Cold and cloudy day above and below the surface

The heat wave we've been experiencing this week hasn't reached the coast. It was foggy all week, but this morning looked like a typical summer day with a thick marine layer.


We wanted to check out some sites off Redondo Beach, but some fishermen told us to go away because they apparently own that part of the ocean. We settled for the barge, but wished we were elsewhere. Dark, very little visibility and an incoming tide made for a boring dive. I found another parchment worm out in the open.











We went around to the south side of Palos Verdes in search of clearer water. We found a small pod of Pacific white-side dolphins off Pt. Vicente, so we hung around with them for a few minutes.











We made a second dive at Buchanan's Reef off Marineland. Visibility was only slightly better here, but a current came through mid-dive and lowered the vis. A juvenile sea lion decided to get out of the current and spent a couple of hours lounging on our boat. She had some small cuts on the back of her head, but was otherwise fine. It was a little unnerving climbing up the ladder and having a sea lion on the swimstep.

Oh, that face! What a neat surprise. Did her breath bowl you over?

The more time you spend on the ocean, the more you'll see. Sometimes in conversation with stangers I'll tell one of my many adventures from the ocean, and I get some funny looks. Im not sure if its disbelief or amazment. They say "Ive never seen that"... or..."Thats never happened to me"..and I always answer "spend some time on and in the ocean and you will be amazed". I've had more interaction with wildlife in ten years of diving than most have in a life time in a forest. Im glad you take pictures of your adentures and share them with us. We are starting to get better about taking pictures of our adventures too.
We went to Catalina (Ismus) Saturday afternoon, and had the same ugly conditions.

Hey keithbt, were you on the Great Escape Saturday, saw the boat there Saturday.

How can you resist a face like that?

No, I was on my boat "Freedom". I went Saturday afternoon to get a good safe spot for my last lobster dive for the season...Bottom Scratcher came in and dove the Ismus Reef but I did not see the Great Escape...