Favorites of 2012

It's that time of year again and time to share my favorite photos from 2012. Limiting it to 10 is hard, so I decided to do a top 12 of 2012. It just sounded right. This past year, I've upgraded my camera, started playing around with macro photos and video and most importantly, discovered that one of my favorite photo subjects are scuba divers in gear, above water.

There are definitely less underwater photos this year as I spent more time exploring the world of air. I'm hoping that next year I'll have more underwater photos to share, but I'm also excited about all the new adventures above water that 2013 has in store for me. Let me know which one of these is your favorite in the comments. Without further ado, here are my favorites of 2012, in no particular order:



Rusting gears and fall leaves, Sugar Pine Railroad, Fish Camp, CA




Shortfin Mako shark off La Jolla, CA.




Tech diver Charlie after a dive to the dive site named Murray Head, 170 feet deep off La Jolla Shores, CA.




Broken wagon wheel and fall leaves, Sugar Pine Railroad, Fish Camp, CA




Stream through the snow covered forest near Bass Lake, CA.




Winter storm waves at the Oceanside Pier.




Black crowned crane (Balearica pavonina).




King tides in Cardiff, CA.




Andrew, founder of UTD (Unified Team Diving).




Freediver Bryan in blue water off La Jolla, CA.




Mountain coyote (Canis latrans lestes) along Glacier Point Road, Yosemite CA.




Storm surf at sunset at La Jolla Cove, CA.



Prints for all photos are available at my photo website:
http://underpressurephoto.com

Thanks!
Scott

Dive Report - La Jolla Shores North Wall 9/29/12

Chestnut Cowry (Cypraea spadicea)


Date: 9/29/12
Location: La Jolla Shores, North Wall
Time in: 7:36 am
Time under: 60 min
Max depth: 80 ft
Avg temp: 59 F
Vis:10-15 ft
Waves: 1-2 ft, strong current
Buddies: Marla M, Steve L, Terry S

Photos: http://www.underpressurephoto.com/Dive-Reports/20120929-Scuba-North-Wall-LJS/


Sarcastic Fringehead (Neoclinus blanchardi)

Highlights: First dive in a while. Lots of lobsters along the North Wall, somehow they knew it was opening weekend for Lobster Season. Finding the angel statue.

I joined Marla, Steve and Terry for a dive to the North Wall. Conditions were better than expected, given the report of 4-5 ft surf from the west and 0-5 ft visibility on Friday. Surf was small and easily manageable. On the kick out, there was a mild current pushing north, but after dropped down in about 40 ft of water, the current was then pushing south. We swam along the North Wall, with the kelp above the wall laying down almost flat from the current coming over it. We saw lots and lots of lobster, including some very large ones who must have known it was opening weekend and were looking for a safe place to hide. Pretty far out on the North Wall, we came across the angel statue.


Graceful Crab (Cancer gracilis)

Marla and I turned and headed back perpendicular to the current and make the jump across at about 55 ft. On the way back in, we saw two very small horn sharks. Terry and Steve continued their dives in doubles, heading to Vallecitos Pt.

Scott


Diver Steve Lawton

Dive Report - Pt Loma 8/19/12

Kelp reaching down into the blue.

Date: 8/19/12
Location: Kinane Pass, Pt Loma
Time in: 11:47 am
Time under: 45 min
Max depth: 94 ft
Avg temp: 57 F
Vis: 30+ ft tropical above 20 ft, 10 ft, cold, green and murky below
Buddies: Dave H, Mikey B, Barbara L, Kathy S

Location: Wreck of the Chelsea Lee, Pt Loma
Time in: 2:22 pm
Time under: 55 min
Max depth: 76 ft
Avg temp: 61 F
Vis: 30+ ft tropical above 20 ft, 10 ft, cold, green and murky below
Buddies: Dave H, Mikey B, Kathy S

Photos: http://www.underpressurephoto.com/Dive-Reports/20120819-Scuba-Pt-Loma/


Mikey swims over the wreck of the Chelsea Lee.

Highlights: Seeing Kinane Pass and visiting a new wreck - the Chelsea Lee.

