Guy Foster and I were scheduled to dive with Beachhopper II at Pt. Lobos today, one last dive to finish off a great year of diving. Well, the forecast deteriorated, the seas were large, and Beachhopper developed steering problems so no dive on December 30th afterall.
So I decided to do my final dive blog for the year and show some of my favorite (not necessarily best...) diving pictures of the year. Here's a link to more:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/eaWn7EiPMvSqm1UV9
My diving this year was lots of Monterey and Carmel Bay diving and two spectacular dive trips. The first to the Revillagegidos Islands (aka Socorro) in April and and the Channel Islands in Southern California in November.
A large, dark lingcod at Fire Rock, off Pescadero Pt. Carmel Bay, in February, to start off the 2018 diving year.
White Dendronotid Nudibranch, about 3 inches long, Fire Rock.
In April I joined a "Ray of Hope" diving expedition to tag Giant Manta Rays in the Revillagigedo Islands about 200 miles south of Cabo San Lucas, it's a day and a half boat cruise to get there. I had a hard time deciding which pictures to show.
Juvenile Whale Shark, Roca Partida, Revillagigedo Islands
Wahoo, a great gamefish, was thrilled to see them and photo them.
Large Yellowfin Tuna, Roca Partida
Almaco, aka Amberjack
Tiger Shark, Tiger Gardens, Revillagigedo Islands
Juvenile Green Sea Turtle
Juvenile Clarion Angelfish
Dos Amigos, Tiger Gardens
Octopus and Grouper cooperatively hunting, Revillagigedo Islands
Guy Foster with Plumrose Anemones, Deep Hopkins Reef
Sea Lion, Deep Hopkin's Reef
In August we received our new Tesla Model 3, "Deep Blue" with extended range battery for nonstop 200 mile drive from Healdsburg to Monterey for early morning dive departures. A blast to drive and the "frunk" in the front is the perfect space to carry two scuba tanks....
Coonstripe Shrimp, Erik's Pinnacle, Sept 2018
Blue Banded Ronquil, Erik's Pinnacle
Yellow Spotted Cadlina, Monolobo, Sept 2018
Leopard Nudibranch, Monolobo
Harbor Seal, Hopkin's Reef
Monolobo seascape, the kelp forest here is finally recovering from the urchin plague which followed the sea star wasting disease which first struck in 2013
Acorn Barnacle, Paint Splatter
Fire Rock Seascape
Greg Hoberg with Blue Rockfish, Pinnacles, Carmel Bay
Greg with Cabezon, Pinnacles
Oil Rig, November Vision trip
California Sheephead, Channel Islands, November 2018
Diving off the seal lion rookeries was incredibly fun.
Black Sea Bass, Torpedo Alley, I had twenty minutes by myself with this magnificent fish, unforgettable.
Mike Williams with many sea lions
Que Pasa?
Happy New Year!
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