Good Dive at Monolobo and a fun dive with playful, curious, rambunctious sea lions at Fire Rock March 31, 2021

 Greg Hoberg and I took advantage of very nice sea conditions to take his boat from the Coast Guard Breakwater launch ramp around the Monterey Peninsula for two dives in Carmel Bay.  We had a fast ride down to Carmel Bay, we saw numerous Risso's dolphins in Monterey Bay on our way out.  Soon after we rounded Cypress Point into Carmel Bay we spotted a pair of Gray Whales, probably a mom and her calf, sticking close to shore, hoping to evade the Orca's that are in the area to eat the new calves. Next we saw numerous Risso's dolphins as we sped across Carmel Bay to Monolobo for our first dive.  We were pleased to see a fairly healthy kelp bed at Monolobo, probably about half of its normal full size but some of this was probably due to storm damage rather than the ravages of sea urchins.  We started our dive and enjoyed the visibility of about 40 ft but we sure noticed the 45 degree temperature as well.  There had been days of strong NW winds ahead of our trip so doubtless there was a large upwelling in the bay.  I was very happy that my new DUI drysuit kept me dry!  We were pleased to see no urchins out in the open so the sea otters have kept them in check in the kelp forest.  We saw far fewer rockfish, no lingcod, and only one small Cabezon.  The fish population at Monolobo has seemed very diminished for the last several dives we've made there both last year and this.  It's a protected preserve so I have no idea why.  

Here's a few pictures from this dive, to see more, please go to:https://photos.app.goo.gl/rdv8MqS3uqBtE8f9A

An Ohdner's Nudibranch

                                  Monolobo has some excellent hydro coral.

                                 Greg getting a closeup of a Gopher Rockfish

                                      Black and Yellow Rockfish

We took a ride out into Carmel Bay and saw lots of Risso's dolphins.  Then we headed up to Pescadero Point and the wash rock off it, at the entrance to Stillwater Bay, known as Fire Rock.  As we headed towards the rock we saw a lot of objects on the surface where, in normal times, there would be a dense giant kelp forest.  At first we thought it was the heads of Bull Kelp on the surface but it didn't look right, then, as we neared our preferred anchoring spot off the rock we realized it was a large pack of California Sea Lions with their flippers held up in the air.  We started our dive expecting to see some of them and we weren't disappointed, we were entertained by them for 36 minutes, based on the time of my sea lion pictures.  Below are some pictures from this dive, to see many more sea lion pictures please go to: https://photos.app.goo.gl/dMDaTPE93z8KXu7eA

                      Here's Greg with one of our first visitors on the dive.  I didn't realize that the water was clear enough to get sunlight saturation when shooting towards the him.  The sea lions come in fast so you have to point and shoot quick, at least, that's how things started out....later, not so much.

                               A quick, startling, dive bomber.

As we proceeded with our dive along Fire Rock's reef we soon had lots of company, here's Greg with new friends.  Sea lions really do act like a pack of puppy dogs playing together, wrestling and playfully biting each other and making surprise dashes at us.

Soon, we were mobbed!  Here's Greg with a bunch of curious, rambunctious, playful, visitors.

      It was a challenge to get the lighting even remotely decent..

 

                       Greg and new friend.

                          Sometimes they'd briefly stop and pose!

            

                In the midst of all the sea lion action, Greg looked down and spotted a well camouflaged Cabezon watching the action.  Can you spot it?  His camera is pointed right at it, look over one quarter of the photo width from the left and up one quarter from the bottom.

                   Greg getting a close up of the Cabezon's face.

I had to get a closeup of the Cabezon's face, too.

Coastguard Breakwater March 26, 2021

 Yesterday Guy Foster and I drove down to Monterey.  First we visited Bamboo Reef and picked up my brand new DUI drysuit, eagerly awaited for the last four months (2 months overdue..).  Well, I hadn't really been seriously trying to dive since last November because of the awful third wave of the pandemic...Next, we went to the breakwater for a shore dive.  We finally shuffled across the sand into the surf which periodically had 3 ft breakers.  Guy was eager to try out his new dive camera that he'd bought last fall but hadn't had a chance to use yet.  It was great to get back into the water after so many months, though conditions were not at all ideal.  We had 10-15 ft of visibility at the start of the dive, it gradually improved to about 20 ft.  Water temp was 49 degrees.  It was great to be in a dry drysuit!  The dive was enjoyable and uneventful.  I was glad to see giant kelp, large spiny sea stars and not one single sea urchin out in the open, so the sea otters and sea stars and occasional California Sheepshead were keeping there numbers down at the breakwater.  

Here's some pictures from our dive, for more, please go to:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Anr9hiyXo2U6Y4uW9

Guy with his new camera, you can see that the visibility isn't stellar.

                                   Strawberry Anemones

                           Tube Anemone and Bat Star

                            Guy taking shots with his new camera and new viewfinder.

                                         I was happy to see several large Spiny Sea Stars.  And no urchins!

           Colony of transparent tunicates (sea squirts).

                          Guy's new camera set up including Richard Salas style strobe arms.

                            Several kinds of perch as we approached the surfline.

Count the sand dollars!

                                   Half Moons

Next was our surf exit.  It was a washing machine!  We were as graceful as beached whales!  Sand everywhere, and I do mean, everywhere.

Here's my new DUI dry suit with built in boots. It fits very well, despite my "Covid19, lbs that is..."

                 Removal, integrated gloves, removable latex neck seal, built in boots that fit!  Also, you may see the all important, for long boat outings, pee zipper, which is a custom installation and caused a two month delay on getting my suit.

Here's the main zipper.  Very much simpler in construction that the conventional zippers in dry suits.  This one seems to rely on precision plastic and, I must confess, I'm a bit mystified that it works!  Hope it does for years to come....

Monolobo Friday, November 13, 2020

 Greg Hoberg and I caught a very calm day and took his boat down to Monolobo in Carmel Bay.  We saw Risso's dolphins over the Carmel trench as we crossed the Bay to Monolobo.  After our dive, we spent some time near them with Greg's boat and were rewarded with some nice viewing of a juvenile albino Risso's that the whale watch vessels have been showing pictures of for some time.  Below are some photos from our dive, to see the rest, please go to:

 https://photos.app.goo.gl/oEwzNGvYNT1Qmi8g8  

We had an average of about 35 ft of visibility, water temperature at depth was 49 degrees.  My drysuit zipper, despite lots of attention, leaked again.  I'm buying a new drysuit, I got this one very cheap and it was manufactured in 2006 and I've decided not to invest $638 to replace its leaky zippers...We saw one ling cod and one Cabezon, still much less than usual, I'm hoping they are just late coming into the shallows where we dive this year.  We were visited by curious sea lions a couple times but the visits were sudden and quick so I didn't get any really good photos but did get a couple ok ones.

Monolobo has great rock structure, mini-walls, and canyons, it is a spectacular dive site, especially now that its kelp forest has largely regrown.

    Greg with a Treefish rockfish.

    A couple of sea lions buzzing us from above.

       Gopher Rockfish

                        I think this Vermilion Rockfish roams this huge site and just visits us during our dives.

     Olive Rockfish

Three more visiting sea  lions.