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BAUE Trip Reports
7/21/2007 PortHoles aboard Unknown Boat by Alberto Nava -- [View this report only]
Bottom Team: |
Susan Bird, Alberto Nava |
Visibility: |
100' |
Time: | 9:00 AM |
Temp: |
50F |
Surge: |
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Max Depth: |
100FSW |
Avg Depth: |
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Bottom Time: |
0:50 |
Total Time: |
1:00 |
Bottom Gases: |
30/30 | Deco Gases: | O2 |
Backgas Config: |
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Deco Profile: |
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After a long traveling month that started with Mexico, and ended in Florida, I was ready for some local diving with kelp and a lot of invertebrates. Susan and I joined the Cypress Sea for a Big Sur run together with several other members including: Clinton, Rob, Allison, Dionna, Mark, Harry, and Cameron.
There were some strong winds from the NW which made the area north or near Big Sur light house impossible for diving. However, farther south the conditions were a little calmer due to the protection for the land masses up north. We expected weather to get worst as the day progressed so we decided to start diving North and head down south during the day and then hold on for the trip back home.
The first dive on the day was at a shallow structure that sits about 2 miles south of the lighthouse. This is a 1000ft diameter reef which tops at 30ft and get to about 100ft on the West side. There is a canyon that runs from the center towards the West end. The total length of the canyon is about 400ft long. This was a perfect scooter target for the day.
Visibility was close to 100ft and scooter through the canyon was a very nice experience. In some sections it was very narrow and had a lot of invertebrates on the walls. Susan and I found a nice hole 10x5 on the north wall. The hole went about 20-30ft inside and then had a chimney going up at least 20ft. We found a nice octopus inside this little cavern. After about 30min we joined the rest of the diver and enjoyed the shallow kelp at the west end. It was a great feeling to be floating on the cleat blue water with schools of rock fish all around and the kelp gently moving with the current. It was breath taking!
For the second dive we did Capt Phil favorite dive site in the West coast. Partintong Cayon wall. It was a nice relaxed dive and we found the skull of what it looks like a cow. Maybe this animal was the victim of a mayan ritual at the top of the cliff ;-). Of course the first words from the crew were “Did you put a lift bag on it” ;-).
For the third dive we wanted to explore a new place and decided to check a reef north of Compost. It was a very nice reef with 3 main structures and a lot of kelp. Susan and I took the scooters for a second run and spend good 40min going around the different reefs. Visibility was so good that you could see across reefs which were about 80-100ft.
Flying through the kelp with 100ft visibility reminds me of why we love to dive in this area.
Here is a folder with several maps of the area.
Here is a folder with images from Clinton and Robert.
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7/18/2007 Pt Lobos by Susan Bird -- [View this report only]
Bottom Team: |
Suzanne L (Suz) Baird, Dionna House, Susan Bird |
Visibility: |
40' - 50' |
Time: | 10:30 AM |
Temp: |
48F |
Surge: |
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Max Depth: |
38FSW |
Avg Depth: |
27FSW |
Bottom Time: |
1:14 |
Total Time: |
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Bottom Gases: |
EAN32 | Deco Gases: | |
Backgas Config: |
| Deco Tanks: | |
Deco Profile: |
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Dionna, Suzanne, and I joined Cyndi Dawson of ReefCheck for a dive at Point Lobos yesterday. D & Suzanne were undergoing their re-certification process to update their survey skills, and Cyndi graciously allowed me to observe the process in order to understand what ReefCheck does and how divers are trained.
The conditions were fantastic! The ocean was as flat calm as I have ever seen it. Monastery Beach was as flat as a lake, and there wasn’t even a ripple on Whaler’s Cove when we drove into the parking lot. Underwater conditions were equally amazing, with wide-open visibility and no surge.
The re-certification process consisted of a pre-dive briefing by Cyndi of protocols and procedures, followed by a survey dive. ReefCheck divers conduct their surveys over a 30 meter transect line with clearly defined perimeters, forming a rectangular corridor along the length of the survey area. The data is collected under 4 major groupings, with each category requiring a sweep or swim-through along the transect line. Data for each category is collected within a set time frame (ranging from 6 to 10 minutes).
The slates, data collection sheets, and measurement devices are standardized, and are simple and straightforward to use (assuming divers are solid in their knowledge base of species and substrate identification, after taking the ReefCheck training). Species are listed and organized in a sensible manner for easy data collection.
