In Reply to: Hydrocoral damage at Farnsworth posted by Diver Z on November 12, 2009 at 11:40:47:

Diver Z says,
"What do the rest of you think? On my Farnsworth dives I haven't spent much time checking out the area around the anchor."
Well, from your photo posted below I'd say you have seen the damage for yourself.

That letter is an interesting read, but it’s a biased opinion on Farnsworth. The biggest stumbling block to a mooring at Farnsworth (besides a lack of divers at these MLPA BRTF meetings) is the economic interests of dive operators. The first premise of the letter reads: “… a no-anchoring and mooring system for Farnsworth… won’t work. ... [It] could have a devastating effect on the economic situation of the dive boats that dive this site. …”.
There are plenty of great places to dive on Catalina Island and I’m willing to forgo diving Farnsworth until a proper mooring can be built there. I've stopped diving Farnsworth because I don't want to be part of the problem.
I completely disagree with the opinion that only minor damage to purple hydrocoral is occurring at Farnsworth. Think about where the anchor chain was laying the last time you dove there. You probably followed the anchor line right to the top of the reef. Also, I doubt if many recreational divers know how much coral is growing on the rest of Farnsworth Banks. We can’t dive those deeper portions.
Read the entire letter for yourself:
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/MLPA/pdfs/comments/kk_071709.pdf

• Re: So you've seen the damage to Hydrocoral at Farnsworth? Ken Kurtis 14:21:53 11/13/09 (0)