Casino Park Thursday October 17th

[lamarpaulski]

I enjoyed a couple nice sun-dappled dives after a calm crossing to Avalon. The pattern of good viz in shallower (less than 50 ft) and poor viz with greener particulate water in the deeper, colder, waters is still in effect. Viz shallow was 50ish and it also quite warm. Nice forest effect in the kelp. Baitfish were being attacked by comorants and sea lions. I encountered and videoed a torpedo ray hovering by the two small wrecks in 50 ft of water out front of the steps. Observed a few squid egg cases. Usual suspects of octopi, eels and lobster were present and accounted for. The bat rays from 2 weeks ago were not observed. Found the Cardinalfish in same grotto..approx 200 ft towards the harbor from steps in 15-18 ft water. They have grown. They were way, way back in mini-caves with the lobsters and horn sharks. Met a fellow diver, Andrew, who gave me the skinny on Bonaire and we compared diving notes during SI. Took ferry back to Newport. There are worse ways to spend your day !!!!

 

[drbill]

Darn... I've got to dive with you to find the Guadalupe cardinalfish. I have yet to see one on all my night dives so I may have to risk vaporizing in full sunlight to do a day dive! I dove last night.

 

[lamarpaulski]

The Cardinalfish are tough to find. I will PM you next time I head that way. I could put a marker bouy there too but it still takes (usually) a bit of sticking your head in crevices. I couldn't find them last week but they were there yesterday. What did you think of that oarfish ?

 

[drbill]

Although friends spotted it still alive while kayaking off Rattlesnake Canyon Saturday, and suggested I go out and film it, I had prior commitments and no way to get there so I didn't. I'm amazed at how much press the discovery has received. We see them infrequently out here... probably coming up from the depths because they are sick, injured or dying. I was amused by the "once in a lifetime" Phrase that was applied to the sighting. If you live long enough out here, you'll have opportunities to see more than a few. One local fisherman said he caught two in a short period of time.

Of course the last one I saw, about two years ago, was under two feet in length! At least I could easily fit the entire fish into my video frame!