I joined the crew on Dave's boat, 'Vacation Station' to do a memorial dive for our dive buddy, NOAA Jim Kinane, in the reef at Kinane Pass. Steve Murvine and a couple of Jims were also diving. Visibility was blue and tropical above the thermocline at about 20 ft and below that it was cold, green and murky, with a slight easterly current.


David examines the wreckage strewn about around the Chelsea Lee.

For the second dive, we motored over the coordinates given to us by Steve for the new wreck of the small sailboat he and Jim Rosenburg found, dubbed the Chelsea Lee. We weren't sure how close we dropped anchor and so started a search pattern north, against the current now pushing south. Just about when we were going to give up and turn the other direction, Dave spotted the outline of the wreck nearby. We had a good 20 minutes on the wreck, which lies in 75 ft of water. Even after the crew of a local dive charter cleaned up a ton of debris, there is still a lot of trash, including a pair of pants, a pair of shoes, an Avatar DVD and other misc stuff. The wreck is lying on it's starboard side, gentle rolling back and forth in the surge.

It was an easy ride back under blue skies.

Scott


The compass and steering wheel on the Chelsea Lee.

Snorkeling with Shortfin Mako Sharks

Shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus)

Date: 8/6/2012
Time: 7 am - 6 pm
Location: Blue water off La Jolla
Temp: ~70 F on the surface
Fellow shark visitors: Michael Kazma, Robin Jacoway, Bryan Toro, Cesare Naldi, Guy Ohm and Danny Howard

More photos at: http://www.underpressurephoto.com/Dive-Reports/20120806-Snorkel-with-Makos/


Danny Howard and the Yellow Charter Boat.

Under overcast skies, we ventured out in a six-pack to search for shortfin mako sharks with the founder of the non-profit Shark Chums, Michael Kazma. I hoped to see blue sharks as well, but Michael advised us that the water temperatures are too warm this time of year for blues. Winter is a better time for them. As we stopped the boat miles off the coast, we looked over and saw salps passing below in the clear blue water. Chum was loaded into perforated buckets and extended behind the boat with a buoy to keep them near the surface. The blowing wind pushed the boat east, creating a steady stream of enticing smells for the sharks.


Shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus)

One hour passed, then two, with no sign of sharks. Robin Jacoway and Michael hooked up a pole cam with a monitor pointed at the chum, so we could periodically check for sharks well below the surface. A few of us got antsy and suited up. We were eager to get in the water to see what we could see. As we slipped into the sapphire colored water, visibility extended into the depths. A constant parade of alien salps past by under us, starting about 15 feet under the surface. With the wind blowing, the boat was moving a steady 1-2 knots east. We had to either hang onto the rope attached to the chum buckets or swim to keep up with the boat. We swam with the salps for a little while, freediving down to see them, but soon got back on board the boat. We were advised that the makos would be skittish and probably wouldn't come close if there were people in the water.


Freediver Bryan Toro

The first mako was spotted by Cesare after about 4 hours of chumming. It disappeared as quickly as it came, before all of us could get in the water. About an hour later, another showed up and we quickly suited up and quietly slipped into the water. Our instructions were to stay between the chum bucket and the rear of the boat. The makos would approach the chum from open ocean and we wouldn't want to be between the sharks and the chum. We watched as a brave sea lion chased the second mako shark. It seemed as if the sea lion was protecting us. Each time the mako would come in towards the chum, the sea lion would chase it off. Soon the sea lion disappeared and a different mako appeared out of the blue.


Shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus)

We had a total of 3 mako sharks over a period of about an hour. There was a larger 5-6 ft shark, a medium sized, healthy looking one and another smaller, 2 1/2 foot one that had many parasites and chunks missing out of its tail. The sharks were there one at a time and come in for a pass at the chum. As they swam by the chum, they would head towards one of us to check us out. The rule was to never let the shark touch our body. After an investigatory bump, sharks will often take a test bite to see what is floating in front of them. They aren't trying to eat you/it, just examining. Cameras provided a good barrier most of the time and the sharks would usually veer off as they approached before getting too close, providing lots of photo opportunities. On one pass, the medium sized one turned and veered back towards me. It was coming a little close for comfort and I had to push it away from me. The skin of the mako was silky smooth and almost soft, as opposed to the scaly, rough skin of other fish or sharks, such as a larger mola mola that I had the privilege to briefly touch. I suspect evolving for speed leads to smoother skin for less drag in the water.


