I may be GSB repellent, but I'm still the Eel Whisperer!

[Leejnd]

Had a great day on Saturday 8/16 diving at Catalina on Pacific Star with the Bluewater Photo group. The purpose of the trip was to view and photograph Giant Sea Bass. This intent was fully realized by everyone on the boat...except me and my buddy! Not that that's any surprise -- apparently I have some sort of GSB repellent quality. But hey, I got to see some great photos and videos of them on the boat during our surface intervals.

In spite of my being skunked for GSBs, it was still a wonderful day diving (hard to NOT have a great day diving at Catalina), and I saw some cool stuff and got some decent shots. Plus I got to hang out with the great folks from Bluewater Photo, who always give me excellent tips to help me improve my underwater photo skills.

First dive was Goat Harbor, where we apparently hung out a little too high up on the slope to see the GSBs that everyone else saw. But I did get some nice shots anyway:






I always manage to find an eel or two! This one refused to come out far enough to get a better shot, but at least I maintained my rep as the Eel Whisperer by finding an eel on every dive. And there was another HUGE one...biggest eel head I've seen in SoCal...but he too was playing shy and was too deep to get my camera anywhere near shootable distance.

This was my only shot at the second site (Ithsmus Reef) -- had to call the dive early due to my buddy's equipment issues. The warm waters have sure been wreaking havoc on the vis with all the decaying kelp, as you can see here.



Third site was Crane Base, where we were all in search of the famous Scythe Butterfly Fish. A few of us found them, but I don't think anyone got any photos as they stayed deep in their holes. But I did get to shoot this lovely Rainbow Scorpionfish, who kindly posed for me on a rock.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Nice Scorpionfish! Sad to see that there are still lobster traps found on the frontside of Catalina. I would say it belonged to a poacher, but it was probably just some poor soul who didn't get the right license information from DFG.

 

[Leejnd]

LOL! Yes, I get the reference. Been following that thread.

This particular lobster trap looks like it's been abandoned for some time. Makes for nice artificial reef.

 

[drbill]

Nice Scorpionfish! Sad to see that there are still lobster traps found on the frontside of Catalina. I would say it belonged to a poacher, but it was probably just some poor soul who didn't get the right license information from DFG.

That lobster trap has been there for a long time. Back in the late 60s and 70s I used to find lobster traps on the leeward coast being used by a poacher I knew (he worked with me). Every time I found one of his traps, I'd cut the line and crush it. He couldn't say a thing about it!

The scythe butterflyfish do often seek the shelter of the rocks at "Crane Point" (the north end of the Empire Landing Quarry, sometimes called the West End Quarry even though it is not on the West End). One has to be patient to get good video segments or stills of them. I usually spend my entire dive there looking for and filming them. I've recently heard that quarry operations are starting up again and that the site may be closed for safety. That will be sad.

I've seen very few GSBs this season, but mostly because I dive at night during the summer and fall. On my last day of diving during sunlit hours I did see 10 of them (6 at one site and four at the other).

 

[fuggler]

Nice pictures! Did the other divers spot a lot of GSBs or just a few?

 

[Leejnd]

Thanks!

I think the number varied. A few people said they only saw one or two, but others saw as many as 6. Apparently they were hanging out at the thermocline down the slope at about 60 fsw. We were staying closer to 40-45 fsw, as there was more structure there to find things to photograph. Guess I should have headed further down the sandy slope!

I've only ever seen ONE GSB...ever. And that was a drive-by from a distance. I swear one of these days I'm gonna hit the GSB jackpot. But for this trip I guess it just wasn't meant to be. That's okay...I'm just happy to get underwater.

 

[fuggler]

Thanks!

I think the number varied. A few people said they only saw one or two, but others saw as many as 6. Apparently they were hanging out at the thermocline down the slope at about 60 fsw. We were staying closer to 40-45 fsw, as there was more structure there to find things to photograph. Guess I should have headed further down the sandy slope!

I've only ever seen ONE GSB...ever. And that was a drive-by from a distance. I swear one of these days I'm gonna hit the GSB jackpot. But for this trip I guess it just wasn't meant to be. That's okay...I'm just happy to get underwater.

That's what I keep telling myself too. One of these days.... The problem is when I go to Catalina, the boat I'm on won't go to the GSB sites. GRRR

 

[drbill]

Two years ago when I was filming for an NHK (Japan's public TV) documentary about giant sea bass, the water was unusually warm. We were finding GSBs at depths of about 90-100 fsw (making bottom time a bit brief for filming). Given elevated water temperatures this year (not as high as back then) they may be at deeper depths since they often like to ride the thermocline. A pulse of cold water in the park has brought temperatures way down recently below the thermocline that has risen to about 60 fsw.

 

[Sam Miller III]

.... First dive was Goat Harbor, where we apparently hung out a little too high up on the slope to see the GSBs that everyone else saw. ...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome back!


The boat captain took you to the right place for these magnificent fish

Goat harbor was THE spot for Great Sea Bass aka GSB, aka Black Sea Bass BSB or Pigmented Impaired Bass PIB.
In years gone by prior to 1974 that was the place.

Most could be seen in the early in AM at first light or late after noon, depth were a few feet under the kelp beds to abut free diving depths of about 60 to 70 feet.

Often found by diving under the kelp canopy and looking up in to the kelp.

Keep on searching....they are out there and watching you...some day and hopefully soon you will be not only watching them but getting your pictures............

Good Luck!

SDM