Marine Room 06/22/14

[thez_yo]

Vis doesn't look too crappy to me. You should see how bad it is in Norcal right now with the winds and all, really sloppy.

I really like all the pics because they are wide angle and give me a feel of what it was really like. Very raw and truthful.
Not that I don't like strobe lit macro shots perfectly staged and all set up just right, but yours are more "inclusive" of what else is around, and gives a true sense of what I would see if I jumped in and dove there.
I love the shot of the diver too because it's a "regular" diver just diving and having fun Socal style.

I don't have fancy strobes or anything - just an Olympus TG-2 with a cover on it in case we end up hitting deeper than 50' (if viz is really REALLY bad in the shallows). Actually it was great conditions today - sometimes I try to take pics but viz is so bad it's all just various shades of sand swirling in the water and then I don't bother with a dive report. I just can't believe the pics some people take around here because they seem to imply we have crystal-clear tropics-like viz, where when I drop it's various gritty or cloudy consistencies haha! I'm guessing the secret is the strobes..

Pictures in order starting with the first one after the picture of your buddy:
Black Perch
Black Perch
CA Spiny Lobster
Ocean whitefish (Juvenile)
Sargo
Bat Ray
Rock Wrasse
Kelp Bass
Garibaldi
Rock Scallop
unknown
Opaleye
Halfmoon
Barred Sandbass

The school above the Sargo is California Salema, Xenistius californiensis.
The "rock scallop" is an abalone.

I agree.

Thanks!!

---------- Post added June 22nd, 2014 at 06:59 PM ----------

Unfortunately wide angle days are few and far between in SoCal. I've taken my wide angle lens on several dives this year and haven't had more than 15-18 feet vis on any of them.

I'm pretty sure even your 15-18' viz photos would still be awesome..

 

[cardzard]

Here Yo

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

If you want to see abalone come to Norcal.
I could show you places so loaded you would crap your wetsuit.
There was a rock in about 25 - 30 feet of water right off the center of Fort Ross Beach (Sonoma County). I would say the rock was probably the size of an average car. It was surrounded by sand, so it was isolated. I counted over 70 abalone on that rock all down at the bottom lined all the way around. You couldn't have found a place to put a tea saucer they were so crowded, all towards the bottom right to the sand.
Crazy!

 

[thez_yo]

If you want to see abalone come to Norcal.
I could show you places so loaded you would crap your wetsuit.
There was a rock in about 25 - 30 feet of water right off the center of Fort Ross Beach (Sonoma County). I would say the rock was probably the size of an average car. It was surrounded by sand, so it was isolated. I counted over 70 abalone on that rock all down at the bottom lined all the way around. You couldn't have found a place to put a tea saucer they were so crowded, all towards the bottom right to the sand.
Crazy!

Me? I think my favourite critters so far are sea hares and bat rays The best places for the former that I've seen are the Coronados off the northwestern coast of Mexico, and Laguna Beach for the latter. A local dive buddy just told me the sea hares were out in droves locally here just last night, so maybe a local night dive needs to get in my schedule.

I've got a dive friend up around SanFran that I've needed to go dive with for years now, so maybe one of these days I'll make the trek up.

 

[thez_yo]

You know, someone told me those 'skates' might be guitarfish. One of these days I'll learn the fish...

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Southern california underwater marine life field guide

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Me? I think my favourite critters so far are sea hares and bat rays The best places for the former that I've seen are the Coronados off the northwestern coast of Mexico, and Laguna Beach for the latter. A local dive buddy just told me the sea hares were out in droves locally here just last night, so maybe a local night dive needs to get in my schedule.

I've got a dive friend up around SanFran that I've needed to go dive with for years now, so maybe one of these days I'll make the trek up.

If you do that make sure you guys go north from SF and not south to Monterey. Monterey is great, but it's over-run and overrated IMO.
Go up to Sonoma County or Mendocino County and have a REAL adventure!
Plus the scenery is beautiful with all the redwoods and pastural scenes/ wildlife, and the camping is great too.
There are more great campgrounds that anywhere else in the state.
Kick back and have a few beers around a fire after macking on fresh abalone. Doesn't get any better.