The Pasley Aug 06 Dive Report Thread

[headhunter]

Date:
Dive Location:
Buddy(ies):
Time:
Bottom Time:
Max Depth:
Vis:
Wave height:
Temp at depth:
Surface Temp:
Tide information:
Gas mix:
Comments:

 

[divinman]

Date: 08/01/06
Dive Location: La Jolla/Vallecetos Point
Buddy(ies): Marrianne and Jennifer
Time: 06:27a
Bottom Time: 52 minutes
Max Depth: 67ft
Vis: 15-20
Swell height:1-3 and weak. No surge
Temp at depth: 58f
Surface Temp: 70f
Gas mix: 21%

Gallery: http://www.scubapost.net/forums/Scorpionfish/080106/

Met up with Marrianne and Jen this morning and in short order we were off to the Point to see how conditions are holding up. Survey says? GOOD. Not stellar like last week but still very nice outside and in. Get out and dive if you can .

Terry

 

[undrwater]

Date: 8/2/2006
Dive Location: Redondo Beach, Vet's Park
Buddy(ies): Sam
Time: 19:35
Bottom Time: 44 min
Max Depth: 72' fsw
Vis: 5-15'
Wave height: 2-4'
Temp at depth: 63 Suunto degrees
Surface Temp: 72
Comments:
Typical night at Vet's. The "sperm" are still in the water, but growing. It was easier to focus on an individual and they have skinny bodies with eyestalks at the end oposing each other (think "T"). Looking around, I think I've ruled out octo or squid larvae, but I'm thinking there's a good chance it might be shrimp (sea monkeys!!). There's also some kind of white matter that just hangs in the water column that reminds me of...no...forget my similes.

We found 2 lobstah hanging out at the "monument", and dropped by to say hello. Otherwise the usual flatfish, bat rays, black sea bass (sorry...I'm envious), and shrimp.

Waves were up a bit, but everyone seemed to make it in and out OK.

Russell

 

[divinman]

On the High Seas with Tyler and Me.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dive Location: High Seas Tuna Boat
Buddy(ies): Tyler
Time: 10:15a
Bottom Time: 35 minutes
Max Depth: 104ft
Vis: Azure blue from surface to 40ft, then a murky 20-25 at depth
Swell height:minimal swell but ripping current down to 60ft
Temp at depth: 56f
Surface Temp: 70F
Gas mix: 32%

Dive Location: Random Ridgeline at Pt Loma Kelp
Buddy(ies): Tyler
Time: 12:09p
Bottom Time: 58 minutes
Max Depth: 44ft
Vis: 20ft. clear up top. vertical vis? I could see the bottom from the surface!
Swell height:wind chop, lots of surge at depth and surface current as well
Temp at depth: 62f
Surface Temp: 70F
Gas mix: 32%

Tyler and I went out on the Hydrodiver this morning for a nice couple of dives. Swell model was calling for 3-4ft at 15seconds but that never happened. The wind chop picked up in the afternoon but all in all the surface conditions were fantastic.

First dive was on the High Seas tuna boat. With blindfolds in place, we all sat quietly on the deck while Tyler guided our trusted captain to the secret location of this wreck. Gearing up with out the use of ones eyes can prove challenging but we all managed to get into our rigs and ready for the dive. The plan was for Tyler and I to drop a shot line on the wreck, descend, and then shoot a marker (styro foam cup) to the surface to let them know we were tied in.....That was the plan anyway. I was first off the boat and as soon as I hit the water I new it was going to be an interesting day. You KNOW the surface current is running when the float on the shot line is throwing a wake behind it....Tyler joined me and we kicked like hell toward a ball that seemed determined to stay ahead of us. After 10 minutes on the surface we decided that perhaps the current would let up below so we dropped to 20 ft and kicking as hard as we could but still managed to surface again WELL south of our drop point. Ok, plan B. The boat came and picked us up and we stood on the swim step while Capt Bill motored back to the shot line. Like trained spec ops, we baled off the boat full stride, no air in the wing, and dropped straight down. We just caught the line and had to pull HARD to get down and across the line that quivered in the stiff current. The cool thing was you could SEE the line extending out in front of you forever. There were tons of jellyfish of many varieties in the column today. Always a treat. I hoped to see Mola with such a bountiful buffet to choose from but alas, no such luck. At 60ft the current vanished and was replaced by a sea of blacksmiths We released the line and drifted through this cloud of fish like skydivers. At 100ft the wreck was clearly visible and we began to explore. We were on a limited bottom time do to the wasted gas on Plan A, so we moved about quickly. Tyler found a nice brass light fixture and and I found nudibranch species far south of its published southern range. Both finds made us equally happy. Conditions on the wreck were a bit milky but minimal surge and not too cold water made for a nice tour. We spotted big rockfish, ling cod, clouds of bait fish and more. I love this wreck.
The journey back to the boat was uneventful. Tyler shot a bag and when we had finished our stops, Capt Bill had the boat right there waiting for us.

After our surface interval we again geared up. Bill had moved us to the kelp and one of his seemingly endless string of numbers. This guy seems to know more about local diving than anyone I have ever met. Great guy, solid Capt and he actually DIVES. In fact, he was diving the Doria back in the 70s ON AIR and is going to dive the Spiegel Grove next month!

Surface conditions remained stellar with a bit of wind chop kicking up. After a dramatic front flip off the swim step....in full gear, recieving all 10s except for the French judge who gave me 4.5, I looked down and could clearly see the bottom 35ft below me. Awesome. Less current here to be sure but LOTS of surge at depth made taking photos a bit tricky. I managed a few but nothing that really stands out. Highlights of this dive was a fantastic color display by an octopus. I discovered him sitting out in the open and he was the usual mottled color/texture but as soon as my strobe fired, he flashed to a brilliant burgundy. I didn't want to stress him too much so I let him be. They are just so amazing. The rest of the dive showed schools of baitfish, a pair of barracuda, two small blennies that look an awful lot like warbonnets, big garibaldi guarding their nest and more. Nice structure here with high relief walls, deep undercuts and even a couple swim throughs. Tyler's find of the day was a lovely Titanium dive knife. The sheath was totally encrusted but the blade looks brand new. Guess it really is a rust free alloy. Up the line and back on board, we all gorged on cookies, chocolate, cup-0-soup and lots of soda and water. The trip back to the pier was nice and relaxing. Tyler and I sat up top and listened to Bill tell stories of his high seas adventures.
Good times.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Merry and I made dives on the Yukon and Ruby E yesterday. Vis was about 15 feet on the Yukon and 20-25 feet on the Ruby E. The surface temp was too warm at 67F with 57F at the bottom.

 

[JMdiver]

Date: 8-6-06
Dive Location: Malaga Cove
Buddy(ies):Claudette, L.A. Jim, Robert, Ted, Brian & Cathrine
Time: 10:17 AM
Bottom Time: 1:17
Max Depth: 17 fsw
Vis: 8-10 ft
Wave height:0-1 ft
Temp at depth: 74 deg.
Surface Temp:80 deg.
Tide information: low
Gas mix:air
Comments:We were there for a Reef Check survey. We started out with 7 divers but ended up doing the survey with only 5 divers. L.A. Jim lost his slate in the surf & Robert wasn't feeling good & had to call the dive so I dove with Claudette & Ted, Brian & Cathrine dove together. Together we did 4 core transects so we have to go be to finish it because the surge kicked up too much to back in to finish it today. Craig come by to drop off some survey sheets & give us some moral support. That's it from me hopefully Claudette will add to this, it was really nice finally meeting Claudette & diving with her.

Happy Diving
John

 

[divinman]

Dive Location: High Seas Tuna Boat
Buddy(ies): Tyler
Time: 10:15a
Bottom Time: 35 minutes
Max Depth: 104ft
Vis: Azure blue from surface to 40ft, then a murky 20-25 at depth
Swell height:minimal swell but ripping current down to 60ft
Temp at depth: 56f
Surface Temp: 70F
Gas mix: 32%

Dive Location: Random Ridgeline at Pt Loma Kelp
Buddy(ies): Tyler
Time: 12:09p
Bottom Time: 58 minutes
Max Depth: 44ft
Vis: 20ft. clear up top. vertical vis? I could see the bottom from the surface!
Swell height:wind chop, lots of surge at depth and surface current as well
Temp at depth: 62f
Surface Temp: 70F
Gas mix: 32%


Image Gallery:http://www.scubapost.net/forums/Scorpionfish/080506/

Tyler and I went out on the Hydrodiver this morning for a nice couple of dives. Swell model was calling for 3-4ft at 15seconds but that never happened. The wind chop picked up in the afternoon but all in all the surface conditions were fantastic.

