I just got back Monday night from a 3 day dive trip on the Truth, a Truth Aquatics boat. We stayed mostly around Santa Cruz Island, with a few dives at Santa Rosa and San Miguel. The vis was usually in the 30 to 40 ft. range and there was a lot of great flora and fauna to look at and play with. Whale and dolphin watching was thrown in for free. The crew on the Truth was great, very helpful to a me, still a fairly new diver. A lot of the dives were in kelp, which, thankfully is no longer a scary prospect for me. My first dive after being certified was in kelp and I had a bit of a freak out experience and was nervous about it for a while but am now much more comfortable. I saw lots of very colorful nudibranchs, sea anemone, urchins, sea lions, and my favorite sighting, a bat ray that was missing its tail. The weather was sunny and not too cold. Most were wearing dry suits but I was warm in my 7 ml wetsuit for all but one dive. A bit of surf but nothing to tire you out.
I also went on a 3 day trip on the Vision (another Truth Aquatics boat, bigger than the Truth) in late October, with most of the dives off of San Miguel. Another great trip!
I'm sure you'll have a terrific time.
Lisa:kitty: