Posted by Jason on October 17, 1999 at 09:06:47:
In Reply to: Legendary California Diving posted by seahunt on October 16, 1999 at 13:23:35:
You passed over the Farallones in your trip up the coast. I suggest
that Noonday Rock is a legendary dive site. It is certainly hard to
get at, especially now that the only local liveaboard boat is no more.
Noonday Rock is a few miles north of the Northern Chain of the islands.
We were the first charter in a long time (decade or more, I think) to
get there in 1997. While I think it gets shallower, we anchored at
about 100ft. Both dives were in the 105-120ft range. It was
essentially a plateau reef that blew away everything else in the
northern cal coast. Wolf eels, octopuses, and all the usualy sessile
life. And despite the extreme depth, it was very brightly lit.
Another odd sensation was that about 30ft, you couldn't make out the
bottom or the surface. There were lots of jelly based lifeforms
drifting along, but you had no reference points. (and the paranoia
of a great white coming along). Far out. This was the first place
that I did a repetive dive to 120 ft, and the first time I took my
dive computer down to 0:00.