First dive was on the High Seas tuna boat. With blindfolds in place, we all sat quietly on the deck while Tyler guided our trusted captain to the secret location of this wreck. Gearing up with out the use of ones eyes can prove challenging but we all managed to get into our rigs and ready for the dive. The plan was for Tyler and I to drop a shot line on the wreck, descend, and then shoot a marker (styro foam cup) to the surface to let them know we were tied in.....That was the plan anyway. I was first off the boat and as soon as I hit the water I new it was going to be an interesting day. You KNOW the surface current is running when the float on the shot line is throwing a wake behind it....Tyler joined me and we kicked like hell toward a ball that seemed determined to stay ahead of us. After 10 minutes on the surface we decided that perhaps the current would let up below so we dropped to 20 ft and kicking as hard as we could but still managed to surface again WELL south of our drop point. Ok, plan B. The boat came and picked us up and we stood on the swim step while Capt Bill motored back to the shot line. Like trained spec ops, we baled off the boat full stride, no air in the wing, and dropped straight down. We just caught the line and had to pull HARD to get down and across the line that quivered in the stiff current. The cool thing was you could SEE the line extending out in front of you forever. There were tons of jellyfish of many varieties in the column today. Always a treat. I hoped to see Mola with such a bountiful buffet to choose from but alas, no such luck. At 60ft the current vanished and was replaced by a sea of blacksmiths We released the line and drifted through this cloud of fish like skydivers. At 100ft the wreck was clearly visible and we began to explore. We were on a limited bottom time do to the wasted gas on Plan A, so we moved about quickly. Tyler found a nice brass light fixture and and I found nudibranch species far south of its published southern range. Both finds made us equally happy. Conditions on the wreck were a bit milky but minimal surge and not too cold water made for a nice tour. We spotted big rockfish, ling cod, clouds of bait fish and more. I love this wreck.
The journey back to the boat was uneventful. Tyler shot a bag and when we had finished our stops, Capt Bill had the boat right there waiting for us.

After our surface interval we again geared up. Bill had moved us to the kelp and one of his seemingly endless string of numbers. This guy seems to know more about local diving than anyone I have ever met. Great guy, solid Capt and he actually DIVES. In fact, he was diving the Doria back in the 70s ON AIR and is going to dive the Spiegel Grove next month!

Surface conditions remained stellar with a bit of wind chop kicking up. After a dramatic front flip off the swim step....in full gear, recieving all 10s except for the French judge who gave me 4.5, I looked down and could clearly see the bottom 35ft below me. Awesome. Less current here to be sure but LOTS of surge at depth made taking photos a bit tricky. I managed a few but nothing that really stands out. Highlights of this dive was a fantastic color display by an octopus. I discovered him sitting out in the open and he was the usual mottled color/texture but as soon as my strobe fired, he flashed to a brilliant burgundy. I didn't want to stress him too much so I let him be. They are just so amazing. The rest of the dive showed schools of baitfish, a pair of barracuda, two small blennies that look an awful lot like warbonnets, big garibaldi guarding their nest and more. Nice structure here with high relief walls, deep undercuts and even a couple swim throughs. Tyler's find of the day was a lovely Titanium dive knife. The sheath was totally encrusted but the blade looks brand new. Guess it really is a rust free alloy. Up the line and back on board, we all gorged on cookies, chocolate, cup-0-soup and lots of soda and water. The trip back to the pier was nice and relaxing. Tyler and I sat up top and listened to Bill tell stories of his high seas adventures.
Good times.

 

[divinman]

I used up all my clever turns of phrase on the Pt Loma report so this time you just get the basics. We say, batrays, fringeheads, nudibranchs including a lovely B. californica, octopus, dead mystery scull, craps and pipefish living in sin and much more. Oh yeah, a big sea bass at 18ft that swam right up to us within a hands-breath away. Awesome! Surf was easy in and out. Thanks to John, Marrianne and Jen for showing up....some later than others but all found parking on V street. Good dive. Great way to start the week.

Terry

The Facts:

Date: 08/07/06
Dive Location: La Jolla/South Wall
Buddy(ies): John, Marrianne and Jennifer
Time: 06:41a
Bottom Time: 58 minutes
Max Depth: 103ft
Vis: 5-15ft
Swell height:1-3 and weak. slight surge at depth
Temp at depth:54F (temp is coming down)
Surface Temp: 70f (still warm up top)
Gas mix: 21%


Gallery: http://www.scubapost.net/forums/Scorpionfish/080706/

 

[Diver_Jan]

Wednesday Night around 9 pm ish...



