old_mike
Guest
jes' got back from the cool clear waters off of Frontside Catalina only 20 miles and a world away from LA-LA Land! We did two dives at a pinnacle called Ship Rock and a third dive at the no-take reserve called Blue Caverns. Surface Temps were in the high 60s and perhaps a bit cooler at 86 feet. Ship Rock is surrounded by 300+ foot depths and there's a lot of upwelling there. That means fish and lots of 'em! Juvenile mackerel, clouds of blacksmith, topsmelt, grunion, a 24" + kelp bass (wily devil!) and tons of garibaldi, senorita, gobies and more! Giant schools of the baitfish were hanging off the edge of the kelp in long, strung-out formations! All of a sudden the fish freak out and a sea lion appears in the distance. The sea lion makes a vertical dive at top speed straight down and vanishes into the blue depths. Most unusual for this dive was the relative lack of current at this normally current-swept site. Blue caverns is a vertical wall pocked with small caves. The wall bottoms out at around 78-90 feet. The wall itself is covered with kelp forest and tons of near-shore fish species. I found a juve garibaldi only 3/4 of an inch long all decked out in iridescent blue and orange and spent half an hour stalking it with my camera. I had to pretend i was a dead log in order to get it used to my presence. I had to get my flat port within 3 inches to get the shot! Man did i freeze my butt of sitting absoutely motionless for all that time! The trip cost $90.00 and included a BBQ with steak, salads, breakfast, unlimited drinks (no alcohol) and all the chips, dip and munchies a person could hope for! The crew presented ice cream and chocolate fudge brownies for dessert! The boat is celled the PAcific Dream: a 65 foot cat with a beam of 30 feet and man, that sucker hauls!!!! There is a spacious sun deck atop the galley and a 30 foot wide swim-step for exiting the water. The staff is top notch and help is always there when you exit the water all tired out after a nice hour-long dive! That is one great charter company! They are Atlantis Charters and their website is http://www.atlantischarters.com. Their website isn't always up to date but the service and amenities are phenomenal! go now while the water's warm and vis is good!!!