AUG 04 Dive Reports, Please post if you dive.

[scottfiji]

Scuba Inspired (and anyone else)

Another great way to learn fish identification is to come to the Santa Monica Aquarium, which is Santa Monica, right under the pier. It's open weekdays 2pm-6pm, longer on weekends. Admission is $1. It is ran by Heal the Bay, who took it over from UCLA a couple years ago. I volunteer there every Thursday 2-6PM. They have all the common fish, rays, sharks, and invertebrates you will see on any dive in the area. If you come while I am there, I can go through all the fish with you. It also makes diving a lot more fun!

 

[ScubaSeanMaui]

Date: 08-17-2004
Dive Location: La Jolla Cove
Time: 6:34 PM
Bottom Time: 53:20
Max Depth: 44 ft
Vis: 10-25 feet (nice vis on top, 10 or so on the bottom)
Wave height: occasional swell (1 foot)
Temp at depth: 66 degrees
Surface Temp: 68 degrees
Tide information: Low tide

Comments: Dove with Paul, Ryan, John, and 2 others from the Bottom Bunch. We headed out to the rockpile. I saw an Octopus, bat ray, kelp fish, many sheephead, a sheepcrab, horn shark, sargo, senoritafish, a million lobster, rock wrasse, blacksmith, top smelt, a brittle star, lots of little fish in the kelp, and a banded guitarfish. Tons of life out in the cove. We went for dinner after the dive and had many laughs over dinner! A nice Tuesday evening!

pics: http://www.scubapost.net/gallery/lajollacove08172004

Sean

 

[ShakaZulu]

Best pics I've seen so far Sean, the color/lighting and balance looks really good. That nuclear cloud was awesome, right by my house.

 

[ScubaSeanMaui]

Thanks Roy!! I have been experimenting on using some manual settings, so those worked out! Vis was poor though, so the horn shark didn't come out But the octopus was very cute!!!

Sean

 

[Robert Phillips]

After checking the swell model to see if it was do-able, I made the drive to Laguna to find a few large sets at 17 second intervals with about a three minute lull between the big (3-4') ones. The rest of the team showed up about 8:15 and we took another look and started gearing up....
Along comes the Laguna Beach Lifeguards to tell us that they have closed the City to diving due to the surf. I told them that the swell direction along with the orientation of the beach means that Crescent is the one of the beaches that the swell would not be affecting (Thanks Melvin!) But they said that because the swell is so inconsistent(?) they could not allow us to dive. After chatting for another half hour, we went back down to take another look. Same interval, but with slightly larger big sets (4-6'.) Exact same time between sets with the same 3 minute lull between the big ones. Inconsistent my ARSE!

I can understand them being concerned about the average Laguna Beach diver having issues with the strength of the waves and the fact that if they made an exception for one group they could have a lot of trouble on thier hands, but why close the beaches to just divers? There were plenty of bathers and bodyboarders in the water, even this early. Why were they allowed in?

Seriously, I have seen the surf as big, with greater frequency and divers were entering the water with lifeguards on the beach.
I can't wait until winter!

 

[ScubaSeanMaui]

I noticed when exiting during night dives at Crescent Bay that I was unable to see the waves. Perhaps I would be seeing the 6 footers though It sounds to me like some hardcore diving. You think the vis would be worthwhile? I hope the Wrinkles dive will have mild surf!!!

Sean

 

[headhunter]

I hope the Wrinkles dive will have mild surf!!!

Sean

[Spoken with a "made for the movies" russian accent:]

Surf make you strong like bull!

Christian

 

[Robert Phillips]

I noticed when exiting during night dives at Crescent Bay that I was unable to see the waves. Perhaps I would be seeing the 6 footers though It sounds to me like some hardcore diving. You think the vis would be worthwhile? I hope the Wrinkles dive will have mild surf!!!

Sean

It's all in the timing! When you are outside you have to listen and look further outside to watch the sets.
We knew the vis' was going to be crap, we were going in to work on skills (Basic 5, OOA's) and to do some reel work in limited vis.
The swell is supposed to build over the course of the day, bu ton checking the swell model, the SW swell has died down quite a bit.

Sunday we may find 5-8' of visibility or possibly more if we get lucky. Bring the tethers

 

[mccabejc]

Anytime anyone does anything out of concern for my safety, it's a good thing. I'm VERY impressed by the Laguana lifeguards just by what I've seen in my limited experience. They asked me if I had a buddy when I was walking down the beach alone (he was still getting his gear on), they helped him adjust his gear just before we went in (they even beat me to it), and if they close the beach due to high surf, that's fine with me. I've spent my life in the ocean (grew up about 1/2 mile from the ocean) and used to go bodysurfing in HUGE waves, even the day after a hurricane came thru. But I'll be glad to dive another day....

 

[tonyc]

Date: 08-13-2004

Dive Location #1: Coronado Islands, Lobster shack
Time: 9:42
Bottom Time: 41
Max Depth: 58 ft
Vis: 60 feet (best viz I've ever seen)
Wave height: 0
Temp at depth: 64 degrees
Tide information: ?

Dive #2: Keyhole, North Island
Time 11:46
Bottom Time 49 minutes
Max Depth: 56 ft.

Dive #3: Seal Cove, Middle island?
Time 1:33 pm
Bottom Time 34 min.
Max Depth: 38 ft

Another Great day of diving on the Lois Anne. Great, friendly and helpful crew. Viz was amazing. Fun rocky reef diving- a must see if you haven't been there! No kelp, but tons of Girabaldi, senorita's and some other creatures not normally seen around catalina. Lot's of different colored bat stars and a couple of good sized triggerfish. Found lot's of cleaning stations operated by senoritas. One senorita followed me the whole dive making sure my new drysuit stayed parasite free. Saw some Sea Lions, but was unable to get a pic (for some reason they swam away when I swam toward them barking in sea lion language through my reg, I guess I can't speak Sea Lion).

Tony.