Craig Hoover
Guest
I decided to hide from the swell on Saturday down in Palos Verdes. The morning was spent hiking trails to Flat Rock, Lunada and even a dive at Marineland. A couple spearfishermen headed out to Long Point before I was ready for a second dive. Felt rude to blow bubbles and scare away the white seabass so the quest was on for a new spot to dive.
The ocean below Point Vincente looks fair. There is peace of mind in determined action. I want to avoid the dissatisfaction that comes wandering along the traveled paths during poor conditions. The decision is made.
Secure footing is the primary focus over the next half hour. This is peace, at least for me. Loose cobbles and boulders along the shoreline remind me of rock hopping as a child. Towards the point some are inlaid with layers of crystal. I must be off the beaten path since these are not occupying some rock collector's garden.
At the edge of the water the swell rises and falls two or three feet. Rocks are loose and going is slow. Slowness is discipline and patience is virtue. The journey over the kelp reminds me of crawling through chaparral in younger days. Do we ever really change?
The dive is everything I hoped for. Pinnacles like Dume are terraced with channels between. Invertebrates are diverse and I note an abundance of the yellow sulfur sponge. Maybe I'll find Tylodina fungina here some day.
I settle into nudibranch photography. Here are my favorite shots.
Dendrodoris behrensi and Pinauay marina
Flabellina iodinea is usually halfway to taking flight
Peltodoris nobilis and egg rosette
My favorite nudibranch, Mexichromis porterae
The ocean below Point Vincente looks fair. There is peace of mind in determined action. I want to avoid the dissatisfaction that comes wandering along the traveled paths during poor conditions. The decision is made.
Secure footing is the primary focus over the next half hour. This is peace, at least for me. Loose cobbles and boulders along the shoreline remind me of rock hopping as a child. Towards the point some are inlaid with layers of crystal. I must be off the beaten path since these are not occupying some rock collector's garden.
At the edge of the water the swell rises and falls two or three feet. Rocks are loose and going is slow. Slowness is discipline and patience is virtue. The journey over the kelp reminds me of crawling through chaparral in younger days. Do we ever really change?
The dive is everything I hoped for. Pinnacles like Dume are terraced with channels between. Invertebrates are diverse and I note an abundance of the yellow sulfur sponge. Maybe I'll find Tylodina fungina here some day.
I settle into nudibranch photography. Here are my favorite shots.
Dendrodoris behrensi and Pinauay marina
Flabellina iodinea is usually halfway to taking flight
Peltodoris nobilis and egg rosette
My favorite nudibranch, Mexichromis porterae