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