Date: 1/12/08
Dive Location: Catalina Island on the Bottom Scratcher
Buddy(ies): HBScooterGirl (who else?)
Time: 3 Dive day - boarded 6:25 AM
Bottom Time: See Sensus Profiles, below
Max Depth: 115
Vis: Dive 1 - great. Disappointing for dives 2 & 3
Wave height: Boat Dives
Temp at depth: 55 to 57
Surface Temp: whatever - dry suit
Tide information: whatever - boat dives
Gas mix: 32, 33, air top off
Best moment: All of Dive One
Things to do differently next time: Drive to Ventura and dive Anacapa instead
Comments: I'm so done with Catalina Boat dives
==========================
Our San Diego boat dive canceled due to swell predictions. We called and called and found a boat going out in L.A. After some last minute shuffling and personnel changes, Claudette and I wound up on the Bottom Scratcher on a 3 dive day to Catalina.
About the middle of last year, I decided I was done with boat dives to Catalina. I've dived the place a zillion times, and honestly, its such a better dive day to invest the drive to Ventura and get 4 dives on Anacapa / Santa Cruz as opposed to 3 dives at Catalina. With its decades of marine preserve, and wider diversity of life, a day on Anacapa / Cruz consistently delivers more to me than a day on Catalina.
That said, most of the Ventura boats are out of the water now, so Catalina it was.
The crossing was glassy. The Day was beautiful, but in the end only dive one was good. And I look for a reason to love a dive, but dives 2 and 3 were throw away dives for me. Very sad.
I had a good day. But if I had it to do again, I'd have stayed home and finished painting the spare bedroom.
Dive 1 - Ship Rock
My fav dive site on Catalina, Ship Rock was a surprise. The Bottom Scratcher double anchored very close to the rock, and the dive was a dream. I've always wanted to scooter ship rock - drop deep and corkscrew back up. We did just that. We stayed deeper longer as there were so may Nudi's to see. We saw only 6 species, but there were lots of several of them - especially Red Tipped Dorids and Searnsi's. There was a rotting SeaLion carcass there too. A little creepy. Viz was amazing below 90 FSW.
Dive 2 - Some un-named site
After an excellent dive on Ship Rock, the search was on for the second site. Cap't Greg went to several of the adjacent sites, but the current was kicking up and site by site things were going south. We wound up in some cove that offered some protection. The site was shallow, surgey and the viz was really poor (5 to 10 feet.) Claudette and I went away from the island to see what was out there - we went deep (as the profile above shows) and saw and photographed the Mantis Shrimp. Current was ripping at 102 feet over the sand where he was, making shooting him very difficult. That was the highlight of that dive. The rest of it was lame. I shot 3 images. We did come up with a new sign, however. Extend thumb, hold next to second stage: "this dive sucks..." I wrote in my WetNotes to Chica two notes:
* "This dive is good for something - off-gassing dive one!"
* "The only thing nice I can say is diving Catalina makes me appreciate Anacapa more"
Dive 3 - some other weak site
After an excellent lunch of smashed red potatoes, brisket and gravy we moved to the third site.
The viz on this site was worse than the last one. The surge was pretty major, and while most everyone went left, Chica and I went right with the scooters. Octos, Eels and a single Fed Ex. Miles of empty rock and lots, and lots of Kelp. I took 4 shots. With a very mild Fall this year, the water stayed cool in September, October and November. The benefit is there was no kelp die-off - so we're going into winter with lots of kelp (it loves the cool water) so in the Spring, the Kelp will be amazing!
All in all, one great dive at Ship Rock, two very forgettable dives at sites I couldn't identify along a severely over-fished, over-dived and over-used island. This will be the last dive boat I take to Catalina for a day of diving. I'd rather invest the additional 40 minute drive each way to Ventura for a fourth dive on either dive Anacapa / Santa Cruz.
I'm sad. I don't like diving angry. I hate regretting a dive, let alone two on the same day. But there it is. One great dive, to bad ones and I'm on vacation from Catalina boat diving for a good long while.
Here are some images.
---
Ken
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Full Catalina 1_12_08 Gallery here
One of several very large Stearnsi's that we saw on the amazing Dive One
Another Stearnsi - this one on a kelp leaf
Hudson's from Dive One
One of MANY huge Red Tipped Dorids we saw on Ship Rock. Guess he didn't like the olive...
Janny from Dive One
Whelk from Dive One. Ever drop a slice of buttered toast, and it lands butter-side up?! I saw this perfect whelk on a wall, I pointed to it, barely touching it, and it FELL OFF. I was watching it tumble through the water and it landed right where I shot it - in the perfect place at the perfect angle with its perfect side to me.
Mantis Shrimp from Dive Two
Octo from Dive Three - this guy was SOOOOOO red
Moray from Dive Three
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.
