Upcoming urchin dives

[Fonzi4]

Eric, what exposure protection do you recommend (non dry suit). Is 7mm adequate?

I'm in for the next one assuming I am in town, and will invite a few friends to join.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Eric, what exposure protection do you recommend (non dry suit). Is 7mm adequate?

I'm in for the next one assuming I am in town, and will invite a few friends to join.

I just use a 7mm rear zip jump suit with a (3 mil body 7 mil hood) hooded vest pulled over, 3 or 5 mil gloves, booties.
I also have a 7 mil freediving suit, john/jacket with a beaver tail and attached hood. I trade off between the two.
The water is probably in the low 50’s.
It’s not deep diving, only 8-12 feet

 

[suricatasuricata]

Great discussion! Thanks for all these details Eric!

Helps build a picture of the site!
How much surface swimming (if any) do you have to do to get to the urchin spots? Are there issues with surge (like in Monterey on bad days) where you have to struggle to get out, which I imagine might get harder especially if you have bags of Urchins?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Great discussion! Thanks for all these details Eric!

Helps build a picture of the site!
How much surface swimming (if any) do you have to do to get to the urchin spots? Are there issues with surge (like in Monterey on bad days) where you have to struggle to get out, which I imagine might get harder especially if you have bags of Urchins?

Stillwater Cove in Sonoma County is a very protected site. Usually there are only ankle slappers on the beach, sometimes shin or knee slappers but It’s so benign that it has to be a really crappy day on the coast for it not to be divable. By the time the typical north west swells bounce off the rocks working their way into the cove they are broken down and when they finally make it to the beach they are pretty much spent. The only time Stillwater can be really big is during a direct hitting south swell.
The Breakwater in Monterey has more action than this site with it’s long period swells that can be deceiving.
Stillwater Cove points almost due south. When I’m out in the middle of the cove, 30 degrees on the compass takes me right back to the beach.

The surface swim to the edge of the weed line and where the urchins start is probably 100’-150’ distance if that. It’s only 8-12’ of water, maybe less depending on the tide. There is not much surge, maybe just a gentle sway. We are not going to be diving if the swells are up and the beach is slamming.

My strategy is to work from the beach out. There is a weed line that starts very close in and goes out to about 12’ of water. This is where all the abalone have migrated to because that’s where the food is. I’m seeing a lot of smaller abs in the 4”-6” range which are the biggest breeders. This is great to see!
Unfortunately this is also where the urchins have decided to feed also because it’s the only food around.
Being that close in also means the abalone are more vulnerable to being dislodged and thrown up on the beach during large storms and big swells.
My idea is to clear all the urchins from inside the weedline (where they have begun to invade) and work outward to try and at least increase the depth and breadth of the weedline so the abs can have food and also can gradually migrate back out to safer waters. I’m also hoping that eventually the bull kelp will re-establish itself and the ecosystem within the cove can begin to recuperate. This includes the “false bottom” which is mostly comprised of a different weed which is also known as palm kelp. It’s very critical in providing cover for hatchling and juvenile fish.
But first we must get rid of the purple urchins because they are a menace and continue to eat everything in sight.
I have target locations in the cove that I will point out that take priority. There are other areas in the cove where the urchins have very little to no roe, which means that they are not currently sexually active. These are the “zombie” urchins and we will eventually get to those, but the ones that are stuffed with roe are the ones we need to remove first.

Getting in and out off the beach is no problem. Coming in I push the bags along on the surface as they hang under the lift bag until the bottoms of the bags begin to drag on the beach. I leave them in the water and get myself out. I untank, un-fin, unweightbelt, etc, then wade out to the bags and unclip each bag one by one and drag them up onto the beach. This is where they will be weighed and logged, then dumped into containers ready to be hauled off.
Pretty simple procedure.

 

[doc_hud]

I think this is perfect!
I would be very happy to show you guys how this is done, this is what it’s all about. If you’re not comfortable actually taking urchins the very first few dives with your son that is absolutely fine too, you can watch. When ever you feel ready to participate you can, no pressure.
Most of the diving is in very shallow water 8’-12’ right off the beach, so it’s not deep. It’s an excellent skill builder.
Before each dive session I always have a mini seminar at the site to explain things and answer questions.
Stay tuned and we’ll look for some dates that look like the ocean might lay down.
Right now there’s no way I would even consider it for a few weeks anyway. I can guarantee there is a huge mud line that stretches way offshore.

Glad to hear that you’d be willing to give us some pointers. We’ll keep an eye out for concrete dates, and hopefully, we’ll be able to join you on a dive soon.

 

[suricatasuricata]

Stillwater Cove in Sonoma County is a very protected site. Usually there are only ankle slappers on the beach, sometimes shin or knee slappers but It’s so benign that it has to be a really crappy day on the coast for it not to be divable. By the time the typical north west swells bounce off the rocks working their way into the cove they are broken down and when they finally make it to the beach they are pretty much spent. The only time Stillwater can be really big is during a direct hitting south swell.

