Date:
July 1, 2006
Dive Location:
Santa Cruz Island, Claudette's Rock
Buddy:
Mo2vation
Time:
4PM splash
Bottom Time:
1 hour, 21 minutes
Max Depth: 41fsw
Vis: 40+, from the surface to the bottom: Lovely
Wave height: The waves were 'bout 200 yards away... didn't really give 'em a thought :14: . We were diving from the Brand-Spanking-New dive boat
Sunfish!
Temp at depth: 55F
The Dive:
We were a ship of eager guinea pigs as the Sunfish crew motored through this shake-down cruise. They circumnavigated Anacapa Island, shook their heads in disgust at the murky water, and drove us to Santa Cruz Island. They anchored at North Scorpion, ushered us overboard and retrieved us. We raided the galley as they fillled tanks and zoomed to the Radar station cliffside, where we Tiny-Strided off the deck again (LOVE the 14 inch "drop" to the water
). Viz was iffy at both sites, but we saw some fun life. Crazy surge and Sahara sandstorm on the bottom at the second site was a challenge. Beauty was in the rays and sharks and fingers of sunlight lasering down from the stained-glass kelp ceiling.
But we were all craving some island magic. I painted "blue-sky" images to Captain Andy of what I
wished we could be diving:
"
Find us some pinnacles, Cap'n... some nice vertical wall structure, maybe head-high off the bottom... 30 to 50fsw would be great... and maybe some clearer water farther off shore..."
Ahhhh, if only.......
But Captain Andy listened, thought a moment, and said, "
OK, let's go find it."
REALLY???
NOW we're talkin'!!!
200 yards offshore, the anchor rattled down. "
Water's looking clear. About 8-foot relief on the rocks down there. You might like it."
SPLASH.... PARACHUTE down though honeyed clouds of kelp... and HOVER down into beauty and clear water, hooting and hollering into my reg: "
OMG, this is BEAUTIFUL! LOOK at these rock formations packed with life and great 40+ viz and LOOK at that nudibranch and Sunflower Star!!!" (Enunciation wasn't quite
that clear, but Ken seemed to understand me exactly
Now, THIS is diving!)
The reef is made of pancaked layers, tilted up about 20 degrees, and broken off and eroded. The tallest stand up about 6-8 feet off the shell-debris bottom. The soft layers have eroded back one, two, or even three feet in depth resulting in parallel shelves packed with life. Just PACKED!!
Sunflower stars, Cowries, corynactis, sponges, black urchins and some purples, keyhole limpets, bryozoans, tunicates, brittle stars, bat stars, spined stars, leather stars, cucumbers, snails and worms, gorgonia and anemones.... IT NEVER STOPPED!
And did I mention the
nudibranchs?
Ken photographed 7 distinct species, adding to the two species found on our earlier dives. (The surge was still quite frisky, and I'm amazed at his determination and skill, composing and shooting in the oscillating push-and-shove. I was whipped back and forth several times, and I had nothing to manage but myself. The pictures we reviewed in the galley afterwards were delightful!! I just don't know he could pull this off, but I'm grateful for the lasting images to add to my memories.)
We found a sleeping
swell shark and left it dreaming soundly. Clacking
Garibaldi's Boys repulsed our bubbling threat to their next generation of Little Orange New Yorkers with Fins and Scales. A
painted greenling gave Ken all kinds of attitude, and got well photographed for its efforts.
Kelp bass, sheepheads, rock wrasse, senoritas and
blacksmiths fluttered all around the reef, filling our eyes and thoughts.
This is a very beautiful place. Thank you, Captain Andy, for putting us here to enjoy it all.
Having figure-eighted this way and that, I finally got near the bottom of even my water-heater-130 tank, (filled BTW, to
3400 psi by the Sunfish compressors!!! Way to fill, guys! This is Wonderful!)
Ken and I levitated upwards in the sunfilled water, amidst towers of carmel-colored kelp, filled with flocks of
sunperch and
senorita fish. Hovering nearly motionless at 20fsw, and then at 10fsw, Ken looked to be framed in air, beneath clouds of sparkling bubbles rising to a silvered sky. It's all too beautiful for words. I was welling up, floating in such soft and tactile beauty. And I am again, now, remembering it.
So, the Sunfish has begun it's book of GPS'd dive sites, building on 22 years of family knowledge of these northern channel islands. Named before we even left the deck and laid eyes on it, "Claudette's Rock" could have been anything from boring to ugly to lovely, but Andy said it was stuck with my moniker no matter what. I'm grateful and smiling big. Thanks :sappy: .
"Claudette's Rock".... Rocks!!
I wanna go back!!
Thank you, Sunfish, for taking us all there for a great dive!!
Thank you, Ken, for all the enthusiasm and fun exploration and an excellent day of diving.
Claudette