Sunday, June 19, 2011

Dive report - La Jolla Cove 6/18/11

Spencer in the kelp forest.
Spencer in the kelp forest." alt="Spencer in the kelp forest.

Date: 6/18/11
Location: La Jolla Cove
Time in: 7:03 am
Time under: 76 min
Max depth: 31 ft
Ave temp: 63 F
Vis: 10-15 ft, hazy, but blue
Waves: 1 ft, easy
Buddies: Mike H., Steve L., Spencer T. with surface support from Laura C.

More Photos: http://www.underpressurephoto.com/Dive-Reports/20110618-Scuba-La-Jolla-Cove/

Highlights: My second dive at La Jolla Cove, hard to believe. The water color was still a nice blue. One small GSB.

Spencer in the kelp forest.
Spencer in the kelp forest.

We decided to forgo our normal LJS dive and do an early dive at the Cove, looking for sevengill sharks. Unfortunately, we were skunked. I saw one giant sea bass swim quickly in between us (no one else saw it) and later on a school of what I think were white sea bass. Visibility was not as great as earlier in the week, but the water still had a nice blue tint to it.

Giant Sea Bass (aka Black Sea Bass) (Stereolepis gigas) in the murky water with a diver in the background.
Giant Sea Bass (aka Black Sea Bass) (Stereolepis gigas) in the murky water with a diver in the background.

Steve and Mike in the kelp.
Steve and Mike in the kelp.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Dive report - La Jolla Shores 6/12/11

Date: 6/12/11
Location: LJS Main Wall
Time in: 7:39 am
Time under: 66 min
Max depth: 65 ft
Ave temp: 57 F
Vis: 20+ ft
Waves: 1-3 ft
Buddy: Steve, Mike, Newell

More photos:
http://www.underpressurephoto.com/Dive-Reports/20110612-Scuba-LJS

Highlights: Great relaxing dive with good buddies and good visibility. Good to be in the water again after a month. We saw all the usual suspects on the wall with the bonus of two octopi either mating or fighting. It was a tangled mess of tentacles.

A pair of mating or fighting Two Spot Octopus (Octopus bimaculatus or Octopus bimaculoides)
A pair of mating or fighting Two Spot Octopus (Octopus bimaculatus or Octopus bimaculoides)


Two Spot Octopus (Octopus bimaculatus or Octopus bimaculoides)
Two Spot Octopus (Octopus bimaculatus or Octopus bimaculoides)

Sculpin
Sculpin

Stearn's Aeolid (Facelina stearnsi) and Spiny Brittle Stars (Ophiothrix spiculata)
Stearn's Aeolid (Facelina stearnsi) and Spiny Brittle Stars (Ophiothrix spiculata)

Sarcastic Fringehead (Neoclinus blanchardi)
Sarcastic Fringehead (Neoclinus blanchardi)

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Dive report - Pt Loma Kelp Beds 5/1/11

Date: 5/1/2011
Location: Camel Head, Pt Loma Kelp Beds

#1
Time in: 10:11 am
Time under: 45 min
Max depth: 85 ft
Ave temp: 52 F
Vis: 15-20 ft
Waves: 2-3 ft swells
Mix: 33%
Buddy: Steve M.

#2
Time in: 12:24 pm
Time under: 44 min
Max depth: 83 ft
Ave temp: 52 F
Vis: ~15 ft
Waves: 2-3 ft swells, strong current
Mix: 32%
Buddy: Steve M.

Photos: http://www.underpressurephoto.com/Dive-Reports/20110501-Scuba-Pt-Loma/

Red Gorgonian (Lophogorgia chilensis) and Kelp Rockfish (Sebastes atrovirens)
Red Gorgonian (Lophogorgia chilensis) and Kelp Rockfish (Sebastes atrovirens)

As always, on the first dive I was shooting wide angle, just in case there was epic vis. I'd rather have one dive with mediocre vis on wide angle than miss the chance to have 2 dives on wide with epic visibility. We dropped down the anchor line and I started photographing the reef. Next thing I know, I'm getting hit from behind. I slowly turn around (trying now to knock into Steve) and he's waving and pointing frantically, making the shark sign (fin on head). I missed it. Steve had seen a large sevengill shark. We spent the rest of the dive keeping one eye open for a return visit, but alas we didn't see it again.

Red Gorgonian (Lophogorgia chilensis) on a reef in the Pt Loma kelp forest.
Red Gorgonian (Lophogorgia chilensis) on a reef in the Pt Loma kelp forest.

In between dives, I switched to a macro lens and the current picked up. After backrolling off the side of his boat, we had to pull ourselves hand over fist using Steve's new granny line up to the anchor line. I pulled myself inverted down the anchor line, trying to get below the current. It slowed down significantly about 20 feet under. I reached the bottom and waited for Steve to arrive, unfolding my camera strobes. Steve helped me find the Hilton's Aeolid he had found on the first dive, in addition to numerous tritonia festivas, three lined aeolids, an aegires albopunctatus and of course too many hermissendas and spanish shawls to count.

Tritonia festiva
Tritonia festiva

At the end of the second dive, I grabbed the anchor line to start ascending. Steve unhooked the anchor from the reef and the current immediately started Mr Toad's Wild Ride. :O I was hanging onto the anchor line at about 60 feet as the boat is being pulled by the current. The kelp was streaming past and I'm thinking that I better not let go of the anchor line, otherwise we're going to have a long, hard swim to the boat. Steve ascends and at one point is drifting along side me, but not holding onto the anchor line. The current was moving us at the same speed as the boat. :) We got back onboard with no issues and had a very choppy and slow ride back to the dock.

Diver Steve Murvine photographing in the kelp forest off Pt Loma.
Diver Steve Murvine photographing in the kelp forest off Pt Loma.

Another excellent day of diving in Southern California!