Roughwaterjohn
Contributor
<edit: In an attempt at keeping the 2 parts of this report continuous, they were merged. Due to the way they were originally posted, the time stamp has part 2 posted before part 1, so read post #2 in this thread first 
>
Leaving Sutil, we headed over to Santa Barbara Island, and the Sea Lion Rookery. Although the view was amazing, with hundreds of Sea Lions barking and bellowing on the rocks, it was the, oh, lets say their aromatic gift, that seared itself into our memories. Hundreds of Sea Lions crammed into a small area and going about their lives, have an aroma that can best be described as profound, if certainly not pleasurable. Below the seas though, the smell was non-existent and their beauty and grace reigned supreme. Sea lions were everywhere, darting, exploring and just generally showing off their aquatic dexterity. Many came within inches of us, as curious about us as we were of them. With their bright eyes staring deep into our masks, before jetting away into the distance, we found ourselves wondering what they make of us clumsy underwater invaders. They tolerate us reasonably well though, for which I am very grateful.
We also saw several more Bat Rays in the coarse rock and sand under the boat. I had been fascinated by their ability to disappear in a cloud of sand whenever I saw them, or almost saw them, at La Jolla Shores. Their technique was partially explained, when I saw one take off on our approach. The coarse rocks making up the bottom composition denied the Ray the cover it desired, but I could see the method behind its madness. As it took off from the bottom, it would wiggle its bottom, the two small fins at the base of its tail shaking back and forth like an exotic dancer trying to squeeze a couple more dollars out of the last patrons at the bar. The small fins did an excellent job of stirring up even this coarse bottom, but it settled back quickly, unlike the silty bottom we were used to. It wasnt their wings that produced the cloud, as I had expected, but their small fins working overtime that produced the clouds that masked their departure. Each time the Ray took off, even for a few feet, its tail fins would wag then settle down for the flight, before stirring again with each departure.
Back on board, we waited for darkness to settle its shroud around our shoulders. With the light gone, and the Sea Lions barking in the distance, we slipped back into the water for a night of exploration. The rough sandy bottom was broken up with small rocks and bigger outcroppings, that harbored small fish and shelled creatures, along with several fairly well, if not perfectly camouflaged, Scorpionfish. Cruising along the bottom, with a partial moon bright above us, we turned out our lights and continued our exploration, the pale moonlight reaching the bottom our only illumination. After a wonderful dive, we surfaced near the boat to find ourselves surrounded by water boiling with the activity of unseen sea creatures. Birds were dropping from the skies above as the water foamed around us. Boarding the boat, the frenzied activity became clear. The Sea Lions surrounded the boat in huge numbers, chasing schools of Flying Fish. With the boats lights shinning into the water, we watched Flying Fish leap from the water and sail in a mad rush in any direction as the Sea Lions roared up from below. More often than not, the Sea Lions breached the surface and grabbed the fish from the air in an amazing display of hunting ability. The Flying Fish were so unnerved; they flew in any direction, flying into the air, occasionally hitting the side of the boat in their haste to escape. Very few escaped.
As we began to peel our suits off and discuss the dive, I discovered that I had missed a shark sighting, although Im sure the shark didnt miss us. Just before we had turned off our lights, while Larry and I were busy doing underwater hand gestures and discussing our dive, Jenn was shinning her light around, checking out the scenery, when her light swept the side of a 6-8 shark cruising slowly by not far off. By the time she hit it with her light, the head was already obscured by the gloom, but she got an excellent view of its side, coloring and distinctive tail. Looking through the books in the galley, we discovered we had been sharing the water with a juvenile Great White Shark; its distinctive shading and tail leaping from the pages as Jenn pointed it out. Hmmmm, lets see, a Sea Lion rookery, at night, with a Sea Lion- Flying Fish feeding frenzy going on above, and us swimming around without our lights off, oh yeah, thats when I want to see a Great White.
The next morning, we woke to find ourselves anchored over Farnsworth Bank. We quickly slipped into the water, the wonders starting as soon as we dropped down the anchor line. With wonderful visibility and clear blue water again, the pinnacle was visible from quite a distance above. Huge schools of baitfish swarmed and formed bait balls around us. Farnsworth is covered in every color of sponge, Gorgonian and coral you can imagine, each covered in life from microscopic to huge and lumbering. Purple Hydro Coral started on top and cascaded down the sides as far as we could see. This site has a variety of landscapes, the fairly flat top broken by valleys and canyons, with the sides opening up to grottos, overhangs and sheer walls dropping down to the deep below. Giant Lingcod, Scorpionfish, Treefish in all sizes, thousands of Painted Greenlings and more Nudibranchs and Dorids than I know how to identify. You couldnt look in any direction, from open ocean to tiny coral, and not see an abundance of life in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Hanging out on the anchor line during our safety stops, we were constantly surrounded by huge bait balls and swarms of fish, flashing bright in the sun, like one huge living incandescent creature that parted around us, only to form again once passed, shimmering into the distance.
With our final dive behind us, we stowed and packed our gear, before relaxing in the galley or down in the bunks, the long ride back ahead of us. As afternoon turned into night, we watched videos and still images captured by many of the divers, discussed our favorite dives or sightings, had dinner, relaxed, and waited. Arriving back into San Diego about 9:00PM Sunday night, we were tired and anxious to be home, but reluctant to leave our friends and the boat we shared. We scurried back and forth along the dock like ants as we unloaded and transferred our gear to our vehicles, before saying our final goodbyes.
