Local Dives
Date: April 19, 2008
Location: Cathedral Heights, Scripps Canyon/Yukon, Wreck Alley
Dive Times: 11:46 AM/2:22 PM
Dive Lengths: 34 minutes/25 minutes
Max Depths: 127 ft./98 feet
Temps: 50 F/50 F [beginning to see a pattern here?]
Surface Conditions: wind waves 2 feet, occasional white cap, 15 knot winds, with occasional 3 ½ foot swell; weather: cloudy, gray, cold and windy
Dive Teams: me and Navy Dan, the scooter twins: NOAA Jim and Charlie
Critters Seen: Red Gorgonians, Gold Gorgonians, Senoritas, large schools of silversides, Tree fish, Surf Perch, Giant Spined Sea Stars, California Sea Cucumbers, Black Sea Urchins, Blood Stars, Short Spined Sea Stars, Warty Sea Cucumbers and a weird longbone……
Dive #739: Cathedral Heights, Scripps Canyon
With Captain Barbara back at the helm again, and soon to begin diving next weekend, I was happy to receive a demotion to First Mate and let her guide us out to Scripps Canyon and Wreck Alley today under cold gray skies and choppy seas.
Upon arrival at Scripps, we dropped anchor over Cathedral Heights and it was decided that the Scooter Twins should go in first and set the flashing strobe, tied by a line to the anchor, on the edge of the canyon at about 70 feet, and Dan and I would follow.
With Captain Barbara watching the boat, Dan and I wasted no time suiting up and jumping in.
Today, the Green Tide was not so much the layer to pass through on the way down, as it was everywhere at once. Dynoflagellates were to rule the day, I'm afraid.
Dan and I followed the anchor line to the edge of the canyon and the flashing strobe, and then dropped down into the black abyss below.
First we passed over sandy ridges speckled with gorgeous 3 foot wide fans of golden Gorgonians swaying gently in the current, followed by the rocky terraces which mark the descent into Scripps Canyon.
As we dropped past 100 feet, large schools of blacksmith fish and silversides darted around us.
Passing 120 feet, we arrived at the steep, vertical cliffs which dominate Cathedral Heights and drop away into the blackness many hundreds of feet below.
Although the green gloom surrounding us gave everything a greenish hue, as soon as we shone our lights on something, it exploded in living color: black and white Tree Fish and spiny California lobster could be seen hiding way back in the horizontal crevices, 6 inches high and 4 ft. back.
Red volcano, orange and yellow sponges added brightness and kaleidoscopic color wherever we shone our lights.
At one point, we came across the largest giant Spined Sea star I'd ever seen in my life, curled up on our rock, next to a beautiful golden Gorgonian: this puppy had to have been 24 inches across if he was an inch and the Golden Gorgonian was at least 3 ft. across.
Giant schools of silversides, looking like silver freight trains continued to flash by us as we swam along.
We continued heading South and down into the canyon until we're reached our turnaround pressure, and then I gave the signal to begin heading back the way we came.
After the other night at Vallecitos, I didn't want Dan to think I was a complete cowboy, so I planned this dive a little more conservatively.
As we were heading back, who should we run into, but the scooter twins, lights winking in the green-ish gloom, just ahead of us.
We arrived at the flashing white strobe would still a little back gas to spare, so Dan and I played around for while on the sandy slopes at 70 feet, and then I began reeling in the line attached to the strobe and we had a nice leisurely ascent to the surface.
But, not before I spotted something white laying in the sand: it was a bone about 6 inches long; straight, not curved. It looked very similar to one of the long bones found in the forearm of a mammal. I'm not anatomy expert, but it looks very similar to a human radius, but I will have it checked by a biologist first to make sure it is mammal and not human.
Everyone agreed that despite the cold temperatures and the green gloom, Scripps Canyon was as beautiful as ever in the beams of our lights.
