We had a small window of opportunity for a dive at Hermosa Artificial Reef today. We didn't expect much visibility after the rain this week and we got what we expected. The wide angle lenses we used made the twelve feet vis look much better. The Giant Sea Bass let us know how bad it really was.

When the vis is good the GSBs will approach us within a couple of inches. When it's dark or surgey they tend to flee at first sight. It was a mixed bag today. One came close enough to touch if I had tried but they usually stayed about six feet away. A large silver one chased two of the regulars away and swam past me a few times. He also taught me something today.

I've heard the loud thump they make many times. I didn't know if they made it by opening their mouth quickly as they were feeding or maybe it was from deep in their throat. Today I learned that it is like a sonic boom caused by the cavitation from a fast tail kick. I saw the silver guy flick his tail as he turned to flee and heard the thump at the same time.

Our next dive is up to the National Weather Service. Hopefully this winter won't be a repeat of 2016.