August 2009 Dive Reports

[headhunter]

Date:
Dive Location:
Buddy(ies):
Time:
Bottom Time:
Max Depth:
Vis:
Wave height:
Temp at depth:
Surface Temp:
Tide information:
Gas mix:
Best moment:
Things to do differently next time:
Comments:

[Rapture of the Deep]

Date: 8-1-09


Location: Jim's Secret Deep Spot


Times: 12:14 pm/2:27 pm


Dive Lengths: 33 mins/33 mins


Max Depth: 102 ft./76 ft.


Visibility: in excess of 25 ft in both locations


Average Depths: 68 ft/52 ft.


Temp at Depth: 54 F/64 F.


Tanks Used: HP 120/HP 100


Mix: 31%/32%


Surface Conditions: good, nearly flat all day


Current: none noticeable


Dive Buddies: Peter, Kathy and NOAA Jim


Marine Life Observed: Blue Rockfish, Olive Rockfish, Brown Rockfish, YOY Rockfish Blacksmith, thousands of Senoritias, Painted Greenlings, Elkhorn Kelp [Pelagophycus porra], Macrocystis, Cadlina luteomarginata, Noble Dorids, Laminaria and Southern Palm.....


Photos: at http://raptureofthedeep.org/


Highlights:

Dive #1:


With high hopes that were not disappointed, NOAA Jim, Kathy, Peter and I motored out under calm seas and sunny skies to Jim's new 'secret deep spot.'


Since no one had actually dived it before, the plan was to throw Jim into the water with his doubles and scooter and let him scout the area, marking areas of interest with a buoy to the surface, so that's exactly what we did.
Since we were 'live dropping' him and not anchoring, not knowing exactly which direction Jim would be going [we could not see his bubbles], I took the Scuba in lazy 200 yard circles until we saw the first buoy pop up about 50 yards off our Port bow, so I slowly motored over to that location and we made a note on the GPS.


After he popped up about 200 yards to our West, we picked him up and he gave us a dive briefing on what he had seen based on his bottom survey and gave us instructions on how to anchor, which we did.


--While not as rich in marine life as, say, God's Rock, this area was notable for the presence of large numbers of Blue Rockfish, which I do not recall seeing in very big numbers here in San Diego, as well as 100 ft. long Elkhorn Kelp, which is rare here as well, especially at that depth.
All in all, a pristine and very nice spot, untouched and unvisited by divers and worth further exploration. We are quite excited about this new spot!


Dive #2:


This site reached by simply traveling straight East about 200 yards from the first spot and was characterized more by the presence of Macrocystis, rather than Elkhorn and large numbers of Senoritas and Olive Rockfish.


Altogether a very nice day out on the high seas, a near-miss with Jim and a large commercial fishing vessel notwithstanding, we had another great day in paradise!


Cheers,

Mikey

[SoCalSwami]

Location: LJS North Wall
Date: 8/2/09 Sun
Descent: 7am
Vis: 20-30'
Min Temp: 55 deg
Time: 90 minutes
Divers: Kim, Newell

Conditions Sunday on North Wall were excellent. Great visibility and no current/surge/surf.

As many of you know, the doors closed on one of our beloved nitrox supplier this week, and with it, the keys to the deeper regions of our beloved LJS. Our group thought it appropriate to consume our final bottles of 32% on a worthy site, and we were not disappointed.

We found great visibility throughout the dive with a brilliant blue hue in the water column. My favorites critters were a teenie-baby tree fish, a lovely two-spotted octopus spread out on a kelp frond in the shallows, and a fragile rainbow star playing peek-a-boo with a scorpion fish.

Side Note: my newest toy, a Reefnet Sensus Ultra is proving to be a useful accessory. The dive profile data is a nice feedback on my dive performance plus I don't have to worry about leaving the sensus on my desk attached to my download cable, unlike my wrist mount dive computer.

A few pictures logged on photobucket:
http://s279.photobucket.com/albums/k...209-shores-am/

Mike Hallack

[Rapture of the Deep]

Date: 8/8/09

Time: +/11:15 am

Dive Length: 35 mins

Tank: 100 cu ft.

Temp: a chilly 53 F

Mix: 30%

Max Depth: 66 ft

Viz: 20 ft. + on bottom; less on top

Dive Buddies: NOAA Jim, Charlie and Kathy S.