Dive #740: Lady Yuke, Wreck Alley
After a rather bump the ride down south to Wreck Alley and the Yukon, it was decided once again that the scooter twins would splash in first followed by me and Dan.
This time, the cold and windy weather and chilly bottom temperatures had begun to take their toll: and this was not to be a long dive for me or Dan.
Upon arrival on the stern, we could see that Lady Yuke was also enveloped in the green gloom, and I was noticing a stream of icy cold 50° water trickling through my neck seal and soaking the top part of my liner.
Despite this, we gazed in wonder as huge schools of blacksmith fish enveloped the Yukon, darting first one way and then the other in the surge, at times engulfing us and we could not help but notice the glowing beauty of the bright white Metridia and strawberry anemones in the beams of our lights.
Once again, we ran across Jim zooming about on his scooter near the Radio Tower in his promised quest to try and locate a lost fin for a diver on the Orange County list; alas, it was nowhere to be seen. Sorry, Ruth!
We hadn't made it much past their rear guns, when I noticed that the trickle of icy cold seawater through my neck seal was becoming a flood, and I decided I was done being cold for the day, and signaled to Dan and that I would like to begin coming up. Having spent the day in 50° water in a wet suit, it didn't require a lot of arm twisting to get into agree.
However, there was some initial confusion over my hand signal for "my neck seal is leaking and I'm freezing," so, back on the boat, we later agreed on a rather comical but more direct signal which implied shrinkage of certain body parts which shall remain nameless, but which gets the message across much faster.
I will leave it at that for now. J
Back on the boat, despite the green gloom and ass- freezing temperatures, we all agreed that fun had been had by all, and it had been well worth braving the choppy seas and cold gray weather.
Dive safe everyone,
Mikey
The scene of the crimeLocation: La Jolla Cove
Weather: perfect
Surf Conditions: PerfectWhy I can't find a dive buddy
By Gary MusserAfter making several trips to San Diego to attend meetings on creating dive sites. I always seem to lack to time to actually dive. Living in Arizona doesn't offer much dive time either. We decided that the next trip would be when there was no meeting so I could go diving. Somewhere between Weds night & Thurs morning the trip was planned. Janie & I packed our clothes, Loaded up the truck, headed off to work. Since this was a well planned trip (last minute) we had 2 days of work to do by noon so we could get to San Diego before it got too late. We made it! No problems. I get a call from Mike around 4pm to tell me he forgot to leave me a key & he has a 6 :o'clock meeting at Dennys by the freeway, let’s see, I should be there by 6. I call him at 5:45 & for directions & I’m just passing thru El Cajon. Great I found Dennys at 5:58. This is going perfect! 350 miles with pinpoint timing!!
Later that night I learned we are diving first thing in the morning, Friday not Saturday like we planned. Sure would feel better if I had checked over my gear before I left, but oh well, what can go wrong? It’s just been setting in a bag for a year. I did take the BC & Regulators to have their inspection last August so I know their fine.
OK we make it to the Cove with Rock star parking right up front! Time to suit up. BC is set up, tank is mounted, regs hooked up, inflator works, both regs breath good, computer on, WHAT!! 1710psi it was 2880psi last year. I guess that’s why Mike brings 2 tanks. No problem I switched out my steel 95 for his aluminum 80 (you know what's coming here). OK I’m ready let’s go. Mike asked if I was going to take any fins with me. Oops they're are still in the car. After Mike retrieved the hide a key I got my fins out, which is not easy in a tight parking lot with a tank on your back. But I did it with minimal damage to the car next to me. OK now I’m ready. Huh? my mask & gloves? I just had them. Oh there they are next to where I got my fins, on the back seat. Did you put the key back yet? Sorry dude. Ok a buddy check is in order now before he puts the key back. OK I have EVERYTHING! Down to the water we go. Hey wait a minute, you said that buoy was 100 yards, it looks more like 300 yards to me. Oh well I can do it. Hey my inflator quit working, it worked in the parking lot before I changed tanks. Ok it’s hooked up & working now. (I would soon learn that this was not necessary) We’re in the water, it’s a perfect San Diego morning. No swells, no surge, no clouds, no wind, I love it here. After swimming for what seemed like 20 minutes I looked up to see how far we went & realized I could almost touch the……. beach! I couldn’t breath, my legs hurt. OMG what am I doing here. Arizona is such a peaceful place why did I come here? So after a small discussion I swallowed my pride & I let the skinny guy(Mike) tow the fat guy to the buoy.
