Where did you dive today?

[MXGratefulDiver]

yesterday, dove Sund Rock up in Hoodsport, WA. best viz i've had at that site...probably about 30' viz under the first thermo.

1st dive: 53 mins, 49'max, 3 giant pacific octos, and 9! wolfies!
2nd dive: 47 min, ~75'max, 4 additional wolfies, and 2 new octos. 1 female and she was dying. another male was out and we (gently) followed him for about 20 yds as he made his way in and out of various holes.

Seeing all those wolfies and octos out is a blessing and a curse. Blessing because that's what divers dive there for. Curse because the reason they're out is that there's a serious low oxygen event happening in that area right now (which also accounts for the great vis). In other words, those critters are suffocating. They're out so they can get whatever little bit of extra oxygen they can in the current.

Great time to watch them, very bad time to interact ... they just don't have the energy to swim away.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[raoulsttexas]

yeah. we really felt bad for the dying female. she was totally gray and not changing colors and had no fight left. the guy who was out was very chilled out and not escaping from us. we kept our distance and tried to pose no threat to him.

yesterday we drove all the up to salt creek off the straight juan de fuca (which is another story altogether) and stop by a dive site near sund. we saw that someone had had quite a crab feast. just last weekend we saw maybe 3-4 total, so i don't know how someone was able to find 12-15. so, i wonder if the octo's are really starting to decline there. that's way too bad!

 

[raoulsttexas]

dove salt creek off the straight of juan de fuca yesterday (northern Washington...you can see Canada). The drive from Portland took a lot longer than we expected, so diving for slack wasn't going to happen.

we chose the eastern(ish) staircase and decided to enter on the right side. it's basically a flat rock that falls off about 15yds out. the entry was no big deal. the dive was nice. pretty good viz ~20'. not a ton of life, but the anemone's, and blood stars were beautiful to see via torch. we made our way through the kelp bed and ended a bit farther east than we wanted. i was starting to run low and we headed back. we tried to time the exit with the waves, but it was useless. rode a wave onto the flat rock only to be drawn back out slightly farther than i'd started. eventually we were slammed into the rock face. my knee wedged between the face and a small boulder. despite the pain, i was at least able to hold on, de-fin, and stand up to walk out. i ended with about 200psi left. it was far harrier than we wanted. once we caught our breath we just started laughing. it was really a thrill.

2nd dive we chose a tiny "beach" near the west side of the campground. that was about 2' of water that you could crawl or walk out in. 1 good wave coming back puts you on the shore again. 2nd dive had less viz, but we took our time in the nooks and crannies.

albeit a long day with 8 hrs of driving, the dive was mostly worth it!

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

dove salt creek off the straight of juan de fuca yesterday (northern Washington...you can see Canada). The drive from Portland took a lot longer than we expected, so diving for slack wasn't going to happen.

we chose the eastern(ish) staircase and decided to enter on the right side. it's basically a flat rock that falls off about 15yds out. the entry was no big deal. the dive was nice. pretty good viz ~20'. not a ton of life, but the anemone's, and blood stars were beautiful to see via torch. we made our way through the kelp bed and ended a bit farther east than we wanted. i was starting to run low and we headed back. we tried to time the exit with the waves, but it was useless. rode a wave onto the flat rock only to be drawn back out slightly farther than i'd started. eventually we were slammed into the rock face. my knee wedged between the face and a small boulder. despite the pain, i was at least able to hold on, de-fin, and stand up to walk out. i ended with about 200psi left. it was far harrier than we wanted. once we caught our breath we just started laughing. it was really a thrill.

2nd dive we chose a tiny "beach" near the west side of the campground. that was about 2' of water that you could crawl or walk out in. 1 good wave coming back puts you on the shore again. 2nd dive had less viz, but we took our time in the nooks and crannies.

albeit a long day with 8 hrs of driving, the dive was mostly worth it!

I like that west entry better ... always seems to be more to see there. How thick was the kelp? And were the krill clouds out?

We were up in Sares Head (near Deception Pass) on Saturday. Tons of krill in evidence there. Got a few decent pictures, including this close-up of a candy-striped shrimp ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[TMHeimer]

Pope's Harbour, NS. Got me 3 big flounders. Water temps. STILL 56 F.

 

[raoulsttexas]

I like that west entry better ... always seems to be more to see there. How thick was the kelp? And were the krill clouds out?

Honestly, this was my first experience in kelp. And it was my buddy's first time to dive that site, so i don't really have anything to compare it to. Periodically, it would feel like we were trekking through jungle, but nothing too bad. I was mildly anxious about the kelp experience, but it was a complete blast! Although my air consumption clearly showed that I was doing something new. I noticed 2 krill clouds on the first dive and nothing on the 2nd. So, they weren't everywhere like I've seen elsewhere.

 

[underthedeepblue]

Belize

Ambergris Cay

Water temp 86

three large eagle rays

Several nurse sharks

gorgeous weather

on a 30 dive vacation and chilling in AC for a month .... AOW cert may consider rescue and DMT when I am here but I don't feel much like studying



Later .... there's a beer with my name on it somewhere.

 

[asj]

Julian Rocks, NSW, Australia.

vis was <10m, made spotting some of big boys harder. Water temp was 21c.

2 dives, 9 different grey nurse sharks, we spooked one by accident which gave us a nice tail "thump", shot over the head of our guide, startled a 2nd shark and another thump has he took off.

One black rockcod (>1m, 3.5 feet long), several green turtles, one hawksbill turtle eating dinner on the bottom, several very large puffers, wobbegong sharks everywhere.

Oh, and constant whale song.

Not a bad day.

 

[ScubaGypsy]

Lake Winnipesaukee out of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. Dove on Dive Winnipesaukee charter at Echo Jr and Barndoor Islands wreck sites. Water still warm at 64 F with 15' viz although the morning air temperatures started out at 36 F (@ 0700) and warmed up to 56 F in the afternoon.

Hope to return in February/March 2011 for ice diving!

 

[MarcHerm]

Did two dives today in Germany in a nice quarry where you can find a sunken forest. Besides the lake is known to have extremely blue waters ... in contrast to the greenish waters that you usually find here.

Had a lot of fun...