Posted by ed on May 07, 2002 at 11:33:23:
I may be in minority here, but I often check this website (amongst others) to read/find/share diving (more specifically, California diving) information, conditions, and recent reports. I am not complaining or whining about this site vs. that site, GUI vs sticky, etc. I am just looking to read some dive reports!
Diving is a passion for me, and everyday stuff is what I do in between diving...(well, you get the picture).
I have truly enjoyed, and learned a GREAT deal from reading SeaHunts reports, with the 'Small boat diving' series being my all time favorite.
OK.... I'll start. The itch for diving HAD to be scratched on Saturday, so I packed up my gear, and off I went....
Destination: UNKNOWN.
Some possibilities were point Dume, La Jannelle, Deer Creek, and Leo Carillo. Decided to head south....
Saw some divers walking up to their car, so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to inquire about their dive. They said that the visibility was 1 or 2 feet, at best. I then decided to head for Leo Carillo to give it a go.
Arrived there roughly around 3:00 pm, geared up and off I went. First thing I noticed at the beach was the nice, thick kelp. The waves were small, which would make an easy entry. At the shore, I bumped into a 'lovely couple' in wet suits and snorkling gear. They walked up and informed me that they will be snorkling in the kelp, and that I do not mistake them for a black sea-bass and shoot them with my spear gun (WHAT???????).
I entered the water, and swam out (surface) to the area between the second and the third kelp patches, where I then dropped down to the bottom. Depth was around 35 - 40 feet, and the visibility was less than a foot on the way down, and no more than 2 feet at the bottom. Decided to continue the dive anyway, and concentrate on the 'small' stuff that often goes un-noticed on a good day. I figured this will also allow me to practice some underwater navigation skills.
Came accross a BIG rock/boulder with lots of nookes and crannies, covered with all sorts of stuff, urchins of all size being the most abundant species. Accidentaly, nearly 'squished' a well camoflauged Sculpin sitting on that rock! Did see quite a few monster perch, but not much else 'fish life' (hey, what do you expect with a 1-2 foot vis?).
Did practice U/W navigation skills using a combination of compass, sand 'ridges', depth, etc...
All in all, I enjoyed myself, and the 'itch' was satisfied. Even poor visibility days can offer some good diving, if given a fair chance.