After two previous attempts I was finally able to see the wreck of the Star of Scotland this morning. It lies in 75 feet off the coast of Santa Monica. The visibility was only about ten feet, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Scott and Margaret Webb, owners of the Popeye Maru and photographers extraordinaire invited Merry and me to join them today for a run up the coast. Before leaving the dock, we were treated to several stingrays settling in for a nap.

When we got to the bottom we found the anchor had landed in a perfect spot. I found a Facelina stearnsi nudibranch and asked Merry to keep an eye on it while I set up my camera. I had only seen a few of them before today. By the time the dive was done, I had seen dozens! We didn't see the resident Black Sea Bass family despite looking in every hole. It was nice being able to look in the holes again thanks to my buddies Ross and Jeff. They did all the work repairing my HID light. It was like having an amputated limb returned.
The wreck is coverd in Corynactis anemones and nudibranchs. There is a lot of relief to the structure. I'll have to go back when we have clear water to take some wide angle pictures. Until then, here are a few of the images from today.

• Re: Star of Scotland dive today Margaret 06:10:30 08/13/06 (0)