Conception 4/16

[EricJ]

Just signed up for a one-day dive on the Conception (Truth Aquatics in Santa Barbara) to the Outer Channel Islands. Great price, beautiful boat, skilled and helpful crew, and the weather's been AWESOME! Only problem is that they need more divers. Who wouldn't want to dive Santa Rosa and/or San Miguel Island next Saturday? Check out the trip at www.truthaquatics.com

 

[farmerstephen13]

ive never been on a cattle boat before, and never to the outer islands, what skill level do you need to be, is it hard to buddy up? I might be game

 

[H2Ocean]

Farmerstephen13, I'd say intermediate for those sites, beginner is fine if you're goin with someone to buddy up with, it's not everyday one gets to go there, and to devote the dive to someone who isn't "pretty familiar" already with cold, currents, and descending in possible 60-80ft of water, can really be a bummer for someone who's going to get the best dives they can. If the conditions are not the best, the captain still might dive the sites. If someone new gets the chance to go on this, its a way treasured experience. Just be ready for it, by someone to go with, its cool right now 49ish water. You can do it in a wetsuit if it fits good, and you're ok with cold. Being good in navigation is a plus, so even if someone is leading the directions, you know where you are. Its some of the best dive sites to go to, just be prepared!

 

[H2Ocean]

most divers will probably be diving drysuits.

 

[EricJ]

They ended up not getting enough divers to go. I ended up going out on The Great Escape to Catalina. They did four dives at three really nice sites: Hidden Reef, Eagle Reef, and Indian Rock. I'm going again on The Great Escape to Santa Barbara Island on 4/23. Great crew, spacious boat with a nice camera table, and very reasonably priced trips. Plan on doing the two-day trip to San Clemente Island over Memorial Day Weekend with them as well.

 

[EricJ]

The Conception has enough divers to go out on Saturday, 4/23. Destination is San Miguel Island...COOL!

 

[DiverLS]

By the way, the Conception is not a cattle boat. It's a fully functioning live-a-board capable of multiple day trips.

 

[EricJ]

Looking forward to Saturday's trip, which they're sending out with only twelve divers on board as of Thursday.

I've heard the term cattle boat tossed around quite a bit, and I think it implies that a boat simply drops off divers at a dive spot with no official underwater guide. Personally, I'm OK with that since it's a mighty big ocean out there, and I've always felt a sense of solitude once in the water, even on sold-out boats.