Suzanne and Dionna did the set up for their survey along the west side of the Middle Reef. Visibility was so good that we could clearly see the bottom on our surface swim, and underwater viz was just as excellent with clean, beautiful, blue water. Cyndi chose a survey area thick with kelp, over a mixed terrain including sand, bedrock, and cobble. D and Suz each collected data under the four sub categories, while Cyndi did a separate survey for comparison. Surprisingly, the area was not particularly fishy—we counted only a few varieties of perch. Invertebrates were more plentiful, and as mentioned, the kelp was extremely abundant.
Since I have not taken the original training, I mostly observed the process, however I did take a stab at collecting some of the data on a slate that Cyndi generously loaned me. It was really fun!!!
We concluded the dive with a slow underwater swim back to the ramp, enjoying the God-rays penetrating the kelp, and numerous rockfish lounging under the golden overhead canopy. Dionna and I discovered some fascinating shrimp on a kelp frond, approx ½ inch long, translucent, with lavender markings. We also found a lovely baby kelp fish, and traveling schools of juvenile tubesnouts. At the ramp, we visited a juvenile money-face eel, and fed it some of its favorite algae.
During our post-dive briefing, it was clear that Dionna’s and Suzanne’s data was right on the money. They will complete their re-cert by doing a survey on a ReefCheck charter in the near future.
The ReefCheck survey was much more fun and far less ‘work’ than I had imagined. After just this one dive (as an observer) I found that I was able to see the marine environment in a richer, more appreciative manner. Their training not only provides us a valuable opportunity to hone basic diving skills, but also develops our ‘eyes’ to see and get to know the wonderful complexity of the underwater realm. Also, as a ReefCheck participant, it is a very satisfying experience to know that we are contributing to the larger community.
I would strongly recommend that BAUE divers who would like to contribute in this manner pursue training and certification with ReefCheck.
Thank you to Cyndi, Dionna, and Suz for allowing me to join them for a great dive! |
7/14/2007 Shale Beds aboard Escapade by Dionna House -- [View this report only]
Bottom Team: |
Kresimir Mihic, Marciano Moreno, Dionna House |
Visibility: |
20' - 25' |
Time: | 9:30 PM |
Temp: |
50F - 53F |
Surge: |
1' |
Max Depth: |
58FSW |
Avg Depth: |
47FSW |
Bottom Time: |
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Total Time: |
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Bottom Gases: |
EAN32 | Deco Gases: | |
Backgas Config: |
Double HP100 | Deco Tanks: | |
Deco Profile: |
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Night Diving at it best!!!!... So I heard there was room on the Escapade for a dusk and night dive. I signed up!! I arrived a little early to get my things settled and to pick up my wonderful picture that Jim Capwell shot. Louie, an Aquarium sea otter, was taking his late afternoon nap right at the K dock. He didn’t seem to mind people watching him snooze. He eventually awoke when he bumped into the dock. Louie entertained us by scratching his face. Some of the tourist told their children it was a seal. A few of us rolled our eyes and commented that it was a Manatee… just kidding.
We motored off towards Ballbusters for the first dive. No luck due to swells and wind. We were sharing the boat with divers from Wallins Dive Shop. The BAUE folks on board were Susan Bird, Kevin Dow, Marciano Moreno, Kreshi and Dionna. We anchored at Eric Pinnacle were the surface conditions looked more tamed. I jumped in the water with Marciano and Kreshmir. We descended into sea nettles and swam around the pinnacle and even had time to venture to a near by small reef. Being that I was on one of my back-up light, Marciano and Kreshi sandwiched me in the middle as I lead the dive. I wanted to save my primary light for the dark night dive. All was good… We saw a rather large lingcod. Marciano’s light failed, but we were at the end of the dive. We juggled the team around and made our ascent. Vis was about 20-25 feet. Kind of spotting vis. Max depth 59feet for 43 minutes.
The real dark night dive was at Shale Island….. WoW!!! What a place to be for night time entertainment. The anchor was placed so perfectly next to the shale bed, I navigated along the shale island. I used my primary light, and this time we sandwiched Marciano in the middle. We were able to see a baby octopus. It hung out with us and let us look at it for awhile. I tried to get it to climb up my glove, but, it just sat there next to my hand. The octopus changed colors a little bit, but, nothing to inconspicuous. I saw a few juvenile copper rockfish and lots of clams out feeding. Lots of large size shrimps. The smaller shrimps were the most entertaining by watching them do backwards flips…. Why do they do this???? Bioluminescence was spectacular as well as the free swimming little worms as we made our ascent. Vis was about 25-30feet. Max depth 58feet. Runtime 50 minutes. |
7/14/2007 Shale Beds aboard Escapade by Susan Bird -- [View this report only]
Bottom Team: |
Kevin Dow, Susan Bird |
Visibility: |
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Time: | 12:00 AM |
Temp: |
53F |
Surge: |
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Max Depth: |
62FSW |
Avg Depth: |
48FSW |
Bottom Time: |
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Total Time: |
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Bottom Gases: |
EAN32 | Deco Gases: | |
Backgas Config: |
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Deco Profile: |
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Kevin & I joined the Escapade for Sat pm trip over the weekend.
