Greg Hoberg and I had two very good dives on Tuesday. Seas were very calm and the weather was sunny. We saw many Gray Whales and were entertained by a group of 500 common dolphins that came and played in our wake and under our bow as we cruised past Point Lobos. Below are a few pictures from the dive at Yankee Point wash rock, to see more, please go to :
https://plus.google.com/photos/110159573286645489662/albums/6101472671587796849?authkey=CImQ07bp-f3RuAE
For the second time, ever, the first time being our dive trip a week and a half ago, I found mussels clinging to a rock down 30 ft or so. Normally mussels don't survive below the low tide level because sea stars devour them. Sea stars were devastated by sea star wasting virus and now there are hordes of sea urchins obliterating our giant kelp, bull kelp, and palm kelp.
Greg getting a shot of a small cabezon.
Happily, there were a few ochre and knobby sea stars around, hope their numbers recover to normal.
Just above the lavender colored ochre sea star in the upper center of the picture is a small abalone out in the open. You don't normally see this because abalone in the open are annihilated by hungry sea otters. I suspect the abalone is forced out in the open to find algae to graze due to competition with hordes of sea urchins. In the past you also only saw sea urchins in nooks and crannies because of sea otters but their numbers have exploded since the sea star wasting virus decimated sea stars.
Diving this site is only feasible in exceptionally calm seas. You know you are diving in an area with frequently turbulent water when you see Giant Green Anemones.
Our second dive was off Ghost Tree near Pescadero Point in Carmel Bay. As on the first dive we had 57 degree water, well above the long term average of 52 degrees and it sure makes doing a couple of long dives a lot more comfortable for old knuckle dragging wetsuit users like us. We were able to anchor Greg's Zodiac RIB in near shore where normally thick giant kelp beds would keep us out. Below are a few pictures from this dive, for more, please go to the link to see more:
https://plus.google.com/photos/110159573286645489662/albums/6101472991760193025?authkey=CJ_fqMHzvMLnsQE
A cabezon guarding his eggs. Male cabezon guard the eggs the female lays.
This area has great large rock structures, a blast to dive in clear, bright, conditions.
The giant kelp has been greatly reduced nearly everywhere and especially at this site. I did a double take when I swam past the kelp holdfast for one of the lonely remaining stands of giant kelp. The holdfast is full of small sea urchins (small sea urchins are normally eaten by sea stars whose numbers were decimated by the sea star wasting virus last year) just munching away. This kelp strand won't last long.
A cabezon and a rockfish in palm kelp, Greg in the background.
Greg is getting a shot of a lingcod.
One of the few remaining stands of Giant Kelp in the area, may it endure.
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