We finally made it & it’s time to dive. Hoses up, air out, Yep, you got it, I almost got my mask wet. Steal – Aluminum - lead weight? Oops. Ok, everybody swimming down worked in Finding Nemo with the fish net but it wasn’t working for the fat guy in a 7 mil farmer john wetsuit. If I had known I had that much buoyancy I had I would have walked to the buoy. Now pulling on my legs didn’t work, ….going inverted & kicking like mad didn’t work, (mainly because my feet were above sea level)…... But wait….. if Mike pulls me down while inverted my fins hit water & I started a slow strenuous decent. Once on the bottom Travis came to the Rescue. 3 lbs of lead & 2 rocks later I was near the bottom. Not on it, but close enough. The dive was great, plenty to see, just cruizin along & all of a sudden it felt like an earthquake. I was shaking back & forth like I was being yanked on. Oh I was, Mike was adding more rocks as the tank pressure dropped.
The rest of the dive was normal, swim swim - breath breath - rock rock. 2100 psi and 21 rocks later the dive ended right about where my lungs & legs gave up, almost an arm’s reach from the beach. Thank goodness. Ok I did do the rookie craw (Travis said he wouldn’t make fun of me if I did) I was on the beach on the second attempt, but I made it out of the water on my own. Stand up? Are you nuts? Do you know how many rocks I’m packin?? HEY wait a minute, you said there was an elevator that went up, and why did we park UP the hill instead of over by the park? Geez, you guys are trying to kill me. I just got my AARP card, let me live long enough to use it.
What? a dive tomorrow morning?
Yea, like that’s going to happen.
Now do you really want me to write an article on why I like to Dive??????
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride on the Yukon
Date: Saturday, February 16, 2008
Location: Yukon, Wreck Alley
Time: 11:40 AM
Dive length: 40 minutes
Surface conditions: strong northwest swell, 12 to 15 second intervals
Visibility: 5 to 10 feet
Maximum depth: 92 feet
Temperature: 54°
Critters seen: huge schools of Blacksmith fish, Senioritas, Surf Perch, California Sea Cucumbers, Hermissenda crassicornis, Giant Kelp….
I knew that we would have some decent swell on the way out, when I checked the northwest swell models in the morning. This was confirmed, after picking up our three divers, Kathy, Charlie and Jim and at the dock, when we headed out Mission Bay channel and saw some pretty sizable 5 foot swells crashing against the rocks creating some pretty spectacular whitewater on either side of the jetty, on our way out.
That was our first clue.
So it came as no surprise when, upon surfacing from their first dive on the Yukon, Jim and Charlie gave us a friendly warning that Kathy and I were in for a pretty rough ride on Lady Yuke this morning.
Forewarned is forearmed, right?
We had seen the slow lazy swells rolling in at about 15 second intervals as we waited on the deck of the Scuba Do for Charlie and Jim to surface, so we had an idea of what we were in for.
Sure enough, when Kathy and I arrived on the Yukon after descending down the Forward Guns decent line, the surge was in full swing: we could see whole schools of Blacksmith fish being pushed first one way and then by the surge. It was almost comical…
The plan was to head towards the Captain’s Bridge and play around there for while, and then head back, which is what we did, knowing that trying to swim the full length of the ship under these conditions, would probably not be a great idea.
