Back beach dive report

[knfmn]

Dove Back Beach yesterday evening with the Undersea dive society. Went in at 7:22, got max depth of 24 feet and water temp of 52. Did a 42 minute dive. We went in on the left side, which I had never done before and there was almost nothing to see. Sand, seaweed, then sand again. Saw maybe 5 smaller flounder and a few crabs.

Kristopher

 

[porgyhunter]

Note to self........Never ever dive back beach!

 

[petrieps]

Sounds like your experience is very different from any of the experiences i've had at back beach. I've always found it to be a nice mix of small and medium size rocks with some sand patches. There's always been lots of life there. Several hundred yards out i've even found sporadic scallops.
Yes it's the site of choice for a lot of classes, and can get pretty crowded but don't let that deter you. It is one of the better beach dives IMO.

 

[knfmn]

Sounds like your experience is very different from any of the experiences i've had at back beach. I've always found it to be a nice mix of small and medium size rocks with some sand patches. There's always been lots of life there. Several hundred yards out i've even found sporadic scallops.
Yes it's the site of choice for a lot of classes, and can get pretty crowded but don't let that deter you. It is one of the better beach dives IMO.

I have dove there twice in the past, both times and night and really enjoyed the dives both times. The difference was that we had gone in mid way down, crossing through the construction they're doing there and swam straight out. This time we went in on the left side and it was dull. I won't dive the left side again, but will happily dive the middle many more times. I saw tons of wildlife and some really cool stuff during my previous dives there. I think the reasoning behind diving the left side is that it's the "safer" way to get in, where as you've got to pick your way across some rocks to get in in the middle currently.

I'm not writing off the dive site by any means, just writing off the left side.

Kristopher

 

[petrieps]

Nice, Glad your not writing it off. How was diving with Undersea Divers?
I've alway liked that shop, Bob is a good man.

 

[knfmn]

Nice, Glad your not writing it off. How was diving with Undersea Divers?
I've alway liked that shop, Bob is a good man.

Diving with them wasn't bad. I think there might have been too many people there. There were probably 8-10 people in our group, not all of whom were that great at buoyancy control, meaning the viz was somewhat terrible at times...lol. In retrospect, I probably should have just grabbed the guy I was buddied up with and a flag and taken off on our own.

Kristopher

 

[dave4868]

Diving with them wasn't bad. I think there might have been too many people there. There were probably 8-10 people in our group, not all of whom were that great at buoyancy control, meaning the viz was somewhat terrible at times...lol. In retrospect, I probably should have just grabbed the guy I was buddied up with and a flag and taken off on our own.

I think you're exactly right! In a big group, I'd find it difficult to follow the more interesting sections of bottom. Tagging along in a herd is almost always a drag for me....

The left (north) side of Back Beach can become more interesting if you continue far enough to reach the island, where there's bigger rocks. Another nice alternative is to start on the north side for a hundred yards or so, reaching 20 to 25' depths, then head south across about 75 yards of usually barren sand to the rocky shoal on the south side (same shoal that comes off the north side of Front Beach by the stone gazebo). That south shoal often has more stripers and flounders.

On both shoals, I find the kelpy rocks less interesting and harder to hunt, so I stay on the base where the rocks meet the sand. To each their own, though.

Dave C