Good dives on the Pinnacles and inside the inner wash rock of Cypress Point September 8, 2022

Greg Hoberg and I took his boat down to just inside Carmel Bay to dive the Pinnacles. We've been very pleased to see how much the kelp has recovered, its maybe 70% of normal now. It's still dominated by Bull Kelp, unlike normal, but Giant Kelp is finally expanding rapidly there, too. We had 35 ft average visibility. 52 degrees depths from 65 ft to 25 ft. Below are some photos from the dive, to see more, go to: https://photos.app.goo.gl/maSoeU1SGiygTfAY7

Above: Olive Rockfish

Above: Treefish Below: Juvenile Black and Yellow Rockfish with anemone and bright white empty mussel shell, no doubt eated by a hungry sea star

Below: Large Ochre Sea Star with my hand for scale. He'd no doubt been eating lots of the mussels whose numbers exploded (along with, unfortunately, sea urchins) after the sea star wasting plague wiped out most of the sea stars 8 years ago.

Above: Hurray! The Pinnacles have a healthy kelp forest again!

Below: Bright white empty mussel shells from recently devoured mussels with a big sea star eating its next one!

Above: Happiness is making a safety stop right under Greg's boat in kelp! Our second dive was off the north side of the inner wash rocks on the north side of Cypress Point (there's a wreck nearby we've dived a couple times but the waves were too rough to want to dive on it). Visibility averaged 20 ft. Lots of Palm Kelp on the bottom, sea urchins only in cracks, where they should be. Below are some photos from this dive, to see more, please go to: https://photos.app.goo.gl/qiVqgSZofQSVNKRC7

Below: We went quite a ways up a long narrow ravine until it reached the wash rock with its breaking waves.

Above: Large Green Anemone. These are only found in water that is usually turbulent so we only see them on calm days.

Above: We had a quick visit by a curious but cautious sea lion.

Above: The only good sized Ling Cod I've seen in several months.

Good dives at Mono-lobo, where we had the company of a Harbor Seal, and at Fire Rock off Pescadero Point August 25, 2022

Last Thursday Greg Hoberg and I caught another calm day and took his boat down to Carmel Bay for dives at Mono-lobo and at Fire Rock off Pescadero Point. On the way we were encouraged at the continued recovery of Giant and Bull Kelp on the Pinnacles. The water didn't look real clear at the Pinnacles so we went on across Carmel Bay to Mono-lobo which is right on the edge of the Carmel Canyon (a branch of Monterey Canyon) and frequently has clearer water due to upwelling. Visibility was quite good at Mono-lobo, ranging from 40 to 25 ft, water temp was 50 degrees and the kelp forest continues to be about 2/3 rds of its normal extent. We were entertained by a curious Harbor Seal for much of our dive. Below are some photos from this dive, for more, please go to: https://photos.app.goo.gl/itLLzSwpVEU3JTE7A

Above: Gopher Rockfish and a large Vermilion Rockfish

Above, Egg Yolk Jellyfish. Below, Greg with Egg Yolk Jellyfish

A curious adult sized Harbor Seal joined us for much of the dive (above and below):

Safety stops are better in a kelp forest! Our second dive was on colorful (underwater) Fire Rock off Pescadero Point. Visibility was 20 to 25 ft. The kelp foest is recovering well between Fire Rock and shore but there are still large areas of urchin barrens off the eastern face of Fire Rock. Below are some photos from this dive, for more, please go to: https://photos.app.goo.gl/wUbrq9qnFMoCqaiy7

Above: Though the kelp is slowly recovering on the shore (northwestish) side of Fire Rock, there are still way too many sea urchins and urchin barrens.

Above: The wask rock off Pescadero Point is known as Fire Rock because of the very colorful, dense, inbertebrate life on its rocks.

Above: After the sea star wasting disease in 2013 in addition to the resulting plague of sea urchins due to the disapperance of their major predators, there was also an explosion in mussels because the large starfish which decimate them, were gone. Now large starfish are back on the scene. Above is an entire rock face which had been filled with mussels but is now stripped. The second photo is the huge pile of mussel shells on the bottom below it.

Above: Until it moves its almost impossible to see the decorator crab right above the sea urchn on the left, encrusted in sponge.

Above: Another well camouflaged decorator crab Below: More views of the seascape of Fire Rock. The visibility wasn't excellent but the natural light was much better than normal because of the surrounding urchin barrens.

Deeply chilled it was time to call it a day!