Vision Diving Trip, Santa Catalina Island, Monday, Nov 6

I've just returned from a six day diving trip on the Vision dive boat out of Santa Barbara, November 6 -11.  Sunday, Nov 5 I spent driving from Healdsburg to the boat, 402 miles, 7 hours, in order to board the boat for our 10 pm departure.  I woke up just before dawn to find the Vision was approaching Santa Catalina, it has been too rough to overnight at Santa Barbara Island.  Our first two dive sites at Santa Catalina were Shiprock for the first dive then Bird Rock for two day dives and a night dive.  We had 60 ft of visibility at Shiprock, 64 degrees at the surface, a cooler 59 degrees at 80 ft.  I spent a lot of time shallow on this dive because it was bright, beautiful, and there was no sea surge.

It had been a year since I was in the Garibaldi's territory so I once again shot way too many pictures of the perky damselfish.

It was great to dive shallow with bright light and no swell and thus no sea surge.

A sea urchin with bluebanded gobies, a pretty, colorful fish found in the Channel Islands but not up in Monterey and Carmel where I usually dive.

Yellow Zooanthids (a type of sea anemone), sea urchin, and more bluebanded gobies.  I only used my wide angle fish eye 10-17 mm lens on this trip so I'm pretty pleased with my pictures of small subjects without using my 60 mm macro lens.

Shiprock, from my wet camera case on the deck of the Vision at the end of my dive.  To see more pictures from this dive, please go to:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/JTnlF0tg4X7iTcBA3

Bird Rock, Santa Catalina Island

                                          Bird Rock, Santa Catalina Island

                                          Red Gorgonia

The Bird Rock site has a long winding plateau ringed with swim throughs and grottoes, it is beautiful.

Lots of small spiny lobsters on this site.  I saw a couple legal sized lobsters on my night dive but didn't bother catching them, expecting to encounter larger ones on later dives...but never did...

This dive also has beautiful kelp stands and a plethora of fish.

I'm really pleased with this Garibaldi letting me photo his "good side" with the Vision and its inflatable skiff on the surface in the background.  For more pictures from this dive please go to:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/IlW5quZm5ZhsIuSw1

Bird Island, 2nd Dive

  I was occasionally dive bombed by curious sea lions, I'm thrilled by this photo I managed to get of one, it's a great action shot, he's well lit, you can clearly see both flippers out to allow him to make a tight turn.

Yes, I would say there were a plethora of Blacksmiths!

                                          Golden Gorgonia

                                         Another grotto at Bird Island.

A Giant Kelpfish (perhaps immature) cleaning (I think, I've read that they clean Giant Black Sea Bass) a Garibaldi.

    An adult Giant Kelpfish.  Before this trip I had only encountered Giant Kelpfish twice in my forty years of diving Monterey and Carmel, on this trip I encountered Giant Kelpfish on several dives.

To see more photos from this dive please go to: https://photos.app.goo.gl/8gQmBVTdrwaLQA9C3

Juvenile California Spiny Lobsters on my first night dive of the trip.

                                     Horned Shark, the first one I've photo'd, I think.

                                       Spiny Lobster with some sleepy Blacksmiths.

                                          Scorpionfihs

To see more from this dive please go to: https://photos.app.goo.gl/MekvnPIXlFXLGk8q2