The heat wave we've been experiencing this week hasn't reached the coast. It was foggy all week, but this morning looked like a typical summer day with a thick marine layer.

We wanted to check out some sites off Redondo Beach, but some fishermen told us to go away because they apparently own that part of the ocean. We settled for the barge, but wished we were elsewhere. Dark, very little visibility and an incoming tide made for a boring dive. I found another parchment worm out in the open.

We went around to the south side of Palos Verdes in search of clearer water. We found a small pod of Pacific white-side dolphins off Pt. Vicente, so we hung around with them for a few minutes.

We made a second dive at Buchanan's Reef off Marineland. Visibility was only slightly better here, but a current came through mid-dive and lowered the vis. A juvenile sea lion decided to get out of the current and spent a couple of hours lounging on our boat. She had some small cuts on the back of her head, but was otherwise fine. It was a little unnerving climbing up the ladder and having a sea lion on the swimstep.

• Re: Cold and cloudy day, above and below water maggieD 05:39:07 03/17/13 (0)