John-Boy
>Leaving Sutil, we headed over to Santa Barbara Island, and the Sea Lion Rookery. Although the view was amazing, with hundreds of Sea Lions barking and bellowing on the rocks, it was the, oh, lets say their aromatic gift, that seared itself into our memories. Hundreds of Sea Lions crammed into a small area and going about their lives, have an aroma that can best be described as profound, if certainly not pleasurable. Below the seas though, the smell was non-existent and their beauty and grace reigned supreme. Sea lions were everywhere, darting, exploring and just generally showing off their aquatic dexterity. Many came within inches of us, as curious about us as we were of them. With their bright eyes staring deep into our masks, before jetting away into the distance, we found ourselves wondering what they make of us clumsy underwater invaders. They tolerate us reasonably well though, for which I am very grateful.
We also saw several more Bat Rays in the coarse rock and sand under the boat. I had been fascinated by their ability to disappear in a cloud of sand whenever I saw them, or almost saw them, at La Jolla Shores. Their technique was partially explained, when I saw one take off on our approach. The coarse rocks making up the bottom composition denied the Ray the cover it desired, but I could see the method behind its madness. As it took off from the bottom, it would wiggle its bottom, the two small fins at the base of its tail shaking back and forth like an exotic dancer trying to squeeze a couple more dollars out of the last patrons at the bar. The small fins did an excellent job of stirring up even this coarse bottom, but it settled back quickly, unlike the silty bottom we were used to. It wasnt their wings that produced the cloud, as I had expected, but their small fins working overtime that produced the clouds that masked their departure. Each time the Ray took off, even for a few feet, its tail fins would wag then settle down for the flight, before stirring again with each departure.
Back on board, we waited for darkness to settle its shroud around our shoulders. With the light gone, and the Sea Lions barking in the distance, we slipped back into the water for a night of exploration. The rough sandy bottom was broken up with small rocks and bigger outcroppings, that harbored small fish and shelled creatures, along with several fairly well, if not perfectly camouflaged, Scorpionfish. Cruising along the bottom, with a partial moon bright above us, we turned out our lights and continued our exploration, the pale moonlight reaching the bottom our only illumination. After a wonderful dive, we surfaced near the boat to find ourselves surrounded by water boiling with the activity of unseen sea creatures. Birds were dropping from the skies above as the water foamed around us. Boarding the boat, the frenzied activity became clear. The Sea Lions surrounded the boat in huge numbers, chasing schools of Flying Fish. With the boats lights shinning into the water, we watched Flying Fish leap from the water and sail in a mad rush in any direction as the Sea Lions roared up from below. More often than not, the Sea Lions breached the surface and grabbed the fish from the air in an amazing display of hunting ability. The Flying Fish were so unnerved; they flew in any direction, flying into the air, occasionally hitting the side of the boat in their haste to escape. Very few escaped.
As we began to peel our suits off and discuss the dive, I discovered that I had missed a shark sighting, although Im sure the shark didnt miss us. Just before we had turned off our lights, while Larry and I were busy doing underwater hand gestures and discussing our dive, Jenn was shinning her light around, checking out the scenery, when her light swept the side of a 6-8 shark cruising slowly by not far off. By the time she hit it with her light, the head was already obscured by the gloom, but she got an excellent view of its side, coloring and distinctive tail. Looking through the books in the galley, we discovered we had been sharing the water with a juvenile Great White Shark; its distinctive shading and tail leaping from the pages as Jenn pointed it out. Hmmmm, lets see, a Sea Lion rookery, at night, with a Sea Lion- Flying Fish feeding frenzy going on above, and us swimming around without our lights off, oh yeah, thats when I want to see a Great White.
The next morning, we woke to find ourselves anchored over Farnsworth Bank. We quickly slipped into the water, the wonders starting as soon as we dropped down the anchor line. With wonderful visibility and clear blue water again, the pinnacle was visible from quite a distance above. Huge schools of baitfish swarmed and formed bait balls around us. Farnsworth is covered in every color of sponge, Gorgonian and coral you can imagine, each covered in life from microscopic to huge and lumbering. Purple Hydro Coral started on top and cascaded down the sides as far as we could see. This site has a variety of landscapes, the fairly flat top broken by valleys and canyons, with the sides opening up to grottos, overhangs and sheer walls dropping down to the deep below. Giant Lingcod, Scorpionfish, Treefish in all sizes, thousands of Painted Greenlings and more Nudibranchs and Dorids than I know how to identify. You couldnt look in any direction, from open ocean to tiny coral, and not see an abundance of life in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Hanging out on the anchor line during our safety stops, we were constantly surrounded by huge bait balls and swarms of fish, flashing bright in the sun, like one huge living incandescent creature that parted around us, only to form again once passed, shimmering into the distance.
With our final dive behind us, we stowed and packed our gear, before relaxing in the galley or down in the bunks, the long ride back ahead of us. As afternoon turned into night, we watched videos and still images captured by many of the divers, discussed our favorite dives or sightings, had dinner, relaxed, and waited. Arriving back into San Diego about 9:00PM Sunday night, we were tired and anxious to be home, but reluctant to leave our friends and the boat we shared. We scurried back and forth along the dock like ants as we unloaded and transferred our gear to our vehicles, before saying our final goodbyes.
John-Boy
