Location: Vallecitos
Time: 9am
Depth 110 Max, approx 70 avg
Time: 48 mins
Mix: 32%
Team: Todd Preece & Bill Reals

Todd and I did a scooter run from Vallecitos to just pass Wheeler’s Point and back. We entered the water and encountered occasional 1 foot waves on “Lago Pacifico” and wadded out and leisurely put our fins on. We were impatient to start our run, so we just dropped into 8 feet of water and hit the trigger.

This dive was also the virgin run for my Ikelite housing for my Canon 20D; I planned on taking some pictures of the changes in the canyon since the storms passed through and whatever wildlife we might run across.

We had exceptional vis on this dive. I would guess in some places it was around 40 feet but a little milky at depth and was better vertically than horizontally. We had drysuits on, so it wasn’t too cold, maybe 58f degrees.

The ride south was uneventful, we ran across few fish and 1/2 a dozen sheep crabs. On our way back we were motoring along, just off the wall, at about about 75 feet and I was thinking about how nice it would be to see some gray whales one of these days.

Bam! I looked up and TWO GRAY WHALES were coming right at me, they altered course and passed within 5 feet of me. I dropped my scooter, light and fumbled to get my camera and just started shooting pictures.

I would guess that they were 15 to 20 feet in length and swimming right next to each other. Todd was looking at me like I was crazy, until he noticed TWO HUGE CETACEANS swimming right by him.

I was so excited that I was breathing like crazy and screaming thru my regulator. We only saw them for couple of seconds and then we were just floating there, high-fiving each other like two frat boys on Spring Break.

• Whale Pictures

• Yah, like he said... Lucky! seahunt 05:54:07 02/04/07 (0)
• You Lucky Dogs dawhale 05:40:20 02/04/07 (1)
  • Truly lucky is ... Chuck Tribolet 21:38:53 02/04/07 (0)