Posted by Chris on December 05, 2001 at 17:55:50:
Last weekend I went to Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Islands with the Sea Divers
(SeaDivers.org) on the Peace
(PeaceBoat.com).
The trip was originally scheduled for San Miguel Island, but because of reports of a pending storm Captain Fidel elected to back off a bit and try for Rosa.
I climbed info my bunk soon after dinner.
The ride was so smooth that I did not wake up until just before sunrise, and never noticed the 3AM departure from Ventura Harbor.
When I awoke I found the sea to be glassy smooth, and I took a nice sunrise picture of Santa Cruz Island
(http://CaliforniaDiveBoats.com/Peace/2001.12.01-02/PC010294.JPG).
Our first dive was a mile out from Carrignton Point at Santa Rosa Island.
Here the visibility was only about two arm lengths at best, but I still managed to find about a two-pound bug.
We then moved to Talcott Shoals, here the visibility was 20 feet in the best spots.
This was good enough to see the shelf area in front of you, but not enough to see to the next shelf.
Here I got another bug, and I blew the grab on about a 5 lb. one.
Richard Laub (backpack diver), who is pictured with this post, pulled the biggest bug of the trip, a bit over 5½ lbs.
We did another dive at Talcott, and I got one small bug, but others did very well.
We then moved to Sandy Point, where the visibility was much better, about 40 feet in the good spots.
The first dive here I got skunked, but others did very well, Bob Davis finished his limit for the day.
The next dive I found a very buggy area, and completed my limit for the day.
Captain Fidel then headed for Cruz for the overnight anchorage.
Then next morning we headed for the area between Cruz and Rosa, to a spot called "hole in the wall".
I took many more sunrise pictures of Cruz on the way.
When Captain Fidel anchored on this small pinnacle, we sat and checked for current.
He asked the divers waiting at the front gate if they wanted to try it, even though the current was howling.
In typical Sea Divers fashion, everyone there wanted to go for it.
I was the first in; I jumped out of the gate and swam to the anchor line, and pulled myself down into the current.
Next divemaster Herb went in, and then Bob Davis.
Bob, was the last one who could make it to the anchor line, so the gate was closed soon after him.
On the bottom the current was still ripping, perhaps 2 or 3 knots.
It was impossible to swim into.
I had to pull myself into it along the bottom.
I pulled myself over the pinnacle, and got to the bottom on the other side.
I could see some rock piles out in the sand and decided to check them out.
Under one of the rock piles I found about 2½ lb. bug and bagged it.
When I surfaced, I was about 20 yards from the boat and swam for it.
I got a hold of the current line about 15 yards behind the boat and pulled myself in.
I enjoyed that dive more than any other on the trip.
My friend Suzanne took a picture just as I returned and sat on the bench to remove my backpack:
http://CaliforniaDiveBoats.com/Peace/2001.12.01-02/PC020342.JPG
The dive after that we moved much closer to Cruz, and there was no current.
Other people got bugs, but I only saw one short.
We then went to a spot called Hazards, where I managed to get a few more bugs, and Bob Davis got his limit for the trip.
We then moved down the Island a bit more, I went in to a surgey channel (http://CaliforniaDiveBoats.com/Peace/2001.12.01-02/PC020345.JPG) and
managed two pull two nice bugs.
It was a great trip.
I ended up with 13 bugs for two days of diving.
Bob Davis (backpack diver) got his limit, with a few very nice ones and others came close.
It was yet another great Sea Divers trip on the Peace.
