SculpinPhoto by Deenie Clinton
Two weekends ago was the annual Diving Singles dive outing at Point Lobos State Reserve, organized by Chuck and Linda. I'm so glad I went this year. I hadn't enjoyed my previous dives very much due to stormy conditions and mechanical boat issues (as usual). But I had a great time this time, for reasons I will explain. In fact, I might have the diving bug again.
The day before the event, I was pinged by my friend, Gary that the "old Salts" were going diving again, and that there was a last minute opening. So I got my dive gear together Friday night. At first, it seemed as though the Dive gods were conspiring against me. First of all, I couldn't find my weight belt. Secondly my dive computer was dead, again. Flustered and hot, I somehow managed to jerry-rig a weight belt together, borrowed Mark's computer and I finally decided I was ready to go.
I was glad I went. Riding on Chuck's boat is as relaxing as it can get. Think of the most anal engineer you know, and this was his boat. The anchor line was perfectly wound in it's bucket. There was a spare radio and emergency instructions should Linda and Chuck be incapacitated. It was a very different experience from diving off some Zodiacs I know.
I was paired with Deenie, who seemed to know loads about fish and other marine life, and was really fun to dive with.
Dive #185: Great Pinnacle, Point Lobos State Reserve
Depth: 86'
Time: 0:44 min
Visibility: 15 feet of visibility , pea soup, felt like a night dive
-I thought I spotted a Hermissenda nudibranch, but it was too pale. After consulting my nudibranch book, I think it might have been a Sakuraeolis enosimensis, which would be the first I had ever seen.
-Orange sea cucumbers
-Fields of Strawberry anemones
-Schools of Blue rockfish with occasional Olive rockfish?
-Victor, the 3 foot long Sheephead fish swam in front of me and completely blocked my mask-limited range of vision. Chuck had indicated how large Victor is by spreading his arms, I thought he was exaggerating. But he really is that huge. And I almost never see sheephead this far North, either, due to the colder water temperatures. So that in itself was a surprise.
The day before the event, I was pinged by my friend, Gary that the "old Salts" were going diving again, and that there was a last minute opening. So I got my dive gear together Friday night. At first, it seemed as though the Dive gods were conspiring against me. First of all, I couldn't find my weight belt. Secondly my dive computer was dead, again. Flustered and hot, I somehow managed to jerry-rig a weight belt together, borrowed Mark's computer and I finally decided I was ready to go.
I was glad I went. Riding on Chuck's boat is as relaxing as it can get. Think of the most anal engineer you know, and this was his boat. The anchor line was perfectly wound in it's bucket. There was a spare radio and emergency instructions should Linda and Chuck be incapacitated. It was a very different experience from diving off some Zodiacs I know.
I was paired with Deenie, who seemed to know loads about fish and other marine life, and was really fun to dive with.
Dive #185: Great Pinnacle, Point Lobos State Reserve
Depth: 86'
Time: 0:44 min
Visibility: 15 feet of visibility , pea soup, felt like a night dive
-I thought I spotted a Hermissenda nudibranch, but it was too pale. After consulting my nudibranch book, I think it might have been a Sakuraeolis enosimensis, which would be the first I had ever seen.
-Orange sea cucumbers
-Fields of Strawberry anemones
-Schools of Blue rockfish with occasional Olive rockfish?
-Victor, the 3 foot long Sheephead fish swam in front of me and completely blocked my mask-limited range of vision. Chuck had indicated how large Victor is by spreading his arms, I thought he was exaggerating. But he really is that huge. And I almost never see sheephead this far North, either, due to the colder water temperatures. So that in itself was a surprise.
Hopkins Rose Nudibranch (Hopkinsia Rosacea)
Photo by Deenie Clinton
Dive #186: Middle Reef, Point Lobos State Reserve
Deenie and I decided to do our second dive exploring the Middle reef. I saw things that I had never noticed before due to a lack of carrying a dive light, so now I vow to carry one from now on.
Depth: 40'
Time: 1:03 minutes
Via: 15-20 feet, a little bit brighter
-Deenie pointed out a bright pink frilly thing in a cave, and I though they were eggs or something. Later on I spotted the same thing out in the open, and pointed it out to Deenie. Apparently the pink things are special, because it was here that my buddy and I got separated. While Deenie took pictures and more pictures, I made my way back to shore thinking she was behind me. After looking around for my missing buddy, and surfaced one time, I shrugged my shoulders and made my way home, only to see her climbing the ramp before I did. Turns out the pink things were Hopkinsia Rosacea nudibranchs, which are rare, and which were the first that either she or I had ever seen.
-A couple of 6 armed starfish
-Snub nose sculpin
-long fin sculpin
-Largest Hermissenda nudibranchs I have ever seen
-Deenie spotted a Tritonia Festiva nudibranch which I had never seen before either.
-Buzzed by a harbor seal as I headed in for the ramp
Gear Notes:
-10 lbs on weight belt, all weight worn centered over the small of my back.
-6 lbs integrated weights in BCD
-1 lb on feet
-I could have lost a pound or two and I think I would have needed less buoyancy adjustments.
Later on, we hung out at Linda's house in Seaside for the annual get together afterwards. It was fun to talk scuba diving with a bunch of divers, drink wine and nibble on snacks. While we were at the party, however, I later found out that a diver had been found unconscious, was taken to shore at Point Lobos, and was rumored to have died at the hospital.
-- Post From My iPhone
