Charlie's Diving Blog: Two Good Dives in Monterey Bay August 10, 2017

Last Thursday Greg Hoberg and I went diving from his RIB Zodiac inside Monterey Bay. Though the swell was tiny there were small craft warnings for the afternoon and we decided not to risk getting beat up by the wind chop going down to Carmel Bay and back. Greg had just picked up his new Panasonic camera and Nauticam UW case from Backscatter and was eager to start taking pictures from it. Inside Monterey Bay there is currently a 15 to 25 ft thick upper layer of heavy plankton bloom which is chock full of stinging Purple Sea Nettle jellyfish. Happily, we are covered head to toe in heavy wetsuits so we only suffered minor stings on our lips, forehead, and on my wrists when I pulled up the anchor after the first dive... Also fortunately, under the heavy armada of jellyfish and plankton the water is quite clear, easily 20 to 30 ft of visibility. Water temp at the bottom for both dives was an average temp of 53 degrees.

Our first dive was at an area near Eric's Pinnacle called "Inner Chase Reef". We selected the dive spot by anchoring near some still rare, but slowly recovering, Giant Kelp. It seems the sea urchin hordes are gradually getting thinned by sea otters and by Spiny and Ochre Sea Stars. Below are some pictures from this dive, more can be found at:
https://goo.gl/photos/eiHNjgzKdS1S2y3E8

As we started down, there was limited visibility and hordes of Purple Striped Sea Nettles. I got stung on my forehead (only a flesh wound), Greg on his lips.

Happily, at the bottom, the visibility opened right up, making it easy to keep track of each other. Greg got right to work with his new camera setup.

Several smallish Lingcod curiously watch as we moved around taking pictures.

There were lots of sad husks of dead Giant Kelp holdfasts scattered across the rocks, still too many sea urchins, still out in the open instead of only surviving when hidden in cracks as is normally the case. But the growing Spiny Sea Stars are eating the sea urchins as are the Sea Otters.

Here a Spiny Sea Star has engulfed a sea urchin in order to devour it. If you look closely at the arm on the right you can see a Painted Greenling comfortably parked.

Here's a zoomed in look at the Spiny Sea Star leg and the resting Painted Greenling.

Black Eyed Goby rose off the bottom, perhaps to investigate his reflection on my wide angle camera dome.

Copper or possibly a Gopher Rockfish

Olive Rockfish

Chestnut Cowry with its mantle fully out covering its shiny white and brown shell.

Greg taking photos of close White Metridium Sea Anemones. They are probably well fed from thick plankton. If you look above Greg towards the surface you can just make out the dense armada of Purple Striped Sea Nettles above us.

Yes, I would say there was a plethora of Purple Sea Nettles. Blue Rockfish feed on them.

Count the Purple Striped Sea Nettles. There were literally millions of them.

After our first dive we made a brief spin off shore a quarter mile and saw a Humpback whale. Our second dive was just off the North tip of Lover's Point in Pacific Grove at an area we hadn't dived before. Again we anchored near sparse but slowly recovering Giant Kelp. Below are some photos from this dive, more can be seen at:
https://goo.gl/photos/S7i3CLAnR7TMYsjEA

I'm always glad to see abalone. They are always back in cracks in Monterey because they are a Sea otter delicacy.

Do you see it? I wouldn't have either if it hadn't moved. The well camouflaged decorator crab is right in the center of the picture.

It's easier to see the crab when it moves across some encrusting sponges.

Top, Spotted Rose Anemone, bottom, Green Anemone (not to be confused with a Giant Green Anemone found in turbulent rocky areas as opposed to calm areas like here).