Marine Life Observed: Blacksmith, Senoritas, Black Surfperch, Painted Greenlings, Blackeyed Gobies, Hermessindas, San Diego Dorids, Rose Anemones, Giant Sea Stars, Elkhorn Kelp, Macrocystis


Highlights:


Yesterday, we decided to go someplace different, so we anchored at 3 Fingers in North Pt Loma and sent the two Scooters Twins, Charlie and Jim down to scout the bottom.

Unfortunately, Kathy and I didn't have the patience to wait for their return [they were on doubles], so we suited up and jumped in about 20 minutes after they departed and missed the debriefing which would have told us that the actual rocky structures, known as the 'fingers,' were directly South of us--and, we naturally stayed around the anchor and missed the really cool stuff. For next time, then.

Nonetheless, we still saw San Diego Dorids, tons of Black Surfperch, Painted Greenlings, Ekhorn Kelp and 2 Giant Sea Stars. We also saw Rose or White Spotted Anemones, something we don't see too often in San Diego.

Excellent dive, excellent viz and a another great day in Paradise, folks!

Dive safe, everyone,

Mikey

[pyjamaslug]

Date: 12th Aug
Dive Location: La Jolla Shores
Buddy(ies):Jackie and Merrianne
Time: 7:30 ish
Bottom Time: 89 mins
Max Depth: 94ft
Vis: wow!
Wave height: 1ft
Temp at depth: bloody cold
Gas mix:air
Comments:

We are having a 'get out and dive NOW!' week in San Diego; vis reports of 30 and 40ft vis are coming in, so I went down to the shores and mooched around until I found a couple of likely looking lasses who would let me dive with them (likeliness determined by the fashionable drysuit attire).

I just love diving with Jackie: both of us carrying 80's and getting one and a half hours of bottom time at an average depth of 40ft. That's what I call value for money, even before the octos, the shrimp, the box jellies and the leopard sharks.

This was my dive #3 with the new drysuit and I used it to solve my weight and trim issues. I dropped 2lbs and moved 8lbs to my backplate: result = perfection. Next job is to mount a focus light on the camera housing, which should improve my success rate with photography at night.

[JimG]

Date: 8-12-09
Dive Location: Catalina
Buddy(ies): Chris
Time: All day (3 tank dive on Sundiver Express)
Bottom Time: 40-50 mins
Max Depth: 50-ish
Vis: 15-25 ft
Wave height: Max 1-1.5 ft
Temp at depth: Upper 60s dive 1, upper 50s dives 2-3
Surface Temp: N/A
Tide information: N/A
Gas mix: Air
Best moment: First time seeing Sea Bass!
Comments:

Dive #1 (Goat Harbor) - Swam down the edge of the reef at about 50-60 feet depth. Saw 3-4 Sea Bass. Headed shallower for the return trip to the boat. No waves or current, vis about 15 feet, temp about 69F.

Dive #2 (Little Geiger) - Not much memorable about this dive. Swam through the kelp (which is always fun!) but did not see a whole lot. No waves or current, vis about 20 feet, temp about 57F.

Dive #3 (Indian Rock) - Best dive of the day. Large reef with lots of structure, sunlight streaming through the kelp, lots of fish. Saw a small group of about 6 Garibaldi (did not realize that they ever congregated that way). Cut the dive a little short because wetsuited buddy got cold - still had a nice long dive. No waves or current, vis about 20-25 feet, temp about 55F.

[LLKZ16]

Date: 8/15/09
Dive Location: OML Long Point
Buddy(ies): Angelique
Time: 8:11 am.
Bottom Time: 60 Min
Max Depth: 67 fsw
Vis: 10-15 Feet
Wave height: 2-3 Feet
Temp at depth: 56 F
Surface Temp: 65F

After too long of a dry spell, I needed to get back into the H2O. What other logical place is there to go but Long Point at Old / New Marineland, Bottomtime Bay, Phil’s Point, Bottomtime Bend, Garner Cove, Max's Marina, Phil's Nudi and Ab Farm ( Diver.net comedy). I think calling it just Marineland might be the best option in my humble opinion.

After some botched planning, I met up with my good old dive buddy of 5 years Angelique. We suited up and started to make our way over to the point. Walking along the trail, we noticed some decent sized waves rolling in. When we reached the point and made it down to the entry point, we both knew that timing this right was going to be real fun…. After waiting for the perfect lull to arrive, we both made it out without a hitch. The visibility at the surface was a bit cloudy as we made it through the kelp on our way to the drop area. The plan was to go out to the pinnacles, stay for a while and then motor back to the cove.