Twilight dive at Eric's was fun, however the night dive on Shale Island was by far the more spectacular of the two adventures.
Kevin & I descended the downline to Jim's anchorage, which was placed just to the west of the gigantic Navy anchor which resides on the island:
http://www.baue.org/projects/shale/#Project_Data
We headed west, towards the mushroom rock, slowly inspecting the area under the ledge of the island, while occasionally shining our lights over the plateau, in search of octopi. The most abundant nocturnal creatures were the clams who were extending their tubular bodies as far out as possible to filter the water. They retracted back into the relief of the ledge under the glare of our lights.
We soon found a six spotted gunnel, and a shy octopus tucked into a hole. The shrimps were having a party, doing summersaults in the 'spotlights'.
Kevin found a lovely octopus, hunting out away from the ledge. This creature gave us quite a show, moving over the rocky substrate, extending its arms into nooks and crannies for snacks. It changed it's shape & texture to try to outsmart us, a very impressive performance.
We checked out the shale ledges extening west from the mushroom rock, which are a usual hangout for vermilions and other large rockfish... we only saw one vermilion, a cream colored rockfish, and a lovely treefish. I suppose the vermilions were out hunting at night.
As we continued around the island, we came across a sturdy looking rock crab, and a lithoid crab neighbor. Earlier, we spotted a lithoid heart crab-- with it's distinctive hairy legs.
We found another octopus on the plateau, but this one didn't budge... it was intent on camoflaging itself by keeping completely still.
As we rounded the east end, we saw a large shape moving fast-- kind of an adrenaline rush for a moment... until we recognized it as a harbor seal out hunting for fish. We were buzzed a few times, as the seal used our light to help with the hunt.
A few moments later we were buzzed by another large hunter, this time a sea lion looking for dinner.
We had enjoyed ourselves so much that we lost track of our time & distance around the island... so the last 10 minutes of the dive moved us a bit faster-- swimming to find the Navy anchor, then the upline shortly thereafter.
We played with luminescence on the ascent, and thoroughly enjoyed the dive.
I highly recommend that we charter the Escapade for a BAUE night dive on Shale Island soon!!!
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6/16/2007 Hopkin's Deep Reef by Dionna House -- [View this report only]
Bottom Team: |
Harry Babicka, Mark Lloyd, Dionna House |
Visibility: |
20' - 25' |
Time: | 10:30 AM |
Temp: |
50F - 51F |
Surge: |
1' |
Max Depth: |
80FSW |
Avg Depth: |
55FSW |
Bottom Time: |
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Total Time: |
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Bottom Gases: |
EAN32 | Deco Gases: | EAN50 |
Backgas Config: |
Double LP80 | Deco Tanks: | AL80 |
Deco Profile: |
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The Nettles are Here !!!!!... Did two nice relaxing dives at Hopkins Deep Reef with Mark Lloyd and Harry Babicka. We have been working hard on our skills lately and really needed this kind of dive to chill out. Surface conditions were nice with no current. We each got a chance to run the reel. Visibility was about 20-25ft. On both dives we were visited by the Sea Nettle Jellies. One jelly had some small fish cleaning it. I think Kawika has a picture of this on his website. We also spotted several nudibranchs and of course lots of Metridium. The nudibranchs were two large Triopha Catalinae, a few Cadlina Luteomarginata and Doriopsilla Albopunctata. The best part of both dives was the ascents¡K. We were bombarded by the Sea Nettles from all directions¡K. It was rather comical trying to avoid them¡K. Then¡K.We gently pushed them away¡K.. Then¡K okay Get Out Of The Way!!!! LOL¡K. ƒº I heard from other divers that they were everywhere¡K. And I thought they were just attractive to Mark¡¦s underarm deodorant. :-p |
5/29/2007 Ed's Wall aboard Phil Sammet's RIB by Alberto Nava -- [View this report only]
Bottom Team: |
Susan Bird, Alberto Nava |
Visibility: |
30' - 50' |
Time: | 11:00 AM |
Temp: |
46F - 51F |
Surge: |
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Max Depth: |
206FSW |
Avg Depth: |
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Bottom Time: |
0:40 |
Total Time: |
1:30 |
Bottom Gases: |
18/45 | Deco Gases: | 50/25,O2 |
Backgas Config: |
| Deco Tanks: | |
Deco Profile: |
4s,18 |
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Beto & I extended the Memorial Day weekend to dive out of Point Lobos on Phil's RIB. We are sure happy we decided to play hooky today!
