Subject: 300FTER taopitek
Nay not really. The day came early again. 3:30 up making sure I got everything and run dive plan a couple more times. Then off to go find parking there was one spot left for me yay. Got the gear all set up & configured walked up to give the life gaurds a copy of my flight plan.
On the way back said hi to a few people went back over all the gear one more time hopeing that the sun would come out over realitive calm sea. Picked up a bit when heading out but not to bad. Vicky & Micky helped me out threw the surf with the bottles. Thanks guys I couldn't done it without you. The plan was 300 for 25mins. not wanting to be caught short on gas I had 305cft of back gas 152 of 32% & 152 of 100%.
The swim out was enjoyable even though I couldn't listen to my mp3 player. All the kyaykers had to come by and yack. A sea gull was waiting for me at the float just sat there while I did last minute adjustments. dumped the wing and down I glided.
I followed the line untill the pinnacles came into view. While floating slowly into the abyss I navigated both by compass & by the spiers & pinnacles. This is a real amazing place. The bottom came into view @ 277' & leveled out at 285'. I continued to navigate now threw base of these giant obelisks. Compass was not much use if you headed west you go up east it got deeper. Then north then south dizzying but so cool.
The bottom was very dark. Turning off my light and looking up I could see very faintly the erie silloutes of these monuments. Some of them or a lot of them are towering nearly 200' piercing into the haze above. They are very close together so I could use them as refeance during my desent. There were differant types of creature at the differant depths.
At the bottom I was greeted by the most unsual creature. It looked to be half lobster & half spider crab. It had 2 long skinny arms with claws at the ends that were about 6" long with a short fat body with a tail like a lobster. The body & head looked more like a lobster than a shrimp. There were a few other odd looking fellows down there also. Some crawling and some swiming.
After my 25mins of bottom time was up my interest turned from the amazing creatures to the structure. My 90min. asscent would take me past some of the coolest structure. Theres fossils inbedded in the layers rock and clay. Taking on some bizzar shapes of another planet. This is truly a alien world with the odd creatures & the hostle looking landscape covered with life.
My first stop was at 200' the assent went really slow after that. With lots of time to investagate the lines of time. Ahead of me I could see the Bat Rays flying in midwater. Never looseing sight of the wall or obelisk surounding The Bat Rays would glide in, out and around these pillars of the gods. After coming up along side of a pipe hanging down starting at 90' covered with Purple Enniems to 70' I continued to hover about 15-20' off the bottom on a course that would take me to my exit point.
Being 15-20' off the bottom I could see Old George a huge old Hallibit and over resting Bat Rays, Angle Sharks and other creature without disturbing them while rested up for tonights hunt.
I hope you come down next wednesday night to hear more of this exploration into the abyss. Even more so I hope you create your own expedition into the unkown. I would love to hear your stories of explorations also.
Steven O. Donathan
htt://groups.yahoo.com/group/taopitek
www.taopitek.com
619-253-8379
. he also put up a buoy up with a couple of students at this area so everyone could go dive it. i gurantee you this is the most amazing place in the lj canyon.