When we dropped, the vis was not too bad (10-15 feet) and as we made our way out, we immediately started to come across a nice variety of nudi’s around 30 to 40 feet. We worked our way out slowly stopping for pictures here and there. It’s so great to finally see Angelique getting into underwater photography. For all of the years that we have been diving together, she was always the best spotter in the business. Now that she is shooting, we both can capture the same subjects. In total, we came across 7-8 species of nudi’s during the dive.

We ended up not hitting the pinnacles but the rock formations we did come across were just fine. I think we were close but not close enough. After it was time to turn and start heading back it was very interesting to see the large amounts of kelp growing where for many years it was not there before. The only issue when coming back is working through the kelp when there is a bit surge. The poor visibility on the way back did not help either. We surfaced a little ways from the cove and as we were kicking back, we ran into a group on the way out. Over all, it was a great dive!!

My pictures are not some of my best but here are a few that came out just OK.

[SoCalSwami]

I love the flurry on dive reports this week

Let's hope these great conditions hold out thru the remaining days of summer.

Mike

[Rapture of the Deep]

Remarks:


This was truly one of the most remarkable days I have ever had in nearly 10 ten years of diving San Diego. Ever since my dive buddy filmed an encounter with a Seven Gill Shark a few months ago, I had despaired of ever having an encounter myself: diving Pt Loma nearly every week and seeing nothing. Then, as often happens in life, when you are least expecting it, Mother Nature springs herself on you: this time close enough to touch and count the freckles on the back which characterize this species.

I feel extremely honored to have such an up close-and-personal encounter with this majestic animal. As is often the case, you have no control over time or manner of such an encounter: it's just a matter of being lucky enough to be in the right time and the right place, and the shark decides type of encounter you will have and it is up to you to make the best of it in just a few fleeting seconds.




Dive #1: Elkhorn Forest

Date: Saturday, 8-15-09

Location: Deep, Elkhorn Forest about 3 miles from shore

Dive Time: 12:36 pm

Dive Length: 40 mins

Max Depth: 100 ft.

Viz: at this location, we estimated 30-50 ft.

Average Depth: 61 ft.

Temp at Depth: 55 F.

Tank Used: HP 120

Mix: 21%

Surface Conditions: Calm/Small swells later on in afternoon

Current: some on both dives

Dive Buddies: Dave Hershman

Photos: Pending upload by Dave; Peter McGuinness has posted some nice photos on Facebook of this forest.


Marine Life Observed: Blue Rockfish, Blacksmith fish, Strawberry Anemones, Elkhorn Kelp, Macrocystis, Spanish Shawls, Hermessindas, Red-Spotted Anemones, Reg Algae, Senoritas, Calico Bass


Highlights:


--the deep, Elkhorn Kelp forests here is a different environment from that of its close cousin, Macrocystis, or Giant Kelp, which grows in shallower water. Elkhorn Kelp is ramrod straight, often looking like steel rods jutting up from the bottom, 100 or more feet below, ending in huge fronds up to 5 ft wide and 15 ft. long, which stop growing abruptly 15-20 ft. below the surface, unlike Macrocytis, which keeps growing all the way to the surface.


We had anchored on the outer edge of a deep reef, discovered by NOAA Jim, using bathymetric maps created by SANDAG [San Diego Association of Governments] and the plan was to follow the C-shaped edge Northward as far as we could. Jim had already 'scootered' the area and come back to give us a briefing on what to expect in the underwater topography.

Peter and Jackie dropped in first, followed by me and Dave.


Dave and I dropped down through the giant fronds of Elkhorn to the sandy bottom below at 100 ft and followed the outer edge of the reef Northward, which did, indeed curve Eastward, like a giant C.

We noted large numbers of Blue Rockfish and Blacksmith fish flitting about through the forest.

About 10 minutes into the dive, we came across a remarkable, mushroom-like structure, about 12 ft by 10 ft., jutting upwards from the bottom, covered in bright pink Strawberry Anemones, giving the appearance of a giant, glowing pink mushroom in the distance--it was a vision right out of a science fiction movie.

We paused here for about 20 mins, while Dave took macro photos, before heading back to the surface, through the giant fronds of Elkhorn, when my short time allowed on 21% air was up.

Very nice dive.



Dive #2: The 'Ghost Forest'

Date: Saturday, 8-15-09

Location: Macrocystis forest about 1 mile offshore of Pt La Jolla

Dive Time: 2:41 pm

Dive Length: 41 mins

Max Depth: 79 ft.