The day was overcast, with a breeze coming from the south & west. Whaler's Cove was calm, and there were very few divers in the lot. We shared the launch ramp with Bill Gomez (a frequent weekday diver), who was setting out on his boat with a friend.
Based on reports for calm seas, we had discussed diving Ed Cooper's Wall, a site we had visited several years ago. The conditions have to be 'just so' for this site, and we hoped for the best. As we motored out, it was clear that our wishes had been granted.
The site consists of a long ridge with a sheer wall, with several narrow perpendicular channels cutting the ridge into (large) segments. We anchored at the NW end of the ridge, and jumped into a strong current running north. It was a lively few moments, holding tight to the current line while unclipping & readying scooters. Once we let go of the line we were barely moving as we scootered towards the anchor line at full pitch.

We quickly descended to find a big bowl-shaped indentation carved into the top of the ridge at about 140ft. The bowl was 10 ft deep and approximately 15 ft across. We settled into the bowl, completely protected from the current, and caught our breath with the gargonians, vermilions, and rockfish who were also hanging out in the "fish bowl". A nice juvenile lingcod posed in front of a white sponge, wondering where Clinton was with his camera.
We then descended over the west side of the ridge, and dropped-- and kept dropping-- leveling off at 200ft, with plenty of depth left between us & the bottom. It was dark, but the viz was really good, 50 to 60 ft. We scootered along the wall, which seemed to go on forever! Along the way, we hit some patches of brisk, 44 degree water, but the water got warmer as we eventually made our way shallower, leveling off at 48 degrees for most of the dive.

So... the wall... how to describe it? In simple layman's terms, it was spectacular! The ridge creates a long, expansive, heavily decorated corridor, as it parallels a smaller, deeper second ridge. As we looked up, we could see that the wall/s angled out at times, creating dramatic overhang areas, perfect for sheltering schools of blue rockfish. The top of the ridge is quite uneven, containing a plethora of peaks and valleys.
Along the wall, there are numerous cut-out areas, kind of like miniature valleys at various depths. We knew we had a lot of ground to cover, but we nevertheless stopped to explore a few of the indentations. While in one valley area, I signaled to Beto to look back at where we had come from, and there was a huge school of blue rockfish following us hoping in vain that our bubbles were tasty fish-treats. Among the blues there were vermilions, calicos, china, and copper rockfish.

There were hundreds of horizontal and vertical crevices running the length of the ridge, and we looked for GPO's and wolf eels. No luck this time, but in one especially lavish crevice we did see a tell-tale pile of shells, sure evidence indicating a GPO den. Towards the bottom as we continued our journey there was a surprisingly dense population of treefish, some of whom seemed either extremely curious, or territorial.
We passed by the first intersecting channel, which cut a perpendicular path through the ridge from top to the sandy bottom. The walls were close together, maybe 10 ft apart, and both sides were lush with corals, sponges, corynactus, and lunging decorator crabs.

We continued towards the shallower end of the ridge, observing break down areas with huge boulders at the bottom and to the side of the wall. We kept looking up, taking in the craggy profile of the ridge above us, and soon we began to see bull kelp swaying in the surge. More fish, more color, shifting topography as we moved up to 120 - 100 ft range. We began to see hydrocorals, in bursts of color in cracks. We passed the second channel, much more 'open', with a rocky breakdown area.
We completed the dive at a wall with a distinctive overhang, surrounded by rockfish, treefish, perch, and a lone Sheepshead who was afraid of our lights. We looked for nudibranchs on the wall, and enjoyed colorful scenery until we left the top of the ridge at 30ft.

The last half hour of the dive was as lively as the beginning, with a definitive surge bandying us around like helpless kelp fronds. The wind had picked up, stirring the water into confused seas, making Phil's job of picking us up more entertaining for all involved.
This was one of my favorite Nor Cal dives, rating in the Top 10. Because we were on scooters, we got a sense of the massive dimension of this ridge and wall system. It was truly impressive, and we can't wait for conditions to allow us to return to this amazing site.