Juvi Shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus) getting a little too close, with Guy Ohm in the background.

It was an awesome encounters with shortfin mako sharks. I would have to say this one was more exciting than my previous encounters with a sevengill shark in 2009, reef sharks in the Bahamas or the docile leopard sharks in La Jolla and Catalina. However, it's not for the faint of heart and does require self sufficiency and comfort in blue water and in a current.

Scott


Pelagic salps constantly floating by in the blue.

Dive Report - Pt Loma Sea Nettles 7/22/12

Black Sea Nettle Jellyfish (Chrysaora achlyos)



Date: 7/22/12
Location: Pt Loma, near Gayle's Spot
Time in: 9:53 am
Time under: 44 min
Max depth: 32 ft
Min temp: 61 F
Vis: 15-20+, blue
Waves: 2-3 ft swells and a current pushing south-east
Buddies: Mike H & Steve M

Second dive was about 30 minutes, max depth of 29 ft on the same tank with similar conditions.



Photos: http://www.underpressurephoto.com/Dive-Reports/20120722-Scuba-Pt-Loma/

Highlights: Black sea nettles!

We went out on a mission on Steve's Sub Mariner searching for black sea nettles and we were successful. They only come every few years and the last time was July 2010, almost exactly two years ago today. We knew they were likely near the end of their visit, so there was a good chance we'd miss them. We pulled into a few different potential dive spots and looked overboard into the blue water. Unfortunately, we didn't see any. We finally decided on a spot along the edge of the kelp in about 90 ft of water and took a chance.

Soon after rolling into the water and getting our cameras, we found one, then two then three black sea nettles. Mike and I stayed up in the top 20 ft in the clear blue water shooting the sea nettles while Steve went down to set the anchor and explore the crevice. About half way through the first dive, the sea nettles disappeared. We spent the rest of the dive searching for more, but had no luck.



After the surface interval, Mike and I decided to do another dive on our tanks. We both had about 1600 psi left and were planning on staying in the canopy again. As soon as I dropped in, I saw another sea nettle and Mike soon found his own. Steve stayed up on the boat and ended up pulling anchor to follow us. We followed the sea nettles into open water and spent the rest of the dive shooting them.

Another great day on the water with Mike and Steve!

Scott

Dive Report - Pt Loma, Kinane Pass 1/14/12

Mike Hallack and Red Gorgonian (Lophogorgia chilensis) in the Pt Loma kelp forest.

Date: 1/14/12
Location: Kinane Pass, Pt Loma kelp forest

Dive #1
Time in: 11:20 am
Time under: 50 min
Max depth: 77 ft
Ave temp: 57 F
Vis: Blue, clear on top, 10 ft at depth
Waves: Very small swells, glassy, but surgy at depth
Mix: 33%
Buddies: Mike H., Julie L.

Dive #2
Time in: 1:43 pm
Time under: 50 min
Max depth: 93 ft
Ave temp: 59 F
Vis: 15-20 on top, 15ft at depth
Waves: Very small swells, glassy, but surgy at depth
Mix: 33%
Buddies: Julie L., Mike H.

Photos: http://www.underpressurephoto.com/Dive-Reports/20120114-Scuba-Pt-Loma/


Proliferating anemones on kelp

Highlights: Great to join David H., Mikey B., Mike H. and Julie L. on David's boat. It had been too long since diving with them. Also, it was my first visit to Kinane Pass, named in honor of NOAA Jim Kinane.

Spectactular conditions topside and good company on David's luxurious boat. Out at the dive site, we saw 4 or 5 whales passing by, fluking. Conditions at depth weren't quite as nice, with green murk and surge, but it was still a great day out on the water. For the first dive, Mike and I were shooting wide angle, while Julie was trying out her new GoPro. Mikey and David dove on the second shift, playing with a friendly seal.

During the surface interval, Mike and I switched out wide angle for macro. A small pod of dolphins passed through the area along with a couple of sea lions. On the second dive, we found the awesome wall and crevice near Kinane Pass.

Thanks to David for taking us out!


Mike Hallack and California Golden Gorgonian (Muricea californica)

Scott