Viz: a hazy 20 ft.

Average Depth: 54 ft.

Temp at Depth: 55 F./63 F.

Tank Used: HP100

Mix: 30%

Surface Conditions: Calm/Small swells later on in afternoon

Current: some on both dives

Dive Buddies: Dave Hershman

Photos: pending upload by Dave


Marine Life Observed: 7 Gill Shark (Notorynchus cepedianus ), Blue Rockfish, Blacksmith fish, Strawberry Anemones, Elkhorn Kelp, Macrocystis, Spanish Shawls, Hermessindas, Red-Spotted Anemones, Reg Algae, Senoritas, Calico Bass



Highlights:


--One of the first things we noticed upon reaching the bottom in the second site, a Macrocystis forest just East of the first dive site, was the strange lack of fish: the bottom contour was similar to Broomtail Reef: flat, with large Macrocystis 'holdfasts' dotted about, every 20 ft. or so--and absolutely no fish--anywhere.

The lighting was also strange: on odd, yelllowish-green tinge to everything, lending a deserted, eerie feel to the whole place, something which struck Peter and Jackie as well.

But Dave and I had decided to forage Eastward to see what we could find, so we plodded along the bottom, Dave's flash going off every now and then as he found some small, sessile life to photograph along the way.

We continued deeper and deeper into this spooky, yellowish-green 'ghost forest' with its strange dearth of fish--failing to make an obvious connection in our minds: where had they all gone and why? Last week, this same area was overflowing with fish. Sometimes the fish sense something you don't.

Dave and I were swimming Eastward, about 2 meters apart, with Dave's head down, photographing something on the ground, when suddenly I see a long, dark shadow materialize between us, moving at a good clip, in the same direction as we were.

It takes a second or two for my brain to register that this was a fast-moving shark right between me and Dave. By the time he had pulled slightly ahead of us, I see the characteristic 'long tail' of the 7 Gill go right by my face, no more than 2 ft away.

By the time I frantically waved my light at Dave to get his attention, the shark has already moved on, deeper into the eerie, yellowish forest up ahead of us.

We pick up our finning speed a bit, hoping to catch up to it, to get some photos documenting its appearance.

Surprisingly, after a few meters, the long shark, at least 6 ft long, appears to have slowed down a bit and Dave and I were startled to find ourselves nearly abreast of this beautiful animal, no more than 3 feet from either one of us--once again, it was between us.

It reminded me of the old joke about: what does a dog who chases cars do with them, once he catches one?

We had suddenly found ourselves nearly nose-to-nose with this beautiful animal and now, were not quite sure what to do next.

I can see Dave, just on the other side of the shark, frantically fumbling with his camera, trying to get it to focus properly and document our new visitor.

As for me, the shark is so close now, I can count the spots on its back. These black 'freckles' are a mark of the Seven Gill species and are not present on any other species that I am aware of.

But we are not stationary: the 3 of us are all still moving forward, albeit at a slower pace, deeper into the gloomy forest.


By now, the animal has pulled slightly ahead of us, to the point where, the tail is now passing about 18 inches from my face. Dave is still furiously clicking away with his camera.

Here, I do the unthinkable, being powerless to resist the beauty of this animal: I reach out and ever-so-gently just tap the tail as it passes by.

The reaction was surprising: I had expected it to barely notice my touch : the entire shark suddenly shot upwards and away from us, as if I had touched it with a red-hot poker. It was gone in a flash. The tails must be sensitive!

Now, please don't flame me with emails telling me that's unwise to touch sharks: I already know that. I just succumbed to temptation in a moment of weakness and I'm not proud of it. It was a temptation I just could not resist and I have decided to be honest about it.

But, here is the interesting thing: Jackie and Peter were diving the same area we were, about 300 yards NW of us. We haven't worked out the exact times yet, but we think that the animal jetted off from Dave's and my location, to appear to Jackie and Peter, because they saw him on their dive as well, a short time later.

There are several possibilities here: 1) that there were more than of this species of shark in the area; unlikely, but not impossible.......that the two dive teams actually saw different animals. 2) That it was the same shark which traversed the distance between the two dive teams and visited each team of divers separately.

I tend to lean towards the second of the two as the more likely: that our encounter with the animal startled in the direction of Jackie and Peter, who then, reported seeing a short time later on their dive, as we were not that far apart.

