Posted by seahunt on January 20, 2004 at 20:01:45:
In Reply to: Not exactly diving, but at least it's an ocean story. posted by SoBay Jim on January 20, 2004 at 11:36:53:
It brings back so many things to me. I have gotten to explore the tidepools of Monterey Bay. I know some of the history of of the scientists of the area. "Between Pacific Tides" is still on my shelf. Can you believe what it must have been like back then when it was nearly untouched (give or take an otter or two). It is the essence of adventure for those that love the sea. My time at Monterey Bay, especially the rough nasty north side, is why I wrote Mists.
.
I love the ocean. I guess I have some salt water in my veins.
But I like the cool waters of the northern rocky reefs the
most. They are so lush, primeval and enervating. There is
life on every surface and in every crack. Colors include
the rich golds of laminareas, the red orange pastels of
starfish and the brilliant greens of giant anemones.
What brings me there the most though are the sea mists. Not
fog, but the wispy, ghost like mists that rise near the
meetings of the water and the shore. They don't exist when
there is wind. They are there only in the
stillness.
These are not the mists of warm Southern California.
These are the mists of the cold northern waters.
You might see them above the beaches of Malibu on
a cool winter morning or at Point Conception and along
the Central Coast. You can see them at San Miguel
Island along the weathered shore of sandy coves or near
Prince Island. You might see them at Monterey, but really,
the real sea mists start on the north side of Monterey
Bay where the waters never warm and thick damp seaweeds
cover the rocks. This is where fog is more common than
sun.
Mists are there at dawn when you climb down the rocks above
the glassy, kelp filled waters.
You really get to see the mists when you have the time to relax in
a silent cove and stop to enjoy the beauty of tide pools exposed
by the low tides.
Best of all are the mists of your breath as you quietly
swim through thick seaweeds in the near shore rocks and
channels after a long dive in the cool, lush northern
waters.
