 minutes
Max Depth: 113'
Vis: 8-10'
Wave height: Still large but the current was gone.
Temp at depth: 56F
Comments: Sue sat out the next dive while Jeff and I found conditions had deteriorated as we got closer to shore. I found an Egg Yolk jelly on our way down with a couple of hitch hikers aboard. I missed the shot. Once again, Ross anchored within a few feet of the structure, a steel frame tower laying on its side. Jeff said there was a lot of red there. Corynactus anemones, scallops, red Gorgonian covered in Tritonia festiva nudibranchs and fishing nets dominated the scenery. We made this a short dive, played with Jeff's spool a bit and made it back to the slip around 1:00. It was a perfect way to spend a day off work.
We cruised by the Black Pearl on our way in. There is quite a bit of damage from the filming over the past two weeks. Disney will fix it up in no time.

 

[Jake]

Date:9/6/2006
Dive Location: Corona Del Mar (east)
Buddy(ies): Ben and Jizzy
Time: 18:07
Bottom Time: 36min
Max Depth: 31 fsw
Vis: 0-5, 5-8
Wave height: 2-3' and tough sometimes
Temp at depth: a chilly 58F
Comments:

I wanted to try and get in one more dive before conditions turned really poor. Since Corona was good to me the other day, and since I wanted to look for more leopard sharks, I convinced my friends to go back there.

Unfortunately, conditions had really deteriorated. The other day they were about as perfect as could be so this dive was pretty disappointing. We avoided the sets and headed out into the sand. We dropped in 5-6 feet of viz and swam towards the reef, where it actually improved a bit to as much as maybe 8ft or so at times. Then the surge would sweep in and viz would go down again. It was also pretty cold for what I was expecting; fortunately I wore my hood today.

It got to be a little dangerous getting thrown around the reef in the poor viz, so we headed out to deeper water to play in the sand as we came back west. To my surprise, it was actually worse there. Oh well. We swam around for a bit and gave my friend Ben a chance to lead and navigate (this was his 12th dive) before thumbing the dive in 3-5ft viz.

I'm happy as a kid with ice cream just swimming around and practicing bouyancy and breathing, so it wasn't all bad.

I'm on the CeeRay this Saturday to Catalina, so hopefully that'll be a chance to get in some good diving.

 

[undrwater]

Date:9/6/2006
Dive Location: Vet's Park, Redondo Beach
Buddy(ies):Icy ICE
Time:19:37
Bottom Time: 1:01
Max Depth: 70'fsw
Vis:5-15'
Wave height:1-3'
Temp at depth:54 chilly Suunto degrees
Surface Temp:68 Suunto
Gas mix:Air
Comments:

I'm hoping ICE will jump in here with his pics, 'cause it was a nice dive, with an interesting and special ending.

The plan for the night was "nice 'n easy" as my last few dives (or attempts as the case may be) were somewhat traumatic. We headed down and out to the blocks, but on the way we were greeted by what seemed to be a lobster sized shrimp (I believe Scott ID'ed it on scubapost). He hung out with us for a spot of tea, but then decided he had an appointment. The way down to the blocks was pretty uneventful...lots of flatfish (oh! the sperm are really big now!), and the other usual suspects.

On the way back up, we were greeted by many of the fish that I've usually seen in deeper waters (the rockfish varieties, goby-type, and the bigger flatfish), but they were all around 20-30'fsw. ICE was warm enough, but I was COLD up until 20' where we FINALLY found the thermocline.

At 18'fsw we were greeted by a small (think goldfish bowl goldfish) fish hanging out in the sand contours. I've never seen this fish there at Vet's, nor have I seen a pic of it in any of the Vet's dive reports. At the debrief we couldn't find anyone to ID it.

Turns out what we saw was a juvenille GSB!! Hello!?! Darn cute little thing to grow up to be such an ugly/majestic beast!

ICE! Post that pic!