Very good dives at Mono-lobo and off the Frank Lloyd Wright House August 2, 2017

Greg Hoberg and I took advantage of very calm conditions to speed down to Carmel Bay for two dives last Wednesday.  We had 20 to 25 ft visibility with 52 degree temp.  We were very pleased to see more and more kelp just about everywhere we went.  Fewer sea urchins areletting the palm, bull, and giant kelp recover.

Below are some photos from our monolobo dive, for more, please go to:
https://goo.gl/photos/p7qXrCbuB2CByros8

                                Greg with a Vermilion Rockfish, we anchored in 60 ft of water. At the seaward edge of the kelp bed.

                                                  Red Rock Crab

         Hydrocoral with a sea anemone in which a Painted Greenling shelters, if you look closely.

                                              Juvenile Painted Greenling sheltering in a sea anemone

                  Juvenile Painted Greenling parked on a sea anemone, the only local fish I know of that does this.

                                     San Diego Dorid Nudibranch

     Greg and a passing Lingcod

                                         Large Sheep Crab

                                          Juvenile Wolf Eel, the same one we found a week earlier, I believe.

                                                  Orange filter feeding Sea Cucumbers

                                Male Kelp Greenling

                             I'm so happy to see growing stands of Bull Kelp again!
     

Between dives we went for a spin offshore in Greg's boat and saw a pod of Dalls Porpoises, briefly, they seemed to sound as we approached.

Our second dive was off the Frank Lloyd Wright house in Carmel Bay, also known as the "Copper Top Roof " house.  It's getting a new roof right now.  It is interesting to see the kelp starting to recover in this area.  The area we dived is normally virtually unreachable by boat because of the density of the Giant Kelp Bed but right now the bed is very minimal and Bull Kelp right now is dominant in the area formerly dominated by Giant Kelp.  Below are some pictures from our dive.  Many more at:
https://goo.gl/photos/bPgA2mEDodSZAHDh8

Olive Rockfish and large rock structure with kelp off the Frank Lloyd Wright House, great light and good visibility!

                           See the Sculpin in the foreground?  I think it is a Scalyhead Sculpin.

    Horned Nudibranch. About three to four inches long.   Not bad for a wide angle lens photo.

                                              Coralline Sculpin, his head looked dark brown in natural light.  Wish I had thought to shoot a natural light of him...

                                Horned Nudibranch, aka Opalescent Nudibranch, Hemissendra Crassicornis

                                                Kelp, glorious kelp!  At last the plague of urchins is fading.

                                Cabezon with Greg maneuvering for a shot.

                                                  Lingcod and kelp!

                                        Beautiful Bull Kelp at our safety stop, wonderful that it is back!