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5/12/2007 Lobos Rocks aboard Escapade by Dionna House -- [View this report only]
Bottom Team: |
Harry Babicka, Susan Bird, Mark Lloyd |
Visibility: |
40' - 50' |
Time: | 9:00 AM |
Temp: |
48F - 50F |
Surge: |
1' |
Max Depth: |
90FSW |
Avg Depth: |
60FSW |
Bottom Time: |
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Total Time: |
1:04 |
Bottom Gases: |
EAN32 | Deco Gases: | EAN50 |
Backgas Config: |
Double LP80 | Deco Tanks: | AL40 |
Deco Profile: |
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We had an early morning departure for a wild adventurous boat ride down south to Lobos Rocks. Anchor was dropped and after a quick GUE EDGE, Mark Lloyd, Susan Bird, Harry Babicka and I took the plunge. We started out going North East, crossed over a sand channel and came to a beautiful wall covered with life. Max depth was 90feet. We stayed there for about 15 minutes hoping to find a GPO, than came up to 80feet for about 20minutes. Visibility was in the 60ft range, almost tropical like, except someone turn up the heat. Only saw one sea lion that buzzed past us. The plan was to breathe down the stage and switch to back gas. When we hit the 50ft stop we did a gas switch to our 50% bottles. It is good to practice some of this stuff without having a real decompression. While taking advantage of the 50% bottle we were on our way back to the boat. We came upon an area covered with anemones and various giant spined stars. As we looked up to enjoy the top of the reef, we did see small amounts of white water with the sun shining down the water column. It was very much like “Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel”. We headed South West back to the boat and surfaced. While kicking back to the boat, the other divers on board were observing a whale. It was a Minke Whale. Susan was able to see it underwater. We motored to calmer waters and anchored at “The Needle” for some laughs, stories, sandwiches and clam chowder
The second dive was at “The Needle”. We circled the needle at 80ft for 10minutes then up to 70ft for 10minutes. As we were circling the pinnacle, we did see a large crab bite into something and slowly let go to fall upside down into the deep blue. We watched as the crab hit the bottom and quickly turn itself back on his claws again. Great agility!!! It was lots of FUN to be able to play around underwater with other BAUE divers. We went up to 60ft than 50ft has we approached the anchor line we saw other divers hanging out. Some did their hang a little further away from the anchor line while others were close by. Everyone came up with smiles. Visibility was about 50ft. Total run time was 55minutesSpecial Thanks to the Escapade crew for making the day great.
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4/30/2007 Cypress Canyon aboard Phil Sammet's RIB by Alberto Nava -- [View this report only]
Bottom Team: |
Susan Bird, Alberto Nava |
Visibility: |
40' - 60' |
Time: | 10:30 AM |
Temp: |
44F - 48F |
Surge: |
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Scooter: |
Gavin Short |
Burn Time: |
0:20 |
Max Depth: |
180FSW |
Avg Depth: |
130FSW |
Bottom Time: |
0:40 |
Total Time: |
1:30 |
Bottom Gases: |
18/55 | Deco Gases: | 50/25,O2 |
Backgas Config: |
Double | Deco Tanks: | |
Deco Profile: |
6,4s, 18 up |
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Susan and I went out for our first dive at the newly created Point Lobos SMR :-). We're so happy to see most of our favorite dive sites in this area now protected as a marine reserve.

To celebrate this occasion we wanted to dive a pinnacle called K2 which is part of the large structure Mt. Chamberlin out of Yankee Point. However, the wind was a little bit too strong to venture south of Point Lobos, and there was a fog bank lurking in the distance.
We altered the plan to dive Cypress Canyon on the north side of the Park. This area is composed of a series of parallel walls running south to north. We anchored at the top at about 80ft and scootered down to the most northeast edge. Visibility was at least 60-70ft and we really enjoyed the view on the way there.

We continued west to another wall while looking for GPO. We saw a big one there last year and we were hoping for another encounter. Unfortunately we didn't see any. We did see a lot of nice rockfish and some cool nudibranches.
As we made our way back we were surprised to see a large percentage of the gorgonians infested by zooanthids. We have seen this before but never in such a large number. The farthest east wall was a perfect gorgonian garden but now 50% of the colonies are infected by yellow/cream colored animals.
I'm wondering what's going on?
