Dive # 318 - Conditions vastly improved!

Date: March 30, 2007
Time: 8:30pm
Location: Shaw's Cove
Depth (feet): 31
Dive Time (minutes): 72
Surf (feet): 1
Surge (feet): 1-5
Water Temp (fahrenheit): 59 (buddy's Vytec)
Visibility (feet): 15+
Visibility Description: A lot better than recently...slight murkiness
Notes and Highlights: Dove with Erik. Spur-of-the moment opportunity to get in before the SW swell destroys what little conditions we've had. Glad we did - the visibility has cleared up a lot since two days ago. Leisurely dive - stayed shallow and I shot some pictures, while Erik shot video. Played around in the Arch/Crevice area for a bit. Hopkin's Roses, Red Rock Shrimp, Octopi, a Spanish Shawl (no picture this time though), and a few other notables on what was a very nice, relaxing time - a good time had by all. I even got to allow DFG to look through my car to make sure the only thing I had taken was the pictures...

Hopkin's Roses
Red Rock Shrimp

Two-spot Octopus

California Sea Hare
Round Stingray

Dive # 317 - Public Service Diving

Date: March 28, 2007
Time: 6:15pm
Location: Shaw's Cove
Depth (feet): 23
Dive Time (minutes): 47
Surf (feet): 1+
Surge (feet): 2-4
Water Temp (fahrenheit): 52
Visibility (feet): 1-10
Visibility Description: bad
Notes and Highlights: Public Service Diving - Diving so you don't have to! Dove with Scott...surf at Shaw's was minimal, and the surface didn't look nearly as bad as surrounding area beaches. But the visibility showed the turmoil of the last 36 hours...in the very sheltered area the vis opened up to a murky 10...but once past the Arch and halfway to Turn-Around Rock - the vis dropped to nearly zero. We decided to turn VERY early and figured we'd see what could find in the shallow reef area...not a whole bunch. Did I mention the temperabrrrr??? HOLY CRAP cold...On Sunday I was diving at Deadman's depth with no hood...today - hood and still cold. Scott's analog temp gauge read 52 - and I have no reason to doubt it. Wherever that water came from it's cold...damn cold.



Blackeye Goby - Coryphopterus nicholsi


You can see the "vis" in the light

Dive # 316 - Swell Shark

Date: March 25, 2007
Time: 8:00am
Location: Deadman's Reef
Depth (feet): 57
Dive Time (minutes): 44
Surf (feet): 1-2
Surge (feet): 1-2
Water Temp (fahrenheit): 57
Visibility (feet): 10
Visibility Description: murky
Notes and Highlights: Dove with Garrett, Scott and New Erik. Easy in with some surf - but easily timed. Relatively smooth surface swim to the drop-point. I had equalizing problems (head cold)...but I worked through it. Garrett picked up the lead and took us over the rest of the sand to the reef. Murky water for New Erik's first visit - but I still think he had a good time. I found a couple of rocks which contained a "mini-aquarium" of life - a 2 foot swell shark, Spanish shawl, large garibaldi and a sheep crab...add a moray and lobster and you've got just about all of 'em in one spot. It's been over 300 dives before I've encountered a swell shark while I had a camera of any kind...it wasn't in the best spot for pictures but I was happy with a couple of them. Easy exit with slightly bigger surf, and a good time had by all.

Dive # 315 - Old Marineland

Date: March 24, 2007
Time: 11:30am
Location: Old Marineland, Palos Verdes
Depth (feet): 31
Dive Time (minutes): 51
Surf (feet): 1-2
Surge (feet): 1-3
Water Temp (fahrenheit): 58
Visibility (feet): 1-5
Visibility Description: bad
Notes and Highlights: Scott and I decided on an "adventure day"...so we drove up north and tried Old Marineland for the first time. Got a lot of help via phone and email (thanks Scott, Kaz, Hayward, Phil), and a tour offer from Joshua. Scott Geitler's excellent page on the site. Joshua took us out via the "cove"...entry and exit were surprisingly easier than it looked like it would be - especially with video equipment. The video equipment was a bit optimistic though, as the vis was pretty gnarly...less than 5 feet consistent throughout the dive. Went off the point, and to "120 Reef". Saw a few Spanish Shawls, a large sunflower star and an old beer bottle...there is a good amount of healthy-looking kelp as well. Good experience...I do very much want to dive the "Point" area someday as well - definitely if the visibility is a lot better.

Dive # 314 - Last lobster dive for the season.

Date: March 20, 2007
Time: 7:20pm
Location: Fisherman's Cove
Depth (feet): 30
Dive Time (minutes): 43
Surf (feet): 1-2
Surge (feet): 2-5
Water Temp (fahrenheit): 57
Visibility (feet): 5
Visibility Description: murky - "crappy"
Notes and Highlights: Determined to get a last lobster dive in for the season (haven't actually done one this whole calendar year...but still - determined). Arrived on time, and very early in the suit-up period I realized I had forgotten my primary mask and dive computer (they tend to hang out together at the house). Doh! Scott, also determined to do a last lobster run, actually agreed to sit and read the paper for the hour it took me to drive to the house and back...actually claimed to enjoy the "quiet time"...

