GE on 9/26

[RickH]

I got a spot on the GE for the 26th and it looks like I'll be going by myself unless my buddy can make it. Is there anyone going that I could tag along with?

 

[blue steal]

Hey RickH. I also signed up for Saturday, 26th. Weather looks like it will be nice.
Hopefully the VIS will be good.
Right now I'm solo, but 2 co-workers have said they will sign up. You can join us if you like.
Have you been on the GE before?

 

[RickH]

How's the vis been lately?

I've been on the Great Escape once, it's a great boat. Have you been on it before?

 

[blue steal]

I've been on the GE twice and really enjoyed it. I have not been to Catalina since August 29 so can't speak to the VIS, but reports from others have been good.
I was out at Palos Verdes yesterday around OML and the VIS there was not so good.

 

[scuba_star]

How was the tirp?

I was hoping to get out of work and get on this trip. unfortunaly I was not able to so I have to live through the dive reports of others.

 

[RickH]

It was a great trip, great visiblity and water temp.

 

[blue steal]

The trip was very good. As ususal the GE provided great food, and service.
Thanks to all the crew, DM, and of coarse the captain.
It was a good mix of people onboard, maybe 25 total.
The weather was foggy on the way over and in the middle of the channel returning, but nice and sunny at Catalina.
Dive #1 was at Bird rock. Nice and clear, but with a moderate current running.
Dive #2 was to be at ship rock, but we anchored between ship & bird at what the captain said was an underwater mountain, the top being at 60'. Most climbed down and back up the anchor line as the current was how would you say "quite festive".
Dive #3 was at eagle reef. The VIS there was the best. Swam into a thermocline, (dive #2), and the temp was 57 on my computer, it felt cold. The rest of the time the temp was 64-68, quite comfortable in a 7mm suit.
You could see the bottom from the boat.
There was a lot to see; lots of fish, school of baracuda, horn shark, leopard shark (I think), and lots and lots of Lobsters "oh my", plus the reef was great to explore with it's rock formations, huge boulders. Eagle reef is a very nice dive spot.
I took my friends advice, (HT), and took with me a SMB, signal mirror, and storm whistle. Didn't need it, but I could see that on Dive #2 it may have been needed as the current could easily sweep one away.
Tried out my new spring straps and like them as well.
:goingdown:

 

[scuba_star]

Thanks for the reports. Sounds like my work got in the way of some great diving.

 

[blue steal]

Yeah the only thing that really hurt was I had this inexpensive film camera, snap-sights with a watertight case to 100'. Had used it the last 6 dives, no problem with the case, but then I opened the case, rewound the film, then opened the camera only to find the film did not rewind!!!!!! Lost all my underwater pictures from the last 6 dives. Thru the thing in the trash, I will never buy a film camera ever again.

 

[fnfalman]

I couldn't make it on the Saturday dive but made up for it with the Sunday trip to San Clemente, south side with the Great Escape. Viz was incredible. 80ft+ for the first two dives. I was down at 90ft, looked up and still saw the surface. The third dive, viz dropped to about 40-50ft, but still nice.

Warm as heck with water temp in mid-60s and air temp probably in the mid to high 80s.

Gorgeous topography but no exotic marine life to speak of. Lobsters out of the wazoo though.