Visibility?

[DwayneJ]

There was fantastic vis off Palos Verdes Saturday morning but the usual swell on the surface and surge on the bottom... It was also very cold.

So - I'm now assuming our local coastal visibility is more a function of bio matter in the water and not particulates circulating due to swell? If so, visibility should continue to be good for the next few weeks??

Dwayne

 

[blue steal]

Thanks for the update. How cold has it been. I saw a sign at the lifeguard tower in Redondo saying 54.........brrrr, but lots of divers going and coming from Vets.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

A lot has to do with the bottom composition and swell duration. The power of large swells with long intervals reach deeper into the depths, stirring up the bottom. Choppy seas usually only affect shallow sites. Sandy or rocky bottoms are not as affected as silty bottoms. The Marineland platform sits in thick silt and can be stirred up for days or even weeks after large surf. The rest of Marineland can be good just a few hundred yards away.
The kelp beds on the west side of PV are attached to rocky bottoms and are less affected than the silty bottom of Redondo Beach and the rest of the Santa Monica Bay.
I usually take my chances and hope for good conditions. I usually lose. I've seen great vis in the upper forty feet only to find brown water on the bottom, and vice versa.

 

[Rainer]

Blackwood and I scootered Vet's this morning. Vis was <10' (probably closer to 5').

 

[Spg01]

Woods cove down in Laguna was not bad today, probably 10-12' vis. There was a bit of surge down to about 20ft, but not horrible.

 

[diver_doug]

I was at Crescent and Heisler on Sat and vis was about 15'. The rain has probably screwed up vis for the next day or so, but if swellwatch's surf forecast's are accurate diving in Laguna should be good Wed-Fri.

 

[DwayneJ]

Crossing my fingers vis is a function of bio matter and I get a repeat of my 50' vis experienced on Saturday. As soon as the swells calm down I will be back in the water.

Dwayne