Vision Trip Favorites November 5-10, 2018

This blog is a collection of favorites from the great six day trip on the Vision out of Santa Barbara from November 5th through the 10th.  This is the third year in a row I've been on this trip organized by Richard Salas.  Richard has a great group doing this trip and I'm glad I'm part of it.  I've had such a good time on these trips that I'm taking next November's nine day trip and I'm also planning on taking Richard's upcoming trip to God's Pocket the end of this coming March.  This trip included Santa Barbara Island, an oil rig dive off Long Beach, Catalina Island, San Clemente Island, back to Santa Barbara Island after a rough night crossing, and the furthest west Channel Island, San Miguel Island.  Several of the dives were especially memorable with Sea Lions and with a Black Sea Bass, I will never forget them.

Here's the link to my selected favorite shots from this trip:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/SnE4MXW7J4hBpEAH8

 This is the Vision returning to Santa Barbara Harbor at 5 pm, finishing a trip.  The crew turned around the boat and we were able to load up at 8 pm for a midnight departure.

Here's the Richard and his group of divers as we were cruising back into port at the end of our fabulous trip.  Great sea conditions, great crew, great food, great company.

                               California Sheepshead, Sutil Island off Santa Barbara Island

Giant Kelpfish, well camouflaged in Giant Kelp, while I was making my safety stop under the stern of the Vision.  See it?  1/3 in from left, 1/3rd up from bottom, about 14 inches long.

                                        School of Half Moons at the Arch.

We dived both of this pair of oil platforms, we had exceptional visibility, calm seas, only a slight current, and a sunny day, perfect.

The oil rigs form artificial reefs with amazing invertebrate life density thanks to the flow of water through the structure, here with my favorite California fish, the Cabezon.

I love the light on this Perch of some kind with the colorful Strawberry Anemones behind it.

    Lots of fish in this San Clemente seascape.

I had two remarkable dives at the Sea Lion rookery on Santa Barbara Island, this Sea Lion demonstrated that he could blow bubbles just like I kept doing!

                          Sea Lions (and Harbor Seals) love to tug on your fins.

Calico Bass with beautiful purple Hydro Coral at Purple Hydro Coral Reef, Santa Barbara Island

I had 17 minutes, based on my photo times, alone with this magnificent Black Sea Bass.  I mainly just spun in one position as he repeatedly passed me.

                            More fun with the usual suspects, Castle Rock, San Miguel Island

    I think I heard him say, in the bubble above, Que Pasa?

                               Spanish Shawl, Wyckoff Ledge, San Miguel Island

                               California Scorpionfish, Richardson Rock, San Miguel Island

Dives with Sanctuary on Fire Rock and Paint Splatter, November 17, 2018

Guy Foster and I had two good dives with Sanctuary on Fire Rock, off Pescadero Point, in Carmel Bay and on a newly named dive site a couple hundred yards west of Erik's Pinnacle in Monterey Bay called Paint Splatter for the brightly colored encrusting sponge on the huge rocks found on this site.
We had visibility that averaged around 35 ft on both sites and 56 degree water temperature.  My drysuit is getting a new latex neck seal installed and I found returning to my wetsuit after a week of Channel Islands diving very chilling!

Below are some photos from Fire Rock, where Guy was diving and attempting first photos with a new "snoot" for backlighting subjects, for more, please go to: https://photos.app.goo.gl/rrKZWqb91WRiyr528

Guy with his new snoot on one of his new long armed strobes.

                        Snub Nosed Sculpin with one of the still too many purple urchins denuding many of the rocks around Fire Rock.  The kelp is, however, gradually recovering there.

Paint Splatter is an excellent name for this beautiful new dive site.  Here are some shots from this dive, more can be seen at:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/q5th6J4zVkKctrZY8

It's uncommon to be able to find two Cabezon at the same time, see them?  Their camouflage is not as effective when illuminated by my strobe's flash.

                             Blue Banded Ronquil, about 5 inches long.

Male Kelp Greenling with more brightly colored encrusting sponge.

             Guy surfacing with his intricate snoot with long strobe arms contraption as we wrapped up our dive.

Vision trip day six, Richardson Rock and Wilson's Rock November 10, 2018

We finished off our wonderful six day trip on the Vision with dives on Richardson Rock and Wilson's Rock off San Miguel Island.  Conditions continued to be calm and it was almost like a lake crossing back to Santa Barbara after our morning dives.  Below are some photos from my dive on Richardson Rock, for more please go to:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/cYtUATWy5xdNaag99

I wish I had also taken a natural light photo of this California Scorpion Fish to better show his superb camouflage.  He stands out reasonably well when illuminated by my strobe's flash, right?

    California Scorpion Fish

Richardson Rock has huge rock structures, here I'm looking up from about 60ft at the Vision and a descending diver.

A spiny sea star is getting ready to chow down on his next mussel.  Right now, I suspect as a result of the sea star wasting disease, Richardson Rock is covered in vast areas of crowded mussels, I think this will change dramatically as the sea stars recover.

Dense invertebrate life, with beautiful cowries, with the Vision in the background.

I found a napping octopus tucked back in a crevice.

                                  Aggregating Anemones

Intensely crowded groups of mussels.  Usually diving near these as shallow depths would be challenging with the sea surge but is was nearly dead calm the morning we were there.

Incredibly colorful, rich, invertebrate life.

 A day without sea lions, naw!

                                 Ochre Star devouring a mussle.

Our next dive site was Wilson's Rock, the next stop west of this small mountain peak is the Hawaiian Islands!  Below are some pictures from this dive, for more, please go to:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/34hoYK9tFqyvk9Wx7

                                A pink lipped Treefish

                                 Gopher Rockfish with white Metridium senile and Strawberry Anemones

Wilson's Rock, the top of an undersea mountain.  After the final dive of the trip, I tore the aging latex neck seal on my drysuit while taking it off, fortunately it waited until the end of this glorious trip!  It's now with Cricket at Monterey Otter Bay Wetsuits and Drysuits for replacement.