Returned and completed the suit-up...hitting the water around 7:20...mid-tide and the water looked rough from the top (also didn't smell all that appealing)...did I mention we were determined? At least the tide was in enough to make the "minefield" negotiation pretty simple. Dropped down early and in 10 feet of water...absolutely crap vis. Saw a decent-sized halibut, and a couple medium octopi/octopuses...and Scott found a moray eel. We were escorted for nearly the full dive (into as shallow as 2 feet of water) by what appears to be the same harbor seal from Dive # 312, but basically struck out on any legal sized lobsters...

...until I was in about 4 feet of water, and had already written off the last dive as a skunk. Then I saw the dude in the picture (that's a size 13 boot) - hanging out in some eel grass. On a PETA note - poor guy must have been thinking "You're kidding me...24 hours to go..." Always seems to be hard to drop down in 4 feet of water - but I managed to and get ahold of him before he could run for it. Got up on the beach, and told Scott that I was of a mind to get some pics and let him go. Scott said he'd rather invite the lobster home to dinner - so I figured I let him have the honor. Overall - crappy dive - nice lobster to end the season though - so a good time had by all ('cept the bug of course).

Dive # 313 - Diving so you don't have to!

Date: March 16, 2007
Time: 8:00am
Location: Diver's Cove
Depth (feet): 26
Dive Time (minutes): 51
Surf (feet): 1-3
Surge (feet): 2-4
Water Temp (fahrenheit): 57
Visibility (feet): 5+
Visibility Description: bad
Notes and Highlights: Dove with Charlie and Steve. Water looked rough from the top, and it wasn't an illusion. Dropped down quick and shallow and into about 5 foot vis. Scared up a couple big bat rays on the way over the sand to the north side of Diver's reef. Stayed shallow, and in the broken-up, scattered portions of the reef, and tried to make the best of the conditions. Charlie did find a Cockerell's Dorid for me (see pic below), and we came across a few sheep crabs that were...well...crabby (I think we "interrupted" a pair of them at one point - that would explain the attitude). Overall - the conditions are pretty bad - rough water, and poor vis - but a good time was had by all...a couple pics, and a short, still-camera video clip of an annoyed sheep crab below:


Cockerell's Dorid



Crabbus Coitus Interruptus


Charlie (above) and Steve (below) giving an idea on the visibility





Sheep crab takes a swipe towards the end

Dive # 312 - Seal vs. Garibaldi Video

Date: March 7, 2007
Time: 7:00pm
Location: Shaw's Cove
Depth (feet): 33
Dive Time (minutes): 57
Surf (feet): 1
Surge (feet): 1-3
Water Temp (fahrenheit): 57
Visibility (feet): 5 or less
Visibility Description: murky, crappy, lots of tiny critters
Notes and Highlights: Dove with Erik and Scott...approximately low tide, but no swell made the entry/exit easy in minimal surf. Quick drop down on top of the reef, and very quickly we were greeted by a Harbor Seal. No tag on this one that I could see - so it's a "natural" one...Horrible vis conditions, water had almost a "red tide" feel/taste/smell...let's hope not. Bad vis, multiple videographer/photographers, and a very friendly seal made for quite a bit of quick shots and all four of us spent a lot of time knocking each other around. Quite a bit of fun though, and the seal was successful - does anyone know if the fine for taking a Garibaldi applies to all mammals? We also saw a couple of Spanish Shawls, a couple of small rays and a thornback ray. Overall a good time had by all even with the poor water quality.

Dive # 311 - New Video!

Date: March 3, 2007
Time: 7:00am
Location: North Crescent
Depth (feet): 33
Dive Time (minutes): 65
Surf (feet): 1
Surge (feet): 1-3
Water Temp (fahrenheit): 56
Visibility (feet): 10-20
Visibility Description: deeper was murkier
Notes and Highlights: Dove with Josh - high tide was approaching - so the surf and surge were pretty minimal ('cept for when I was trying to video a couple Spanish Shawls...those guys always seem to hang out where it's the most difficult to shoot 'em)...dropped down pretty quick and putz'd around in the shallower reef area between the north peninsula and Seal Rocks. As mentioned, we found two Spanish Shawls pretty early in the dive, and I did get some video - see below. Also found a medium-sized moray eel, and a medium sheep crab that was eating a sea hare. Josh had his still camera, and if he posts pics I'll link to them as well. Overall a nice, easy dive, and a good time was had by all.



Update: Josh posted a couple of pics from the dive - a nice shot of one of the Spanish Shawls we saw, and a juvenile Garibaldi:

Link to Josh's blog