Farnsworth on 4th November 2012 - it was nearly perfect

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fnfalman

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We went out on the Great Escape to Farnsworth and backside of Catalina. The ocean wasn't quite as flat as a pancake, but close enough with maybe 1-ft swell at most. No current, not even surge. Visibility was a ridiculous 100-ft plus either horizontal or vertical. Did I mention that the water was warm too? I didn't even bother looking at the temp readout because I was comfortable in my 5-years-old one piece 7mm.

Most of the dives were done at the 90-ft depth range and later on we went up to 70-ft to do some more photography before ascending. Hopefully Rex would be posting soon with the photos he took at Farnsworth and backside of Catalina. It was a dawn dive with the sun barely above the horizon, and that's why I said it was a near perfect dive instead of a perfect dive. If we were diving an hour later, with the sun well up, I can only imagine what sunlight would do to the purple hydrocoral's colors.

We managed to see two California scorpion fish, several different nudies (Hilton's Aeolid, San Diego Dorid, and a couple of white ones that hopefully Rex's photos would have better details). One lone sea lion came by but didn't stick around. I saw one person was struggling and had to be aided by a DM (not the boat's DM but the shop's DM). They were ascending on the anchor line with the struggling diver sucking on the DM's octo.

Second dive was at Iron Cove (?). It was ho-hum. Saw a small bat ray swimming around and that was about it. Good viz, warm, fun dive but no joy with topography. Flat bottomed with gravel so no silks but otherwise we didn't see squat. No flatfish, no sharks, no mantis shrimps, nothing exciting at all. It was a good navigation exercise and that's about it.

Third dive was at Finger Rock and that was a nice one. We swam around the rock, checking out its gorgeous topography. Rex found a few items that interested him but over all, we spent most of our gas swimming to the rock, around it and back. I would have loved to been able to explore this rock some more. Saw one lonely Spanish Shawl there and some lobsters caught in a lobster trap. I would love to come back and explore this rock at depth just because of the crevices and overhangs.

Fourth dive was at a site that I didn't recall the name of. Typical beautiful kelp forest dive: lots of new kelps that haven't quite reached the surface yet but fairly thick underwater. Lots of baitfish, schooling blacksmiths, senoritas and a ton of Garibaldis. Some were aggressive enough to bump my orange gloved hands and the orange on my hood. Abalones, abalones, abalones. Big ones, small ones, and then more big ones. I found a glass bottle that wasn't down long enough to be a home for somebody, so I picked it up and took it with me. Of course, we had to have somebody playing rotor tiller and mucked up our dive area reducing the great viz down to crap within half a second.

Sun was out, grub was good, the mermaids were pretty.
 
Wow -- I can't imagine Farnsworth in those conditions. It must have been unbelievable! My one experience there was in about 2 knot current with about 15 very dark feet of viz, and it was still an awesome dive (and one where I was profoundly grateful for my scooter!).
 
Ken, I believe that you are correct with the name of the dive site.

TSandM, this is the second time I've seen Farnsworth in this spectacular condition. The time before this one we had to cancel because the divers couldn't even swim to the anchor line due to the heavy current. The time before that, it was 20-ft viz with some current and heavy surge but bat rays were out en masse.
 
Ken beat me to it (on Ironbound Bay). Farnsworth is my favorite Catalina dive.
 
Very Interesting story of a 2012 dive at Farnsworth

What a difference 52 years makes.......FYI:

"I was the President of the Sea Sabres dive club in 1959-60. The previous President Bob Ruethford, who had founded the Aquatic Center in Newport Beach, had seen hunks of purple coral (allopura California) brought in by commercial abalone divers. Over a few drinks Bob discovered they found it at a place called Farnsworth banks. Selected member of the Sea Sabres and the scientific community at Kirkoff marine institute in Corona Del Mar consequently made a number of trips to the banks on the private boat called the "Aqua Duck."

Bob, a true diving pioneer who is famous for many first in diving (see www.legendsof diving: Sea sabres signaling system) who relished publicity,published an article in Skin Diver magazine in June 1960 "California divers discover Rare purple coral' which was fine but his topside pictures clearly showed Ben Weston Point in the background. That same month Jake Jacobs the then head diver at Marine Land of the Pacific published "Marine land diver" (--Dodd, Meade & company NYC, LCC 60-9655 --I have an inscribed copy) in which Jake also discusses the purple coral of Farnsworth -- So the secret of Farnsworth was out.

As the president of the then undisputed most active dive club in all of SoCal and possibly the US I made the decision to dive " Farnsworth banks". I contacted the dive boat captains at that time, all refused to charter to Farnsworth as if it was some foreign or strange exotic place. Finally Dick Peters, who owned the newest dive charter boat of the fleet, the 42 foot "Out Rider " agreed to a charter at $7.00 per person but with the stipulation "only in the winter when there are no boats fishing there and the water will be calm" (FYI the Outrider sunk about 1967 when returning from a trip to Catalina)

In early December 1960 we loaded the boat. It had no compressor - as many as three- four or even five tanks per person was stashed all over the boat. The water was like glass and the trip over and back was like riding on silk.

Using Ben Weston Point as a reference and relying on the recently developed depth finder Captain Peters made numerous runs in all directions across the banks trying to locate a pinnacle.

Finally a suitable pinnacle was located and the anchor was dropped--right in the middle of a school of hungry welcoming sharks. "The are only blues, lets dive! " some one shouted. With only a nano second of hesitation on that bright sunny day in December 1960, Ed Mossbrooke (who now lives in Fountain Valley) became the first recreational diver to dive the Banks from a charter boat, immediately followed by the rest of the divers.
I was using the then very popular "Orange County twin 44s." Harry was using surplus USN single aluminum 90s, the others were using every thing from a single 70 to twin 72s. All breathed from a variety of double hose regulators, most used the recently introduced wet suits which were home made, although the SPG had been introduced it was considered unreliable and was seldom used, and of course floatation devices were still fifteen years in the future. At that time we were diving with the state of the art equipment but today we would be considered "antique, retro or old school."

It was a different world at that time with no thought for the future or the conservation of the precious natural resources. We came for hunks of the famous purple coral of Farnsworth banks and we harvested hunks of purple coral. In addition most harvested a limit of ten scallops, and the then limit of ten bugs, with Harry Vetter getting the largest at 13+ pounds. I some how in my four dives that day managed also to spear a rather "large fish," which because we were not equipped for large fish took some doing to horse it on the boat.

All too soon it was all over, the divers began returning to the Outrider, storing their equipment, game and hunks of purple coral. All that is but, Norma lee Smith who decided to decompress on the bow line and attracted every curious and hopefully not hungry shark from miles around investigate this morsel. Norma's only defense was to exhale copious amount of rapidly diminishing supply of air. She slowly with great caution made her way to the stern of the boat where she rapidly ascended thrust out her hands and was unceremoniously but also rapidly pulled over the gunnel onto the deck of the Outrider...So ended the first recreational dive trip to Farnsworth.

So many adventures, so many stories...

Dr. Samuel Miller,
NAUI instructor #27
 
Wonderful story, Sam! What a contrast to our trip, with HP130s or doubles, dry suits, canister lights, and scooters!
 

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