Redondo Beach ~ Veteran's Park



Surf: Ankle Slappers

Swell: moderate at times

Surge: Nada

Viz: OUTSTANDING!!! As far as my Light Canon illuminated the sand! Had to have been 20'++

Max Depth: 65ish

BT: 40" or so

Temp: TOASTY...I was hot in my wetsuit, even at 65'



Met up with Ken Kurtis of Reefseekers (http://www.Reefseekers.com) to assist with their monthly night dive. I was assigned a diver who had never done a beach nor a night dive before. After a surface briefing by Ken, we got geared up and made our way to the water. Couldn't really ask for better conditions...beautiful night with a full moon glazing down upon us with ankle slappers meeting us at the water's edge.



After discussing different ways of donning our fins for a beach dive, we decided to don our fins on in the water past the surf zone. My buddy and I made it out without incident. I had to tell him to inflate his BC a couple of times, for it seemed that he was barely floating at the surface. Hmmmm...I was thinking that he had on way too much weight. We started to kick out, when I noticed that his BC was not inflated. I also noticed that my buddy was becoming fatigued. I told Ken and his buddy to go ahead, that my buddy and I were going to head back in to try to solve the problem. On our way in, I checked the connector of the inflator hose which was fine. Then, I checked the hose itself where it screws onto the BC. Ah ha! It was loose. I quickly tightened it and was able to inflate my buddy's BC fully. With that, we decided to make the dive after a short rest. I might add, even with ankle slappers at the surf line, we were bashed with quite a bit of swells due to wind chop at the surface.



My buddy and I dropped down. After getting our bearings, we headed due west seeing an array of marine life that included several Thornback Rays, baby Sting Rays, baby Bat Ray, Sand Dabs, Halibut, Peacock Flounders, and an itty bitty baby C-O Sole.........soooooooo cute! Colorful too. Other highlights included 2 nudibranchs, one that closely resembled a Yellow Dorid, but it was more orange in color; the other...a itty bitty, almost microscopic nudi that resembled a baby Navanax or Black Dorid. It had a teeny little tuft on the end, so I'm really uncertain as to what I was seeing. We saw dozens of JV Scorpionfish; two amourous crabs that were 'hugging' each other; a cool looking cusk eel out in the open; Sea Pens; Sand Dollars; ect.



Made it all the way back to shore and exited without incident. My buddy did a great job for being his very first beach dive, and very first night dive too boot!



I can't wait to go back on Saturday. I sure hope the viz holds!!!

 

[limeyx]

Date: August 5, 2006
Dive Location: Yukon/San Diego
Buddy(ies): Gina
Bottom Time: 30 mins
Max Depth: 90
Vis: 20-25
Temp at depth: 57
Surface Temp: warm
Gas mix: 32%
Comments:

We took us a small trip down to San Diego this weekend.

Despite the hideous traffic (a 4 hour drive for me, 3 for Gina), we somehow managed to arrive 2 minutes early. Only to discover that the boat was going to be over an hour late.

I thought we were in for it when the boat finally did arrive as it seemed like they had had the trip from hell in the morning. One person was told as they left the docks "They'll call you every few hours to see how you're doing" and the boat briefing actually had to include the statements "Please don't pee in or drop pee-filled wetsuits in the camera wash bucket"

I dared not ask.

Luckily the Yukon is just a short trip out, and we were soon tied in. This was only my second trip out there, and the previous one was a twilight dive in cruddy vis that left me wanting more.

We'd heard reports from the previous trip that morning of 40+ foot vis, but for us it was more like 20 once the first group had finally unloaded themselves (at no great haste) from the boat.

Since I was playing with my video lights for the first time, we decided to hang around the superstructure, which is great for video. Depth was about 80-85 feet average, so we planned for a 30 min bottom time on 32% nitrox.

I love the Yukon!

The metridums are just so cool:

We made our way along the ship, gawking at and videoing everything we could.
Unfortunately I didn't quite have the lights dialed in properly and the spread was a bit too narrow which caused some hotspots on the footage.

I just can't believe how this stuff grows like this. In some places big clumps, and on others nothing...

We then made our way back to this structure (some kind of crows nest?)

which is covered in really really small metridiums.

They are eensy

There are some crazy angles as the ship sank before she was supposed to, and didn't settle upright on the bottom.

There were plenty of smaller fish around

But the big stuff was missing. People earlier in the day had seen a couple of big ling's, and I'm betting there are some decent-sized bass around too.

Reaching the end of our planned bottom time, we made our way back to the line and started our ascent.

There was one worrying point where we did see two people breathing off of a 13 cu ft pony bottle (which seemed to have a full reg + octo setup on it). Concerned, Gina offered them some of her gas but was politely declined, so we left them to it.

Turns out it was a requirement for some kind of deep/wreck class.

Odd.

Back on the boat, the sun was shining and the fun had only just begun. The Ruby/E was next and this was going to be a stunner!