limeyx(Offline)

Today, we hit Catalina Island on our favorite Southern California Dive boat, The Sundiver.

The day started semi-badly with my alarm not going off (well, that's my excuse for not being home when my dive buddy came to meet me anyway), and didn't improve when we boarded the boat tired, and under gloomy skies -- this is supposed to be summer!

We had almost forgotten what fun diving was all about as the first 4 months of 2006 were devoted to practicing for our tech1 class.
Today was our first post-class dive, and indeed, our first post-class tech 1 dive.

We discussed the plan on the boat on the way out -- 20 mins at 150 with 20 mins of deco, and then I retired to my bunk to try to get some much needed shut-eye.

The water was as calm as could be, and the Island was looming as we got geared up. For some reason, we had an incredibly light load of about 10 divers on a boat that can comfortably take 20-25 divers. Not that we were complaining.

Dive 1, "Deep Reef"

I knew we were in for a good dive when I looked down and could see the bottom about 50 feet below. Also, there was a rather nice bat ray crusing along at about 20 feet, just below us. Now, this is what diving is all about.

After some minor surgery on a team members valves -- somehow he had managed to have both posts spewing bubbled, we began our descent.

Since this was our first post class dive, our (much more experienced) buddies decided to make us lead and run deco. Fair enough.
I was "elected" to lead, and given my navigation in general, and especially during class when I seemed incapable of taking a simple compass bearing, I was a bit nervous. I had taken and re-taken my bearing back to the Island so many times, I was beginning to doubt myself.

Fortunately, the reef was pretty easy to find -- the vis was excellent, at least 40 feet and the reef came into view as soon as we hit about 120. The reef is kind of a combination rock/pinnacle covered in sea fans and with plenty of cut-throughs to swim through.

We circled around it, craning our necks back as far as we could to try to take in as much of it as we could. There were plenty of good-sized ling cod, and life every where. We saw in the distance what looked like another similar reef a bit further from the boat, just at the edge of vis. Unfortunatly, we wouldn't be able to explore it this dive.

All too soon, it was time to head back toward the shore and start to deco. Generally, the coastline drops off pretty sharply all around the island, making it ideal for deco. The gas switch went swiftly and before we knew it we were above a thermocline (temp on the bottom about 52F compared to 61 at 20 feet), and we were hovering in a bed of kelp, surrounded by fish, sunlight streaming down and almost bath-like water.

Now, this is diving I thought as we slowly ascended to the surface, a huge grin on my face.


Dive 2 "Johnson's rock"

For dive 2, we anchored up at a wash rock just offshore called "Johnson's rock." The sun had finally come out, and life was good. Summer has been a long time coming this year.

For this dive, we made our way down to 90 or so feet, and circled around the rock, slowly ascending to average our depth out at about 60 feet. On the way out, we saw a mantis shrimp(I think) hiding in it's hole. We only got a brief glimpse though as it popped back in when it saw us. Visibility was good, probably about 40 feet.

This site was again full of fish, but what made is special for me is that it is made of of a collection of large boulder-like rocks which make for really interesting terrain. We saw two of the largest sea hares I've ever seen (probably about a foot long), as well as an abalone.

Dive 3, "Africa Point"

We kept it shallow for dive 3, and spent an enjoyable 30 mins in 64F water. One good thing about keeping shallow (apart from the water temp) is that the light filters so vividly through the water. This site had a thick layer of kelp, and we had plenty of fun winding our way through it, circling boulders and sizing up the (sadly illegal to catch) lobster hiding under the rocks and in crevices. Funny how they always seem so much bigger when they aren't in season.

All in all a fantastic days diving. It's good to get out and have fun for a change, and getting our tech1 has really led our diving to the next level, opened up a whole new set of dive sites and I think given us a new lease of life.

Now I have to spend the whole week in anticipation of three cool tech dives in Northern California over Memorial weekend, although reports are that the water temps are 45F's right now -- ouch. But the vis is supposed to be stellar at the moment.

Martin Burnard(Offline)

Nice diving!

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LCF(Offline)

Wonderful to hear that all the work for the Tech 1 class has paid off in increased enjoyment of underwater topography and life. Sometimes I worry that we get too focused on the skills for their own sake, instead of what we wanted to do with them. Thanks for the report!

voodooconstant(Offline)

Hah, just read this on your blog...

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~Matt

limeyx(Offline)

figured more people would get to see it here than there.

voodooconstant(Offline)

you're probably right, but I had a momentary feeling of dejavu...

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~Matt

neilh(Offline)

Nice report, sounds like a cracking day out

limeyx(Offline)

Yeah, it definitely was. Diving for fun is .. well, fun

Have a cool trip for memorial day weekend planned, 2 boat days with 3 T1 dives and a nice nitrox dive. Maybe I will take the camera on a few of the dives ...