This is great to hear! I am still new enough to local diving and the last month or so of bad weather in Monterey has put a damper on my efforts to get more dives down there. Hopefully, Stillwater will be a convenient place to get more dives in and do some good work!

The Breakwater in Monterey has more action than this site with it’s long period swells that can be deceiving.
Stillwater Cove points almost due south. When I’m out in the middle of the cove, 30 degrees on the compass takes me right back to the beach.

The surface swim to the edge of the weed line and where the urchins start is probably 100’-150’ distance if that. It’s only 8-12’ of water, maybe less depending on the tide. There is not much surge, maybe just a gentle sway. We are not going to be diving if the swells are up and the beach is slamming.

My strategy is to work from the beach out. There is a weed line that starts very close in and goes out to about 12’ of water. This is where all the abalone have migrated to because that’s where the food is. I’m seeing a lot of smaller abs in the 4”-6” range which are the biggest breeders. This is great to see!
Unfortunately this is also where the urchins have decided to feed also because it’s the only food around.
Being that close in also means the abalone are more vulnerable to being dislodged and thrown up on the beach during large storms and big swells.
My idea is to clear all the urchins from inside the weedline (where they have begun to invade) and work outward to try and at least increase the depth and breadth of the weedline so the abs can have food and also can gradually migrate back out to safer waters. I’m also hoping that eventually the bull kelp will re-establish itself and the ecosystem within the cove can begin to recuperate. This includes the “false bottom” which is mostly comprised of a different weed which is also known as palm kelp. It’s very critical in providing cover for hatchling and juvenile fish.
But first we must get rid of the purple urchins because they are a menace and continue to eat everything in sight.
I have target locations in the cove that I will point out that take priority. There are other areas in the cove where the urchins have very little to no roe, which means that they are not currently sexually active. These are the “zombie” urchins and we will eventually get to those, but the ones that are stuffed with roe are the ones we need to remove first.

Nice, thank you for explaining this! This makes a lot of sense. I was lucky enough to be on a Beachhopper2 trip recently where I saw some of the good work that the G2KR team was doing in Tanker's reef. I saw the dramatically visible distinction between the wildlife and kelp growth in the cleaned out spots vs a few feet away where the urchins were still around. So yeah, being able to do the same in Stillwater Cove is awesome!

Getting in and out off the beach is no problem. Coming in I push the bags along on the surface as they hang under the lift bag until the bottoms of the bags begin to drag on the beach. I leave them in the water and get myself out. I untank, un-fin, unweightbelt, etc, then wade out to the bags and unclip each bag one by one and drag them up onto the beach. This is where they will be weighed and logged, then dumped into containers ready to be hauled off.
Pretty simple procedure.

That does seem very straightforward!

 

[SaltyWombat]

Would you consider posting this on the ba-diving email list? You'll reach a lot of people that way.

Group description:

Bay Area Diving: A forum for Northern California scuba divers to share information about local diving, diving equipment, and diving events. Also, to seek advice on scuba destinations worldwide. No commercial posts allowed.

Recent posts: ba-diving@groups.io | Topics

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Would you consider posting this on the ba-diving email list? You'll reach a lot of people that way.

Group description:

Bay Area Diving: A forum for Northern California scuba divers to share information about local diving, diving equipment, and diving events. Also, to seek advice on scuba destinations worldwide. No commercial posts allowed.

Recent posts: ba-diving@groups.io | Topics

Absolutely!
I didn’t know that list exsisted, but thanks for the link!
If you want to post a link there about this thread feel free, or I can subscribe and post something up myself, either way.

******ALSO

As much as I hate this part, here is the disclaimer part that is inevitable and something I must mention:

I need everyone to know that any of these dives that I’m posting are not lead dives. I am not an insured divemaster and therefore can not assume responsibility and liability for other peoples’ safety.
If you decide to participate you need to fully understand that you are diving independently under your own willingness, voluntarily, either with a buddy or solo (if you are so inclined), and you are ultimately responsible for your own personal safety.
I am willing give pointers about urchin harvesting to the best of my ability as a friend, but if you get injured in any capacity I am not responsible. You are agreeing to participate in these dives fully by your own decision and under your own accord.

I will have a waiver for each individual to fill out and sign to this effect if you are participating due to any notification you might have seen that I posted.
Seal’s Water Sports in Santa Rosa also takes part in these urchin removal dives and they have a waiver they require to participate in any organized dives as well.

I know this sounds cold and impersonal but it is just a fact of life in todays litigious society. So let’s not let it become a stigma and get in the way of having a great time and getting some work done!
Thank you so much!

 

[lostsheep]

Sub’d

The Diver Dans group went up and did some culling right as the pandemic ruined everything. We could probably be convinced to come up again with about a dozen or so volunteers.

Keep me / us posted, if dates work out we will come and help

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Sub’d

The Diver Dans group went up and did some culling right as the pandemic ruined everything. We could probably be convinced to come up again with about a dozen or so volunteers.

Keep me / us posted, if dates work out we will come and help

I wish I could hit the like button about 20 times reading this!
This is fantastic!!

Make sure they know it’s removal and have a way to haul them out, and we are GOLDEN!