Visibility was a dark and murky 5 to 10 feet, where about all you can see were strange dark shapes looming ahead of you, not really sure what they were in the gloom.
However, we were able to identify where the ascent line attached to the Forward Guns, and make our way slowly, hand over hand toward the Captain’s Bridge.
The cutouts into the ship’s hull were exhibiting dramatic “Push me—Pull you” suction and surge: as you would swim by one, the surge would come blasting out and push you back about 3 feet, then a pause, and the suction would begin, sucking you like a giant vacuum cleaner into the ship’s dark interior.
Of course, by keeping a healthy distance from the cutouts, you avoided being sucked in or spat out.
Kathy , who is a PADI Instructor, later surprised me by saying she actually tells her students in the wreck diving classes she teaches, that if they get accidentally sucked into the Yukon, to simply wait 15 seconds or so, and they will be promptly spat out again [!].
I had already decided that I wasn’t going to be testing that theory today, and hence I kept my distance from the dark and scary cutouts.
As we made our way toward the Captain’s Bridge, huge schools of blacksmith fish seem to shadow us, as we all rocked back and forth in the surge together as one.
Arriving at the bridge and slightly further on, Milt’s Tilt, we lingered for a while, admiring the bright snowy white canopy of Metridia and which cover this area. Surprisingly, here the visibility actually picked up a bit, to about 10 feet.
When I see this gorgeous field of pure white Medridia, I always have to remind myself that, “No, it has not been snowing down here recently, even though it looks like it.”
At this point, I gave Kathy the signal to begin heading back to the bow, and we began returning to whence we came.
Returning to the Forward gun area, we found that the closer we came to the bow, the stronger the surge. We made the mistake of ascending slightly near the cutout dolphin area, only to find that Mr. Surge was trying to sweep us completely off the decks altogether; the solution here we found, was to simply grab onto any protruding metal object, such as a gun barrel, and hang on for dear life, like a flag, fluttering in the wind.
It was also here, that we could see rather vividly, the affects of this northwest swell on the Yukon: the Giant Kelp on the starboard bow area was rippling in the current at about a 45 degree angle.
And when I say ‘rippling,’ perhaps I should say ‘ripping,’ because the tips of the kelp were a blur of motion in the surge.
At this point, we had no trouble agreeing that it was probably time to end the dive and we began a leisurely ascent and for the surface and friendlier conditions.
We were careful not to ever, ever, let go of the line, for fear of being swept away and hurled ungracefully onto the shores of Mission Bay, 1.8 miles away.
We climbed aboard the Scuba Do, agreeing that while it had been a stimulating and educational experience in the power of Mother Nature, it was probably sufficient diving for one Winter day in Wreck Alley.
Why do I Dive?
Why I dive? By Scott McGee
When I was in 3rd or 4th grade, I wanted to be a Marine Biologist when I grew up. I wanted to know about how life started in the ocean. When I was in 5th or 6th grade, I wanted to be an astronaut and explore outer space. Those two interests have never left me. I got a degree in Astrophysics to satisfy my curiosity about the universe, but scuba diving actually satisfies both drives. Exploring the unknown, pushing the boundaries of where humans have been and seeing things most people have never seen are some of the reasons diving attracted me. I was certified as a Junior Open Water diver when I was 12 years old, but didn’t dive very much (due to lack of gear and means) until 2 years ago. Now I try to dive every weekend. Combing photography with diving is what interests me today. Being able to share the beauty and wonder with other people is very rewarding.
From the people I’ve met diving, there is always a willingness to help, to share and an instant sense of camaraderie which comes from a common experience.
The greatest thing I have seen while diving: Finding a new nudibranch that I’ve never seen before. It’s a treasure hunt every dive. Next would be a Caribbean reef shark feeding dive.
My favorite trip or dive site: Grand Bahamas, where I did a wreck dive, shark feeding dive, cavern dive and reef dive.
My favorite San Diego Dive Site: La Jolla Canyon. Every dive, I usually see something I’ve never seen before.