.
.
.
.
.
Dive Location: Catalina Island on the Bottom Scratcher
Buddy(ies): HBScooterGirl (who else?)
Time: 3 Dive day - boarded 6:25 AM
Bottom Time: See Sensus Profiles, below
Max Depth: 115
Vis: Dive 1 - great. Disappointing for dives 2 & 3
Wave height: Boat Dives
Temp at depth: 55 to 57
Surface Temp: whatever - dry suit
Tide information: whatever - boat dives
Gas mix: 32, 33, air top off
Best moment: All of Dive One
Things to do differently next time: Drive to Ventura and dive Anacapa instead
Comments: I'm so done with Catalina Boat dives
==========================
Our San Diego boat dive canceled due to swell predictions. We called and called and found a boat going out in L.A. After some last minute shuffling and personnel changes, Claudette and I wound up on the Bottom Scratcher on a 3 dive day to Catalina.
About the middle of last year, I decided I was done with boat dives to Catalina. I've dived the place a zillion times, and honestly, its such a better dive day to invest the drive to Ventura and get 4 dives on Anacapa / Santa Cruz as opposed to 3 dives at Catalina. With its decades of marine preserve, and wider diversity of life, a day on Anacapa / Cruz consistently delivers more to me than a day on Catalina.
That said, most of the Ventura boats are out of the water now, so Catalina it was.
The crossing was glassy. The Day was beautiful, but in the end only dive one was good. And I look for a reason to love a dive, but dives 2 and 3 were throw away dives for me. Very sad.
I had a good day. But if I had it to do again, I'd have stayed home and finished painting the spare bedroom.
Dive 1 - Ship Rock
My fav dive site on Catalina, Ship Rock was a surprise. The Bottom Scratcher double anchored very close to the rock, and the dive was a dream. I've always wanted to scooter ship rock - drop deep and corkscrew back up. We did just that. We stayed deeper longer as there were so may Nudi's to see. We saw only 6 species, but there were lots of several of them - especially Red Tipped Dorids and Searnsi's. There was a rotting SeaLion carcass there too. A little creepy. Viz was amazing below 90 FSW.
Dive 2 - Some un-named site
After an excellent dive on Ship Rock, the search was on for the second site. Cap't Greg went to several of the adjacent sites, but the current was kicking up and site by site things were going south. We wound up in some cove that offered some protection. The site was shallow, surgey and the viz was really poor (5 to 10 feet.) Claudette and I went away from the island to see what was out there - we went deep (as the profile above shows) and saw and photographed the Mantis Shrimp. Current was ripping at 102 feet over the sand where he was, making shooting him very difficult. That was the highlight of that dive. The rest of it was lame. I shot 3 images. We did come up with a new sign, however. Extend thumb, hold next to second stage: "this dive sucks..." I wrote in my WetNotes to Chica two notes:
* "This dive is good for something - off-gassing dive one!"
* "The only thing nice I can say is diving Catalina makes me appreciate Anacapa more"
Dive 3 - some other weak site
After an excellent lunch of smashed red potatoes, brisket and gravy we moved to the third site.
The viz on this site was worse than the last one. The surge was pretty major, and while most everyone went left, Chica and I went right with the scooters. Octos, Eels and a single Fed Ex. Miles of empty rock and lots, and lots of Kelp. I took 4 shots. With a very mild Fall this year, the water stayed cool in September, October and November. The benefit is there was no kelp die-off - so we're going into winter with lots of kelp (it loves the cool water) so in the Spring, the Kelp will be amazing!
All in all, one great dive at Ship Rock, two very forgettable dives at sites I couldn't identify along a severely over-fished, over-dived and over-used island. This will be the last dive boat I take to Catalina for a day of diving. I'd rather invest the additional 40 minute drive each way to Ventura for a fourth dive on either dive Anacapa / Santa Cruz.
I'm sad. I don't like diving angry. I hate regretting a dive, let alone two on the same day. But there it is. One great dive, to bad ones and I'm on vacation from Catalina boat diving for a good long while.
Here are some images.
---
Ken
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Full Catalina 1_12_08 Gallery here
One of several very large Stearnsi's that we saw on the amazing Dive One
Another Stearnsi - this one on a kelp leaf
Hudson's from Dive One
One of MANY huge Red Tipped Dorids we saw on Ship Rock. Guess he didn't like the olive...
Janny from Dive One
Whelk from Dive One. Ever drop a slice of buttered toast, and it lands butter-side up?! I saw this perfect whelk on a wall, I pointed to it, barely touching it, and it FELL OFF. I was watching it tumble through the water and it landed right where I shot it - in the perfect place at the perfect angle with its perfect side to me.
Mantis Shrimp from Dive Two
Octo from Dive Three - this guy was SOOOOOO red
Moray from Dive Three
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