Final Two Dives of the Season with Sanctuary on the Pinnacles December 30, 2017

Guy Foster and I had two good dives with excellent visibility on the Pinnacles.  We enjoyed very calm seas on the ride down and saw a Humpback Whale on the way down.  You know you've got clear water when you can see the top of the Pinnacle 25 ft below as the boat is maneuvering to anchor.  We made two dives on the Pinnacle because it was too ideal to bother moving to another location.  We had lots of Cabezon, several protecting eggs, and several Lingcod.  Water temp was 53, visibility from 30 - 50 ft.

                     Guy dropping down on the Pinnacle with a distant sea lion escort behind him.

Guy gets a shot on the sharp cliffside of the pinnacle.

 One of several lingcod we saw on these two dives, this is a real beauty.

                                               Male California Sheephead, saw one of these on last weeks dives, too.  There are certainly many sea urchins for it to munch on at the Pinnacles.

 A large male Cabezon is guarding his mate's eggs, which are the dark masses underneath him.  When male Cabezons are guarding eggs they are very reluctant to move so if you move slowly and carefully you can get closeups.  The Pinnacles are a marine sanctuary so there is a very healthy population of Cabezon and Lingcod on it.

                                         Sea Lemon or Monterey Dorid Nudibranch

 Back to the Sanctuary at the end of our first dive.  It's great the Pinnacles have some Bull Kelp again despite the hordes of sea urchins.

Guy getting a shot of a black Cabezon, it's the first time I've seen a Cabezon use this dark color, I think it was because of the very dark kelp it was lying in.

Another Cabezon guarding eggs, in the foreground in front of the hydro coral.

For more pictures from this dive, please go to:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZYbEo4HdIz8ljsUJ2