After 20min at about 170-180ft we moved up shallower and motored back to the main pinnacle where the anchor was located. At 140ft we found a nice juvenile yellow eye, about 6 inches long. This one was very bold because it was hovering away from its crevice and allowed a close approach by us. Maybe with the new reserve we will start seeing some adults. Of course, we need to wait 10 or 20 years for them to grow :-0.
We spent about 10min btw 120ft to 70ft while looking at all the hydrocorals and lingcod at the top, plus we found several chestnut cowries.
The water was clean but cold. The bottom was btw 44-46 and the deco (from 70' up) was done at a balmy 48 degrees.
Great first dive at the SMR and looking forward to many more :-)
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4/29/2007 Breakwater by Dionna House -- [View this report only]
Bottom Team: |
Dionna House, Robert Lee |
Visibility: |
5' - 15' |
Time: | 10:30 AM |
Temp: |
50F - 52F |
Surge: |
5' |
Max Depth: |
64FSW |
Avg Depth: |
48FSW |
Bottom Time: |
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Total Time: |
1:43 |
Bottom Gases: |
EAN32 | Deco Gases: | |
Backgas Config: |
Double HP100 | Deco Tanks: | |
Deco Profile: |
Minimum |
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After practicing on Saturday with some BAUE members, Robert Lee and I went out Sunday for a FUN dive. The goal was to get out to the Barge and look for critters along the way. It was a lot cooler top side and sea conditions look liked it calmed down from yesterday. The Cruise Ship had sailed out to higher seas. After our GUE EDGE, we trudged in to the waters at the Breakwater. Along the wall, there seemed to be lots and lots of tube anemones with Dendronitis Iris eggs attached. We did see several Dendronitis Iris nudes. We found the cinder block and I tied off and ran a spool to the line. Vis was about 10ft. While following the line, Robert and I visited his Sarcastic Fringehead friend. He had big eyes, like a bug!!! We got to the end of the line and saw two Hermissenda Crassicornis. Robert tied off his reel and we kicked out to the Barge. We took turns with the reel. While on the Barge, we saw Four Triopha Catalinae, three of them were on top of eachother and the fourth one off to the side. Survival of the Fittest in action. There were some Rockfish, but, not the schools that like to hang vertical in the water column. There was a slight current pushing us south west. It was noticeable when we stopped kicking. We hung out for awhile and looked into cracks and crevices. Saw the usual suspects. It was time to head back. On our way back on the line we saw three divers kicking out with stages and split fins. After we passed them, visibility went from 10ft to 3-5ft. We had the line and compass as our guide. We arrived at the spool that took us back to the cinder block. Once on the wall, I saw a Chestnut Cowry. We usually see them in Carmel. Also saw a pretty good size Octopus that didn’t want to come out of his den. Next time I won’t shine my light on him to much. We cruised back on the wall at 30-40ft looking for critters. I invested in a VEST for warm and wanted to do a weight check. Felt good to be WARM again. Max depth was 64 feet. Average depth was 48ft. Total dive time was 103minutes. Thanks for the dive Robert. |
4/22/2007 Pt Lobos by Alberto Nava -- [View this report only]
Bottom Team: |
Harry Wong, Alberto Nava |
Visibility: |
5' - 30' |
Time: | 11:00 AM |
Temp: |
48F - 50F |
Surge: |
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Max Depth: |
120FSW |
Avg Depth: |
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Bottom Time: |
1:20 |
Total Time: |
1:50 |
Bottom Gases: |
21/35 | Deco Gases: | EAN50 |
Backgas Config: |
| Deco Tanks: | |
Deco Profile: |
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Back to Point Lobos after some Huevos Rancheros at FirstAwakenings (It's so nice to stay in Monterey for a weekend as you have time for a nice breakfast)
The plan was to scooter to the Crossroads pinnacle for Harry to get to know the area, and hang there for a while looking at the marine life.
Just as we descended a young harbour seal came towards use and spend several minutes playing with us. It was really close and really cute. I was done for the dive what else do we want... ok we still went for divng ;-).
While at the CrossRoad we found a red gorgonia that was cover with esqueleton shrimps. We got really close to it and looked for the big mother. We eventually found her and it was great to see her defending the little shrimp. I wish Clinton was with us with his macro lens. It would have made for a great macro subject.
On the way back we spent the deco doing survey of the hole in the wall reef.
Second dive we played around lone metridium and the shallow reef around. We hanged around the kelp bed south of the metridium and it was a beautiful experience with the light coming th the kelp, blue water and many rockfish.
what a fun weekend!!!
Did I ask about warming the water already? ;-)
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