Charlie's Diving Blog: December 2016

Based on the latest local marine forecast here on December 27th, I've concluded that my 2016 diving season has come to an end. I had quite a number of good "local" dives in Monterey and Carmel this year with Guy Foster and Greg Hoberg. In June/July I had an outstanding dive trip, a trip I had wanted to take for over thirty years, to Cocos Island off Costa Rico on the Undersea Hunter with Tom Campbell and Beth Davidow. In November I made a dive trip to the Channel Islands on the Vision with Richard Salas, Tom Campbell, and Beth Davidow. Here are my twentyone (why twentyone you ask, good question) favorite uw pictures this year, favorite means just that as opposed to necessarily being what I think were my best pictures. To see my file of 84 favorite dive photos from 2016 please go to: https://goo.gl/photos/8a5XkpYvTh3Mr9teA

As 2016 started the Monterey and Carmel kelp beds - giant, bull, and palm kelp - had been decimated by hordes of sea urchins following the demise of one of their major predators - sea stars - in 2013. Happily as the year wore on many of the kelp beds, with the help of hungry sea otters, were coming back.

This is a very large, beautiful Fish-eating Anemone at Otter Cove.

Tube anemone, Otter Cove, Pacific Grove

Beautiful Cabezon, Mono-lobo, Carmel Bay

Hydra coral forest, Carmel.

Brown Boobie at bait ball, Cocos Island

Dolphin and boobies, bait ball off Cocos Island

The Three Amigos, Yellow Trumpetfish, Golden Snapper, White tipped Reef Shark, Cocos Island

Scalloped Hammerhead, the number one subject at Cocos Island. We saw hundreds!

Scalloped Hammerhead, Cocos Island, approaching a cleaning station.

A huge lurking Tiger Shark, Cocos Island. We saw this shark, some think 14 ft long, others 18 ft, repeatedly on several days of our trip. Beautiful, awesome. There are fewer sea turtles around Cocos Island since the Tigers moved in about five years ago...

Bacalao Grouper and Trumpet Fish, Cocos Island

Pelagic lobster, aka tuna crab, Lover's Point, Pacific Grove
Monterey Bay received several swarms of Pelagic lobsters this year, on one of those days, Guy Foster and I happened to be diving and got to take many pictures of them.