Still want to see or do: Share my photography with a wider audience, dive Wreck Alley, get more involved with the diving community.
Scott McGee
scottmcgee1@cox.net
Diving Since: 1986 (seriously diving for the past 2 years)
Dives: 75+
Why I dive? By Mike Bear
--I dive because I love being weightless and dropping down, down, down into the blue-green abyss below me.........
--I dive because I love seeing the denizens of the deep in their natural habitats........without the barrier of aquarium glass between us.......
I dive because I like swimming through majestic fronds of kelp reaching up from the bottom to the surface, far above, swaying gently in the current, with golden shafts of sunlight streaming down between them.....and watching Blacksmith, Senoritas and Rockfish flit about, gazing at us curiously........
I dive because I enjoy the challenge of looking up at a wave as it breaks over my head, the awesome power of Mother Nature forcing me back a step and showing me who's boss out there.........and the satisfaction of making it past the breakers to the dive site.......and dropping down and watching the sandy bottom slowly rise up towards me..........
I dive because I love to hear the slow hiss and click of the regulator in my ears and the sound of my bubbles racing by me, up towards the surface, as drop ever deeper into darkening silence...........
I dive because I love the sound of an outboard motor rising in rpm's.... taking us out to the dive site and excitement of arriving and peering down into the dark green kelp forest from above, knowing that soon: I will be down there.....and weightless, again.
Favorite Dive Sites:
Bonaire and Florida, with their beautiful coral reefs and brightly colored, tropical fish.
Scripps Canyon, San Diego: because of its steep, vertical drop into the abyss and the Gold and Red Gorgonians glowing brightly like neon in the beam of our lights.
Pt Loma: with its thick fronds of Giant Kelp waving gently in the current and the dozens of species of Kelp Forest residents, everything from black and yellow Treefish, to Giant Sea Stars, to the bright colors of a Spanish Shawl nudibranch to large, Alpha Male Sheephead, the size of small dogs, patrolling about, with their harems of smaller females, following behind.
Number of Years Diving: 8
Number of Dives: +/-750 dives
Preferred Mix: Nitrox
Favorite Marine Life Species: Nudibranch
Why I dive? By Michael King
Being raised watching National Geographic and Jacques Cousteau and going from black and white televisions to color created quite the fascination with the underwater world. Adding to this was the Apollo missions to the moon and being in a weightless environment. Put this all together and Scuba Diving has become the sport that brings it all into focus. I thought about doing it for years and years and finally mustered the nerve to jump in and do it when I was 35. I have since been certified all the way to PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer and hold approximately 12 specialty training ratings. Not content to just see the fascinating underwater world for my self, I started capturing digital images of my diving experiences to share with my family, friends and anyone who wants to look at them! I have always found the underwater experience to be surreal in that you are weightless, moving in 3 dimensions and in a totally alien world with colors and shapes that are completely unimaginable. I rarely have a dive where I do not come back with an encounter or a sight that I have never before experienced. This is what keeps me diving and what draws me back time and time again. It also has pushed me to become an Instructor to “create divers” and change the way they view the ocean and the world as I have been changed.
The greatest thing I have seen while diving: A whale shark swimming by within reach.
My favorite trip or dive site: This one is hard… they are all so different and so interesting… If I have to choose - Philippines - South Pacific diving is like diving in an aquarium with so many fish and different colors.
My favorite San Diego Dive Site: La Jolla Cove - Diving in kelp forests, with black sea bass, sharks, garibaldi and so many other fish it is amazing.
Still want to see or do: Manta Rays, WWII wrecks in Truk Lagoon, Go on a Liveaboard Dive Trip in the South Pacific (Papua New Guinea) and assist in creating new Diver Attraction Devices here in San Diego.
Michael King
PADI - MSDT Dive Instructor 231282
Since 1999 - 8+ years and counting
Dives: Over 400