In any case, my stupid stunt touching the tail notwithstanding, it was a remarkable encounter: one that left me and Dave shaking with adrenaline for quite a while afterwards, pumping our fists underwater jumping about like idiots, and doing all the usual antics of two humans having encountered a shark and lived to tell about it.

These are truly beautiful animals to see in the wild. We can't know for sure, but we think they may be migrating Northward from the Pt Loma area, towards the La Jolla area, where they are being seen in increasing numbers.

Of course, the only way to verify any of this scientifically is to tag various individuals and that will have to left to the experts at Scripps Institute of Oceanography and Birch Aquarium.

But, oh, boy: what a day!

Sorry for the quality of the photo, but you guys know how it is down there: when Mama Nature shows up unexpectedly, you'd better be ready--or, this is what you get......nonetheless: many thanks to my buddy Dave Hershman for doing his best under the circumstances! That's my Nite Rider light waving frantically on the other side of the shark.

Dive safe, everyone........

[pyjamaslug]

Date: Aug 16th
Dive Location: LJ Cove
Buddy(ies): Me and my pygmy pony
Time: 4:15
Bottom Time: 45mins
Max Depth: 40ft
Vis: about 10ft but milky.
Wave height: 0ft
Temp at depth: 70
Surface Temp:
Tide information: high tide
Gas mix:21%
Best moment: I found some fairly good sized abalone.
Things to do differently next time: Next time I won't pay to park only to find out that the place closes a mere 2.5hrs later.

I should probably stop doing this since it never seems to work out well, but I trogged down to the cove on the off chance that the spectacular vis we are having around here would be manifest there as well. No such luck.

With the seriously restricted dive time allowed by the parking garage closing time (seriously; these guys close *early* at the weekend, what a crock!) I just did a quick out and back along a north/south bearing. A pretty ho-hum dive and I saw nothing much of interest except a dive knife. This one still had its sheath and there was an easy exit, so I brought it back. Anyone claim it, just let me know; if no-one claims it, I am willing to swap it for something useful (I need a download cable for my suunto: hint)

The dive wasn't completely devoid of interest, though: have you noticed how ungainly and pasty the tourists look when they are splashing around on the surface?

Peter

[Mo2vation]

I'm so glad viz is picking up locally. This is great to read.

Of course, I've been out of town since Thursday in the Sierras camping and fishing - missing a great weekend of diving.

Next weekend Jaye and I are in Catalina Thursday thru Sunday. Fingers and toes crossed it holds up for another week!

Loving the reports. Inspiring to me when I'm out of town.

Thanks everyone!!!



---
Ken

[Pasley]

My sincere apologies to those of you who have to work today instead of diving.

Date: 18 Aug 09
Dive Site: Terreanea Resort aka Old Marine Land, Long Point
Start Time: 09:12
Dive Time: 42.00
Tide:
2009-08-18 02:54 PDT -1.02 feet Low Tide
2009-08-18 09:22 PDT 4.24 feet High Tide
2009-08-18 14:19 PDT 1.73 feet Low Tide
Max depth: 56 FSW
Temp at depth: 57F Suunto Degrees
Surface Temp: 64F Suunto Degrees
Viz: A little brown in places and dark under the kelp with the overcast sky. 15-20 feet.

Beautiful morning. Dolphins playing in the water as we geared up at the point. Water was flat with almost no wave action at the point. This prompted us to plan to both enter and exit at the boulder entry at Long Point. Entered at Long Point just before high tide into lake Pacifica at the point. Just crawled in behind the big rock with the post on it, put our face down and let the waves carry us out. Easy entry. Minimal current and almost no wave action. Dropped down almost immediately and swam out to the point (2700 ) and tooled around. Hit a thermo cline at 34 feet, water was shimmering and quite a bit colder below. Sun stars, nudibranch and the usual suspects. Easy as pie, great day. Broke down our gear and were back at the car driving home before 11:00.

[SoCalSwami]

My sincere apologies to those of you who have to work today instead of diving.

I can visualize see the 'sincerity' dripping off your mask and snorkel.

[Pasley]

SoCalswami,
Ok, so I dive more than I work, but someone has to do it. At least I did not rub it in and post about our Saturday dive on the Sundiver Express with a very limited load and a huge blue whale (80-90 feet) on the way home that we watched spout 4 times before it went deep showing a tail larger than my car, perhaps twice as big. Pure magic.

[SoCalSwami]

I can't wait to see my first blue. I've read a few posts here reported seeing them flying small aircraft. What an incredible sight it must be from the air.

Gray - check
Humpback - check
Blue -