Weekend report for 10/19-10/21:
Air temps were in the upper 80's to low 90's and not unpleasantly humid. Water temps however are starting to cool with temps at San Pedro island in the 81-82 degree range. The ever present Sea Lions made sure we knew they were there.
10/20
Southpoint: usual current with about 40-50 feet of vis. The current out to the swim through was moderate, but the initial loop back required some serious finning. The cove had the usual mild current.
North Lighthouse Rock: 40-50 ft vis with a gentle current that required little no finning for the return trip to the boat. Lots of Giant Hawfish, a school of 5 Reef Cornetfish, and a bait ball. Apart from that, alot of the usual suspects.
Las Cascaditas: 50-60 ft vis with a gentle current. This was by far my favorite dive as I found a new species of nudi(new to me). Another, or possibly the same school of Reef Cornetfish were around. At each of the sites, I came across 1 COT. We are also came across a couple species of Blennies that I don't think I've encountered before.
Night Dive: we were going to try Eagle Rock but that was thwarted by the conditions. For the life of me I can't remember the name of the site we ended up at. I believe it was the next cove over from Martini. Lots of lobster, which was a good sign that they weren't being overfished. The highlight for me was the decorator crabs, a tiny pencil thin Jeweled Moray and some type of giant snail which I still need to identify.
10/21
Eagle rock: alot of surge that got worse toward the end of the dive. Vis was in the 30ft range. This site gas alot of promise, but I didn't see anything noteworthy.
Martini Cove: Shallow, warm, great vis. Lots of healthy coral, but the highlight was definitely the eels. There were at least a dozen full grown Green Morays about and more than a few of them were free swimming. One in particular caught my attention as it seemed to either have a defect of may have suffered a serious injury at some point. It's lower jaw was about 30 degrees off line from its upper jaw. Considering the size of this thing (5-6 ft), this obviously hasn't affected it's eating.
Friday night at the Peso offered a glorious sunset, I only wish I had a better camera with me. Los Arbolitos was as good as ever, and Lalo's is quickly become a favorite stop.
Ill get some pics posted in the next day or so as soon as I have a chance to sort through them. There are a few critters I need help IDing.
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On a side note. We've been staying at the Playa Blanca condos and I have to say the accommodations are excellent. They're slightly more expensive than some of the other options, but the price difference is well worth it. The beach and pool area, which has 4 hot tubs, are great for divers and nondivers alike, and the Soggy Peso is a 10 minute walk up the beach.
