Dives at Chatona (sp)#829 and McAbee Pinnacle #830 with Beachhopper II March 15, 2025

Guy Foster and I dived with Beachhopper II last Saturday. We were very pleased to catch a nice day with sunshine instead of rain but a fair sized sea was running so we had a bit of surge all the way down past 60 ft even though we were deep in Monterey Bay. This was my first dive at a new site called Chatona, which is a large rock formation with Metridium (aka Plumrose) anemones. Visibility was 3 to 6 ft and it was very dark since the top of the site is at 65ft and I was sometimes at about 80 ft. My new Backscatter Strobe, which worked spendidly for my numberous dives in the Maldives, for some reason was dead even though I had test fired it at home as I always do. Fortunately, my 18 year old INON continued its reliable performance. After getting home from our dives I opened up my Backscatter Strobe, found the batteries to still be completely charged and then did several iterations of removing and adding the batteries with the strobe usually, but not always, working. Don't know what is causing the intermittent results....Below are a few pictures from this dark cold limited visibility but still enjoyable dive, for a few more go to: https://photos.app.goo.gl/yUGfyRKm15N2tRXx6 This site has lots of Metridium (aka Plumrose) Sea Anemones, below:

Below: Kelp Rockfish

I did see a Cabezon, my favorite California fish subject, and managed to get a couple photos, below:

Our second dive was on McAbee Pinnacle and visibility was significantly better, around 15 ft, and light was better thanks to shallower depth with better visibility and sand bottom around the site reflecting light. Below are some photos from the dive, to see more, please go to: https://photos.app.goo.gl/v4yDHqfFjQmWCJLQA Guy hunting for a subject, below:

Below: Sand Rose Anemone

Black Eyed Goby perched on an Orange Bat Star, below:

Below: A well camouflaged Painted Greenling next to a Tube Anemone

Dense invertebrate life. Giant Acorn Barnacles with Strawberry Anemones with Metridium in the background, below:

Below: Yellow Nudibranch

' Above: Female Kelp Greenling Below: One of the two large Lingcod I was pleased to see on the dive. I also saw a large California Sheepshead but didn't get a picture.

Strawberry Anemones with Bat Stars, below: