Cabo San Lucas, August 2010 - Part 5

Snorkeling Cabo Pulmo

One of the days of our trip, we journeyed to Cabo Pulmo for a full day of snorkeling. We gathered into one of the pangas with a group of about 7 people and were launched from the beach by a rusting 4x4 truck.

1st site - Playa La Sirenita

This was a shallow snorkeling site, protected from swells. The name comes from a rock on the beach, shaped like a mermaid. At this snorkeling site, we saw the usual tropical fish in amongst the reefs. It was a relaxing swim around the cove. The highlight of snorkeling at this site was a sea turtle that we saw near the end of our time there.

Sea lions at the "Sea Lion Colony" at Cabo Pulmo.

2nd site - Sea Lion Colony

We journeyed around the southern point of Cabo Pulmo and checked out the Sea Lion Colony. There weren't that many sea lions, but we gave it a go anyways. The swells were larger here and we were warned not to swim too close to the rocks that the sea lions were sun bathing on. We jumped over the side and swam towards the rocks. As I approached the pinnacles, the sea lions started to come down off the rocks to investigate us. I dove down about 15 ft and photographed the sea lions underwater. As I was photographing, one of them swam at me, blowing bubbles and clapping it's flippers. I'm not sure whether it was aggressive or not, but I was cautious and backed off after that. The sea lion made about 3 close passes at me and then lost interest and climbed back up on the rock.

Snorkeling with a large school of jacks at Cabo Pulmo.

3rd site - near El Bajo de los Meros

We rode the panga back to the north, out into deeper water. Our snorkeling guide and panga driver were looking for one of the large school of jacks that frequent the area. We ended up near the dive site El Bajo de los Meros and were told to start swimming as soon as we back rolled off the panga. The current was stronger here, though we were able to swim against it without too much trouble. We were in about 40-60 ft of clear, blue water and could see the sandy bottom below us. The guide had succeeded in finding the jacks. We slowly followed the jacks from the surface, as they swam as a school against the current. Every once in a while, one of us would swim down to them, ~20 ft below the surface and the school would split and weave back together. I got to try out a little bit of freediving and my ears suffered as a result of focusing on the camera vs equalizing pressure. Swimming against the current to keep up with the moving school also didn't help with swimming down to the school.

Freediving with the large school of jacks at Cabo Pulmo.

4th site - Reef near the dive shop

The last snorkeling spot was a shallow reef near to the dive shop and beach. There wasn't anything really special seen at this dive spot, but it was still filled with tropical fish over the rocky reef.

Next up are the macro dives I did under the Cabo San Lucas harbor.

Scott

Cabo Pulmo, Mexico


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Dive report - LJS North Wall 11/27/10

Date: 11/27/10
Location: LJS, North Wall
Time in: 11:13 am
Time under: 70 min
Max depth: 80 ft
Min temp: ~50 F, very cold the entire dive
Vis: 15-25 ft
Waves: 1-2 ft, slightly larger on exit
Mix: 32%

Buddies:  Mike, Marla, Virginia, Patricia and Robert

Berthella californica with gills out

Photos: 

http://underpressurephoto.com/Dive-Reports/20101127-Scuba-LJS-North-Wall/

Highlights:  Mmm, nitrox.  Great visibility, nice blue color.  Tons of sheep crabs above the North Wall.

We had planned on a boat trip to Pt Loma, but it was canceled due to concern about the afternoon weather.  When we arrived at the shores, it was calm and flat.  Since we'd gone through the trouble of getting nitrox for the boat, we decided to do the North Wall.  Mike, Marla and I were on nitrox and Virginia, Patricia and Robert were on air, so we split into two groups, with the air group heading back early.  Early on the swim out, we had 3-4 dolphins pass by within about 20 ft, between us and shore.  We dropped down after the long surface swim, made longer by my decision to try switching to blade fins from split fins for better control underwater.  The water was clear and cold, with a nice blue tint.  We followed the wall, stopping to take pictures of a couple of Berthella californica.  There were small patches of squid eggs and a few dead squid, scattered here and there.

  
Market Squid (Loligo opalescens) after a hard night

In addition to using blade fins, this was a test run for a couple of home made snoots.  The ones I made are just extension tubes for the DS-125s and have an exit aperture roughly equal to the strobe.  They make a bit of a difference in getting just the subject lit and reducing the light on the surroundings.  The good news is that they didn't fall off and they didn't completely ruin pictures.  I call it a successful test run  :)

  
Market Squid (Loligo opalescens) showing off colors

On the plateau above the end of the North Wall, there were tons of sheep crabs.  Probably 10-15 scattered about.  I don't know if they are usually there or whether it's just their season.  We turned around and headed back, following the contour at about 50-60 ft, avoiding the blue water swim.  On the way back, we found a few living squid with some small groups of eggs.  At about 20 ft, the water became more cloudy/green and the detritus was churning.  The wind had picked up a little and there was a small swell from the south west.  As we exited the water, another dolphin passed by further out.

 
Sheep Crab (Loxorhynchus grandis) portrait

Scott

Cabo San Lucas, August 2010 - Part 4

Divers hanging on the anchor line in strong current at Gordo Bank. Photo taken at about 80 ft.

Gordo Bank (advanced dive site)

Gordo Bank called to me when I read the description. The chance to see schooling hammerhead sharks, schools of tuna and the possibility to see large mantas or whale sharks. Gordo Bank is about an hours boat ride from Cabo San Lucas. It is located north of San Jose del Cabo in the Sea of Cortez. The dive site is a pinnacle in the middle of the Sea of Cortez that comes up to about 120 ft below the surace. There can be strong currents - like the day we dove there. Gordo Bank is an advanced dive site and is recommended for more experienced divers only. Kevin, one of the owners of Amigos del Mar dive shop, advised me that August was not the best time of year to dive Gordo. Even though I didn't come back with any good photos to share, I'm still glad I experienced it.


School of Panamic porkfish (Anisotremus taeniatus) at Cabo Pulmo

We did two dives with an anchor line down to the pinnacle. The current was strong enough that we needed to use a granny line to get to the anchor line at the front of the boat. I was glad to have a good surface marker buoy (SMB) and jon line for these dives. If anyone had lost their grip on the anchor line, they would quickly drift out of site of the boat. As we descended for the first dive, I followed the dive guide down the line to about 70 feet. The current was ripping and I was glad to have gloves on. As we got below 70 feet, the anchor line suddenly jerked as the anchor broke free of the pinnacle and the temperature dropped dramatically, causing me to sharply inhale. We hung on as we briefly swung free in the current until it caught again. I continued down to about 90 feet, while the dive guide pulled himself down the line to make sure the anchor was set. The top of the pinnacle was just visible from 90 feet. Later he shared that the anchor was at 140 feet. From 90 ft, we could make out schooling hammerheads in the distance. A group of them was herding a school of tuna. Unfortunately, they were too far away to photograph and they kept phasing in and out of our visibility. As we ascended up to above 50 ft, jellyfish and small siphonophores drifted quickly by in the current. Also drifting by was excrement from both the hammerheads and tuna. We were downwind from a lot of fish.


A school of jacks at Cabo Pulmo.

The other two divers almost didn't join us on the second dive. They were newer divers and were a bit nervous because of the current and a little sea sick from the large swells. They also didn't have an SMB or even gloves. I decided to switch to macro for the second dive in the hopes of photographing the passing jellys. On the second dive, the current was still strong, but as fate would have it, the tuna came closer. We also saw some hammerheads closer, but they were well below us in the dark. I didn't go as deep, trying to stay within the range where the jellys were. I used my jon line to hook into the anchor line so that my hands were free to use the camera. I tried, unsuccessfully, to photograph the jellyfish and siphonophores as they passed by. Right about the time I was get the camera focused to the right range, they would be floating passed me. It was quite an experience and I would like to try it again during the right time of year when visibility is better and the sharks are more numerous.

Date: 11/14/10
Location: LJS, North Wall
Time in: 8:02 am
Time under: 67 min
Max depth: 76 ft
Avg temp: 57 F
Vis: 15-20 ft
Waves: 1-3 ft
Buddies: Mike, Kim, Spencer, Steve, Terry


Hermissenda crassicornis

Photos: http://underpressurephoto.com/Dive-Reports/20101114-Scuba-LJS-North-Wall/

Highlights: Visit to the rarely dived North Wall at La Jolla Shores.


Brown Rockfish (Sebastes auriculatus)

Inspired by the recent reports from the North Wall, I convinced everybody to join me in the long(er) surface swim. Led by Kim, we found it after dropping down and a short swim at 50 ft. The North Wall is bigger and more populated than the often dived main wall. There were lots of spiny brittle stars stars covering the wall and large holes occupied by lobsters. Painted greenlings chased each other around and large sheephead kept watch. There was a large brown rockfish that followed us for a little while, plopping down and watching until we got closer. Then he'd move along and plop down nearby until we caught up. There was some macrocystis kelp, a patch of red gorgonian and the start of some elk horn kelp stalks. Kim also found a couple of cockerell's dorids. Mike and I didn't really find any other nudibranchs on the wall, though our time was limited by trying not to do into deco. Next time we'll need to bring nitrox.


Sheep Crab (Loxorhynchus grandis)

On the way back, a large sheep crab wanted to take me on in a boxing match, falling over as he lifted himself up on his back legs. After the blue/green water swim, we found an old green bottle with an octopus safely tucked inside and lots of hermissendas in the detritus. The last find was a dirona picta, but I was getting low on air and couldn't stick around to try to get a good photo.

Macrocystis Kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera)

Scott

Cabo San Lucas, August 2010 - Part 3

Reef scene at Cabo Pulmo.

This is Part 3 of my photos and dive reports from Cabo San Lucas.

Cabo Pulmo

Cabo Pulmo is the best place to dive near Cabo San Lucas. It is a ~90 minute car ride north from the city, with 6 miles of the drive on a bumpy dirt road. Located within the Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park, the site is safe from fishing and the pollution of the cities and includes the only living reef in western North America. There is a small village that has three restaurants, a couple of dive shops and a small resort, but not much more. We traveled there 2 days in a row - one day of diving and one day of snorkeling.


School of Panamic porkfish (Anisotremus taeniatus) at Cabo Pulmo

Maps:
http://www.cabopulmopark.com/maps.html

We did two dives inside the park, one was at La Esperanza, looking for large sharks, and the other was a drift dive at El Bajo de los Meros. The diving was done out of a panga, with no shade. To get the boat in the water, they had a rusty, old 4x4 truck that pushed the boat into the small surf. It reminded me of being in Bali, though this location made Bali seemed civilized. On the first dive, we spotted two large bull sharks off in the distance. Unfortunately, they were too far away to get a good photo.

Reef scene at Cabo Pulmo.

During the safety stop, we found ourselves surrounded by small jelly fish. I spent the rest of the trip with jelly fish stings on my hands and face. One of the other divers, a young lady from Australia, faired worse with stings all over her legs. As a side note, gloves are not allowed to be worn in Cabo Pulmo in order to protect the reef.


A school of jacks at Cabo Pulmo.

During a short surface interval in the panga, we motored over to the next dive site - El Bajo de los Meros. This dive site offered a beautiful line of reefs that we drifted along. Abundant life, hard corals and gorgonian sea fans adorn the reef. We saw schools of bright yellow panamic porkfish, puffer fish, eels and large schools of jacks. Near the end of the dive, we jumped from one line of reefs to another. El Bajo was my favorite and the richest dive site that I dove while in Cabo.

Freight train of jacks.

Additional photos from Cabo Pulmo are located at:
http://underpressurephoto.com/Underwater/Cabo-2010/Cabo-San-Lucas-2010/

Dive Report - La Jolla Shores 11/7/10

Date: 11/7/10
Location: La Jolla Shores
Time in: 8:01 am
Time under: 66 min
Max depth: 70 ft
Avg temp: 64 F
Vis: ~10 ft, hazy with lots of stuff kicked up
Waves: 1-3 ft, northerly longshore current
Buddies: Spencer & Bill

Blue-Ring Topsnail (Calliostoma annulatum)

Photos:
http://underpressurephoto.com/Dive-Reports/20101107-Scuba-LJS/

Highlights: Beautiful topside conditions, a little rough underwater. Photographed a nice blue ring topsnail and saw a couple of juvenile horn sharks.


Three Lined Aeolid (Flabellina trilineata)

There were sets of waves that came through that were in the 2-3+ ft range, but they were easily timed. They seemed to be getting bigger after we got out though. Underwater, there was still a northerly longshore current that prevented us from swimming very far south of the lifeguard tower. We were aiming for Vallecitos Point, but never got close. Along the canyon, there was a steady surge that we had to fight to swim south and visibility was better in the shallows than below 20 ft. I brought the 105mm lens for a change and spent a lot of the dive fighting it to focus at close range. Spencer was shooting wide angle, so along the canyon rim I tried to model a little. Overall, not that great of conditions, but it will still really nice to get out and take a few pictures.


Juvenile Horn Shark (Heterodontus francisci)


Speckled Sanddab (Citharichthys stigmaeus)

Scott

Cabo San Lucas, August 2010 - Part 2

Divers under the dive boat with a sandy bottom at Pelican Rock, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

* Local dive sites - Neptune's Finger

During our surface interval after diving Pelican Rock, we motored around to the Pacific side to see the sea lion colony, Lover's Beach and Divorce Beach. We decided that conditions weren't getting any better and headed to Neptune's Finger for the second dive.

Bullseye stingray (Urolophus maculatus) next to a reef with divers in the background

Neptune's Finger is another pinnacle, in the sheltered bay side. Again, we swam around the pinnacle, down into the canyon to about 80 ft and back up the other side. Near the end of the dive, conditions became rough with a large swell passing through. The large surge pushed us down into the canyon and back up again. The sand kicked up, bringing visibility down dramatically.

Pelican Rock looms above the coral reef with small fish in the background

For a little while, we lost our dive guide on the other side of the pinnacle. Our group stayed together and I helped make sure the less experienced divers didn't panic. We returned to the dive boat a little weary from fighting the surge.


Porcupine puffer fish (Diodon hystrix)

Sunset at Windansea, La Jolla CA

Sunset at Windansea, La Jolla, CA

It's been months since I've gone to shoot the sunset. With the brief storm that we had pass through this morning, the air was crisp and clear and there were large, puffy white clouds. Unfortunately, all the clouds were to the east over the mountains and there were very few clouds over the ocean when the sun went down. I was also working against a high tide, which reduces the amount of reef that is visible. Because of both of these factors, I decided to head to Windansea in La Jolla. I knew there would be sandstone bluffs and exposed reefs, even near high tide.

When I arrived, I was happy to see bright green moss on the exposed sandstone. Visibility was awesome and you could see for miles up and down the coast. The tide was receding and I had to step carefully, the damp bluff was slippery. Nearby, another photographer was shooting a model in a bikini on the beach. Must stay focused! As the sun was setting, I captured this shot of the moss covered sandstone, pock marked from erosion and covered in green moss, kissed by the last rays of the sun. I would have preferred a few more red clouds, but we work with what nature provides.

Windansea, La Jolla CA

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Scott

Dive Report - Wreck of the HMCS Yukon 10/23/10

Date: 10/23/10
Location: HMCS Yukon
Time in: 12:03 pm
Time under: 48 min
Max depth: 97
Avg temp: 57 F
Mix: 29%
Vis: 40+
Swells/surge: Minimal
Buddies: Mikey, Dave H., NOAA Jim

Time in: 2:02 pm
Time under: 41 min
Max depth: 84 ft
Avg temp: 59 F
Vis: 30+
Swells/surge: Minimal
Buddies: Dave H.

More/larger Photos: http://underpressurephoto.com/Dive-Reports/2010-10-23-Scuba-Yukon/


The forward guns of the HMCS Yukon

Highlights: Great visibility, great company and good topside conditions. Saw my first mola mola, even though I didn't get a photo of it.

We motored out under drizzly skies to the wreck of the HMCS Yukon. When we got there, the dive charter boat Humboldt was tied up at the bow line. Fortunate for me, they left while we were suiting up, so we moved the Scuba Do over to the bow of the Yukon. I was hoping to get some more photos of the forward guns. As the Humboldt was leaving, they were kind enough to warn us that the conditions were terrible at about 5 ft vis and that it probably wasn't worth diving. Jim convinced me to ignore them and stick with a wide angle lens for the first dive. After all, I could always switch to macro on the second dive and get a few shots.


A diver hovers near the forward guns on the HMCS Yukon

When we got in the water, we could see a nice blue tint and very good visibility on the surface. Dipping my head under, I could see Jim's legs underwater 20+ feet away, where he was waiting at the buoy. That didn't mean it would be good 80 feet below us. As we dropped down the line, we could see the bow of the Yukon from about 50 ft, coming out of the darkness. It was going to be a good dive.


A pair of divers near the crows nest on the HMCS Yukon

My first target was the forward guns. I found a small patch of large white metridiums to anchor the photo and took a few photos. After that I got a closeup on the barrels of the guns and lined up another shot with a metridium. Fortunately, Dave H. swam into my shot, giving me a nice model as he swam through the frame. We all proceeded to head towards the stern of the ship, passing the crows nest and the boiler exhaust. I saw NOAA Jim flashing his lights at Mikey, but didn't think clearly enough to go investigate. Apparently, he'd found a large mola mola hanging out at the stern. I was at my turn around air pressure, so I started heading back to the bow line. On the way back up, there was a depth that you could clearly make out the bow of the Yukon and see the Scuba Do on the surface.


Club-tipped Anemone (Corynactis californica) and blacksmith (Chromis punctipinnis) on the wreck of the HMCS Yukon

After hearing about the large mola mola and seeing Jim's video footage, Dave and I agreed to take one for the team and do a second dive. Mikey was kind enough to be lending me his other tank and wasn't feeling completely better from last weekend, so he and Jim sat it out. I was on air for the second dive, so I knew it was going to be a limited bottom time dive. The plan was to head straight to the stern of the ship and look for mola molas. We headed back along the Yukon, trying to stay towards the 'top' of the ship. The visibility wasn't quite as good as the first dive, but still better than normal. After passing the crows nest, boiler exhaust and the radio tower, I was the first to the large cargo opening. Sure enough, as I'm peering into the dark rectangular opening, I see a thin, frisbee like fish swimming straight towards me. It was much smaller than the one that Jim saw, but still the first mola mola I've seen underwater. As it swims by me, it heads towards Dave, who's still over by the radio tower. I got a nice blurry photo of the mola mola swimming towards Dave, who's taking a photo of it. With the low lighting and only seconds to shoot, my camera didn't find anything to focus on. I think Dave got a good photo and will hopefully share it.


White-plumed Anemones (Metridium farcimen) and the radio tower of the HMCS Yukon

At this point, I had about 7 minutes of no-deco time (and about 2000 psi) left. I gave Dave the turnaround signal and started heading back to the bow. As I swam, I had to keep heading up to prevent going into mandatory decompression time. Fortunately, vis was really good and there wasn't a current above the wreck. Usually, the wreck shelters you from any strong ocean currents and surge, but in this case I was able to swim above the wreck without a problem. Back at the bow line, I hung out at about 25 feet until I saw that Dave was heading up as well. Since I had plenty of air left, I took my time coming up, admiring the view from the below the Scuba Do. Even after that, I still managed to get the skin bends on my now 'usual spot', covering my left shoulder.


Dave Hershman photographs the boiler exhaust

Back on the surface, the Humboldt was back with a fresh set of divers moored near us, loudly explaining how they had hot showers, compressors to refill tanks and food waiting. We just smiled and waved from the Scuba Do. While we were getting our gear stowed, a large bait ball was being attacked by sea birds nearby. We noticed that it was drifting closer, until suddenly we saw dolphins leaping out of the water and herding the fish around the Scuba Do and the Humboldt. Many divers from the Humboldt were still in their wetsuits and jumped in with masks and snorkels to look for dolphins.

It was a great day out on the water with beautiful conditions on the Yukon.

Scott


Diver Mike Bear with NOAA Jim and the Scuba Do visible on the surface

Cabo San Lucas, August 2010 - Part 1

The 'Arch' at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico


Cabo San Lucas is not the first place you'd think of when planning a dive trip to Mexico. Cabo San Lucas is better known for sport fishing and silver jewelry. There are other, more exotic places like the cenotes in the Riviera Maya, Mexico, the Sea of Cortez off La Paz, Mexico, Cozumel, Mexico or a live aboard at the Socorro Islands (which happen to leave out of Cabo). But if you do find yourself going to Cabo San Lucas, I would highly recommend bringing your scuba gear and camera. There are a few local dive shops, including Manta Scuba and Amigos Del Mar. I did my diving with Amigos Del Mar (amigosdelmar.com), based on a recommendation from another underwater photographer.

Gorgonian sea fans with a school of small fish in the background.

* Local dive sites - Pelican Rock

Right outside the Cabo harbor lies a number of local dive sites. Charter boats are there daily and get you to the dive site 5 minutes after boarding. Because the swells from the Pacific side were up the week we were there, we were limited to the more protected sites.


Panamic arrow crab (Stenorhynchus debilus)

Pelican Rock is a large pinnacle that lies on the edge of the canyon, surrounded by sand and close to shore. There were many snorkelers and other dive boats all contending for space. As we swam around the pinnacle to the canyon edge, a manta ray was visible in the distance, though too far to photograph or catch up with. There was also sand falls - a seemingly never ending underwater stream of sand, falling over the canyon edge.

Snorkelers swim around Pelican Rock, with its gorgonian sea fans and schools of tropical fish

Next I'll describe the dive at Neptune's Finger and share some more photos from the local Cabo dive sites.

Snorkeling at the Marine Room 10/10/10

Photos:
http://underpressurephoto.com/Dive-Reports/20101010-Snorkeling-Marine/


Leopard Shark (Triakis semifasciata) at the Marine Room, La Jolla CA

After seeing the leopard sharks in the knee deep water last weekend and hearing from Kevin that they were still there on Friday, I decided to do what I've wanted to try for some time - go snorkeling with the leopard sharks with my camera. Unfortunately, conditions were pretty bad and I chose high tide as the time to go. The small waves were crashing up against the Marine Room and the sea walls of the surrounding houses. Visibility was maybe 10 ft in some spots, but much less in others. I made a wide loop, heading north in shallow water and then ended up well south of the Marine Room entry way, where the kelp became too thick to comfortably snorkel through. Even with all that against me, I managed to find a nice sized angel shark in about 8 ft of water. It was determined to not be disturbed, even with me swimming down to photograph it from a foot away. On my way back in, I got lucky and a couple of leopard sharks swam towards me, making a couple of passes before disappearing. Then one must have been completely oblivious and swam right underneath me in about 5 ft of water. I'll definitely be coming back next summer, when the conditions are better and there are more sharks out.


Angel Shark (Squatina californica) at the Marine Room, La Jolla CA

Scott

Dive report - La Jolla Shores 10/3/10

Date: 10/3/10
Location: La Jolla Shores, CA
Time in: 7:36 am
Time under: 74 min
Max depth: 66 ft
Ave temp: 61 F
Vis: 10-15 ft
Waves: 1-2 ft
Buddies: Spencer, Terry, Merriane


Yellow Crab (Cancer anthonyi)

More photos:
http://underpressurephoto.com/Dive-Reports/2010-10-03-Scuba-LJS/

Highlights: Large halibut at about 40 ft, stearns aeolids, visiting Vallecitos Pt after a long time away.

We met up at La Jolla Shores as the sun was unsuccessfully breaking through the clouds. The waves were small and the water was deceptively calm. On the swim out, we quickly got caught up in a long shore current pulling south. About half way out to the drop point, the current ceased. Conditions were pretty clear (15+ ft vis) when we dropped into 60 ft of water, but didn't stay that way. 4 photographers, each shooting macro in their own little world spread out along the south wall. Some of us met up at Vallecitos Point, where the calm was invaded by new student divers.


California halibut (Paralichthys californicus)

Reaching the turn around air pressure, we started heading east, up the slope. Spencer and I found a relatively large California Halibut (~3-4 ft long). With my macro lens, all that I could get a picture of was it's misshaped face. In honor of opening weekend for lobsters, I took a couple photos of a lucky lobster, safely tucked away in the nature preserve.


California Spiny Lobster (Panulirus interruptus)

Scott

Dive Report - La Jolla Marine Room 10/2/10

Date: 10/2/10
Location: Marine Room, La Jolla
Time in: 10:47 am
Time under: 71 min
Max depth: 99 ft
Avg temp: 61 F
Vis: ~10 ft
Waves: 1-2 ft, easy
Buddies: Julie L., Mikey, NOAA Jim


Spanish Shawl (Flabellina iodinea)" alt="Spanish Shawl (Flabellina iodinea)

More photos:
http://underpressurephoto.com/Dive-Reports/2010-10-02-Scuba-Marine-Room/

Highlights: Leopard sharks in the shallows, lots of lobsters on the canyon rim (hiding in the preserve), a couple of sheep crabs, a cormorant, tons of pipefish, lots of small nudibranchs. Oh yeah, my 200th dive and first dive with my new (used) Transpac and wing (thanks Rob!).


Three Lined Aeolid (Flabellina trilineata) laying eggs

Had a really nice dive with Julie, Mikey and Jim. Mikey and Jim headed down the hill as soon as we dropped down, so Julie and I stopped around 95 feet and hung out taking macro photos. A cormorant buzzed us at about 60 ft and there were lots of small nudibranchs in the shallows (20-30 ft), so we took our time heading in. I'm working on getting an ID on the last photo (thanks Terry, Kim and Mike) - the tiny nudibranch. The transpac worked great and keeping good trim was super easy compared to a jacket BC.


Feather duster tube worm

As we were exiting, we were surrounded by leopard sharks in ~4 feet of water. It was awesome seeing them at our feet and through the small breaking waves. One of these days, I need to snorkel at the Marine Room with them.

Scott

Dive Report - Shaws Cove 9/25/10

Date: 9/25/10
Location: Shaws Cove, Laguna Beach
Time in: 10:01 am
Time under: 83 min
Max depth: 44 ft
Min temp: ~59 F
Vis: 15-25 ft, w/ 30+ vertical
Waves: 1-2 feet, nothing big
Buddies: my pony


Simnia (Delonovolva aequalis) on red gorgonian (Lophogorgia chilensis)

More photos:
http://underpressurephoto.com/Dive-Reports/20100925-Scuba-Shaws-Cove/

Highlights: Beautiful conditions above water and below water. My first simnia, a few cockerellis, hopkins roses, spanish shawls and a moray.


Abstract Spanish Shawl (Flabellina iodinea)

I had a nice, long relaxing dive at Shaws on Saturday morning, before the weather turned freakishly hot. Conditions were great and visibility was spectacular. I decided to push past the initial canyon swim through and explore the outer reef. There were lots of students in the water and I wanted to get out past them. When I got to about 40 feet deep, I found the large canyon walls, 30-40 feet vertical and filled with life. The garibaldis were out in force guarding their eggs, spanish shawls were munching on hydroids, juvenile treefish hiding sheepishly in the crevices, and blacksmith were all over the place. I spent some time just exploring the canyons that link Shaws Cove and Crescent. The kelp forest is coming along nicely (thanks!) and the snails have taken up residence. On the way back in, I stopped in the initial large canyon area to visit the hopkins roses.


Moray Eel (Gymnothorax mordax) and red shrimp

I've only dove Shaws Cove 5 times and each time I find something that surprises me. Definitely more to explore in the canyons, when the conditions are right.

Shaws Cove, Laguna Beach

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Scott