Short trip report- Peace

[pacificgal]

I went on my first liveaboard this past weekend, boarded Saturday night with fobturbo (Matt) and we cruised all night long to Catalina. Did 5 dives the first day, can't even begin to tell you the names of the sites, would have to check someone's else log who took better notes. Did 5 dives on day 1. Saw bat rays, tons of spanish shawls and blue banded gobies. Second day we started at Farnsworth Bank, what an incredible site! Purple hydocoral, small sea hares, Navanax nudi's, more spanish shawls, corianactis, that pinnacle was so full of life I wanted to stay but conditions starting picking up so we left.
The second day was also Catalina, saw baby horn(ed?) shark, more bat rays, a giant sea bass more nudis. 4 dives on day two. Flying fish were jumping around the boat on the second night, one actually landed in the boat as we were sleeping and was heard flopping around on the deck. At one point the Vision boat passed us and Hinalo (Jeff) waved at us, Matt picked up on it, I didn't, though I did see the Vision leaving Santa Cruz or Anacapa on day 3.
Day three we motored to Anacapa where I got to do a swimthrough at Landing cove, gorgeous arch big enough to park a bus in, easy to see through the other side with 5 or 6 fin kicks, that was my 149th dive.
After we left Anacapa we did one dive at Santa Cruz Island, dolphins swimming off our bow, to Fence Line, where I saw a 2 ft leopard shark, more nudis.
The neatest nudi's I saw on this trip were the spanish shawls, Hopkin's Rose (saw this at Shaws cove before my boat trip), Porter's Chromodorid which was a little larger than a gran of rice, but it was blue with yellow stripes so I was able to pick up on it as I was waiting for my photographer buddy. Also saw Hermissendra.
I'm sure I'll think of more, my 150th dive had a small leopard shark in it, so that was cool. Great trip, just wish the rocking movement would stop, need to get my land legs back.
Also at Shaws was a baby sea bass, neat find to start my trip. Many thanks to shawnb for his hospitality in taking me out for my first so cal dive.
I have a ton of work to do now that I am home, hard to come back from vacation! All in all, 12 dives over 3 days. I'm EXHAUSTED!!!

 

[fobturbo]

Glad you had a great time Kristina, and again, congrats on hitting the bit 1-5-0! I've got a few pics of you from the trip to post, but I'll save them for a hidden thread somewhere ;p

 

[Hinalo]

It was fun seeing you guys anchored at Farnsworth Monday morning. Someone did wave back at me, maybe it was Matt. I'll post my own San Clemente, Catalina, Santa Cruz report, but will note that while you were on Farnsworth we drove east from there toward the island and dove at Pedestal Rock on a massive pinnacle that jutted up to about 40' from 105' sand bottom and was just big enough for me to make about 1 1/2 laps on a steel 100 spiraling slowly up from the bottom. Just brimming with life out there!

 

[drbill]

Indeed, Farnsworth is one incredible place... my absolute favorite Catalina dive. Glad you enjoyed your dives around "my" island!

 

[ae3753]

Sounds like a really amazing trip. Glad you and Matt had a lot of fun.

 

[pacificgal]

It was gorgeous, Dr. Bill, I'm hoping to make it an annual trip. Reasonably priced for what you get, too, it's an amazing dive vacation.

 

[Ben_ca]

Aren't flying fish amazing?

 

[pacificgal]

The flying fish were so cool! However, Joe told us they they have to be the foulest smelling things in the ocean, he said your hands reek after picking them up. We had one come right across the swim step when the divers were out doing their night dive, it was quite a site to see them skipping across the lit water.

 

[kwest]

Thanks for the report - you all have me psyched - only two weeks to go until my trip on the Vision

(((kevin)))

 

[deadbilly]

Great report. I'm in southern Cal all summer and I'm trying to figure out how to get up there for at least one weekend. Now I'm doubly motivated!