Video: Granite Point Wall 12/4/10

Hey everybody,

Yesterday turned out a lot like last week: Great conditions, good vis inside the cold, a bit dark and murky outside.

A lot of lings and big rockfish, sheephead, wolf eels and a monkey-face eel, even a small octopus. We found an integrated weight pocket out in the sand near middle reef, it looks like it's been out there for at least a month. But it was filled with about 10lb of hard weights that we couldn't get out, so we were forced to leave it.

On the way out, we found a couple of filled game bags at the ramp. Looks like somebody was out there trying to collect abalone shells and mussels and ditched/lost the bags. Yeah, at Lobos. If they're yours and you've got the chutzpah, the bags are at the gate with the rangers.

Also, my camera flooded this dive! It died just as we finished our dive and would bug out whenever I hit the power switch. There was a thimbleful of water inside the housing by that time However, I could download the video, and by listening to the increasing volume of static, figure out when it probably started leaking (likely near our max depth). Also, this camera flooding led me to figure out how to fix it and get it working again, and in doing so I pulled out my last dead Flip and fixed that one too! Never had a flood lead to an equipment gain before. Now I gotta figure out if it was user error or if something is wonky with my housing...

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Thanks for sharing, nice video. Wow, that was some clear vis the bunnies were in. I'd love to dive there!

WOW, that was a loooooooooonnnnggggg dive!

Thanks for sharing your day. We had a nice dive on Saturday, at Still Water Cove in Sonoma County, although not nearly as long, the vis was about the same.

Very nice as always! And I live for the bunnies at the end, what a great trademark.

For years we've referred to the area behind GPW as the "Black Forest", when the vis is good, that's what it's like swimming into.

...Can't wait for the week after Christmas. Will y'all be there?


All the best, James

irishsquid:

Thanks for sharing, nice video. Wow, that was some clear vis the bunnies were in. I'd love to dive there!

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Thanks Jimi! We love playing host, so let us know next time you're out here and we'll show you a good time

Peter_C:

WOW, that was a loooooooooonnnnggggg dive!

Thanks for sharing your day. We had a nice dive on Saturday, at Still Water Cove in Sonoma County, although not nearly as long, the vis was about the same.

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Yeah, sometimes we feel like we're done after an hour. Other times, it's so good we really just don't want to get out of the water. Yesterday was more of the latter

Wow, Stillwater Cove with 30ft viz?? Sign me up! That's a dive I totally want to do.

fdog:

Very nice as always! And I live for the bunnies at the end, what a great trademark.

For years we've referred to the area behind GPW as the "Black Forest", when the vis is good, that's what it's like swimming into.

...Can't wait for the week after Christmas. Will y'all be there?


All the best, James

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Thanks James! The bunnies love mugging for the camera, especially when there's cranberry sauce on it

Black Forest, huh? Sounds like a totally appropriate name. It can get super-dark there in heavy kelp cover, and it's got lots of incredibly tall, spindly pinnacles that really look like big tree trunks. We've been spending a lot of time there lately, and it's been well worth it.

You and Janet are going to be here around Christmas? Excellent! Which days do you have planned?

We have resos for Dec 27, 28, & 29. 'Dette is coming up from SoCal, Warren flying in from Ontario...fun!

Thanks for another great video.

Wow,3 hours, how much air did you bring? Did you get cold?

fdog:

For years we've referred to the area behind GPW as the "Black Forest"...

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It was dark the first time we went back there, so we christened it "Mordor". A similar vibe, huh?

Bogie:

Wow,3 hours, how much air did you bring?

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LP80s plus an AL40. Bear in mind that probably half of the dive was poking around Middle Reef, shallower than 30 feet.

Bogie:

Did you get cold?

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Not too bad, actually. For some reason, the cold often hits me after ascending, when we're sitting there chatting on the surface -- so much so that I find myself looking forward to dropping again and heading to the ramp. I think the 12mm hood (and liberal amounts of gas in the drysuit) go a long way.

Gombessa:

Wow, Stillwater Cove with 30ft viz?? Sign me up! That's a dive I totally want to do.

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Eric was there last weekend and said he had about 35 feet of vis. Still Water is not one of my favorite dive sites but maybe I just need to explore it more. We have scootered out to over 90 and from there it dropped quickly. Supposedly there is a wall, but we have yet to find it.

astrofunk:

For some reason, the cold often hits me after ascending, when we're sitting there chatting on the surface -- so much so that I find myself looking forward to dropping again and heading to the ramp. I think the 12mm hood (and liberal amounts of gas in the drysuit) go a long way.

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During Fundies the surface meetings were dreadful. All the gas exits the legs and feet and then the cold sets in quickly. Plus we were moving around pretty good in the waves. Going back under was not only warmer, but more comfortable all around.