seaschralped: adventures in so. california skin diving

August 25, 2008

Summer Fun Day With Friends Pt. 2 - Haggerty's

Skin Dive#:028
Sun August 17, 08
Haggerty's
Purpose: have fun with friends
Tide:
Gear: 5/3 suit, mask, snorkel, boots, gloves
Temp: Air 72 F/Water 65 F?
Enviroment: sunny, 1 -2 ft breaks
Visibilty: 5-8ft
Conditions Synopsis: poor
Sights: giant kelp fish, lobster, kelp crab, opaleye, perch

Time to date: 20 hrs 15 min
Total time this dive: 30 min
Total time: 20 hrs 45 min

Special Notes: After our dip at Christmas Tree Cove we headed over to Haggerty's. We all hiked to the spot from the pved trail by the Yacht Club. We talked about how it's strange that they call it a yacht club even tho there are no actual yachts. On the walk we passed lobster shells strwen in the rocks. Probably shed by the lobsters I explained. The tide was about mid tide and the rocks were slippery as we approached the great Haggerty's wall. I pointed out the pilings and Dave and I went in. I first went in and told him it's worth it even tho the visibility is very bad... I saw a lobster and a crab within the first few minutes. He came in and we swam about. Over the next half hour I tried mercifully to stay above a lobster while I called him over to view it. The waves were rolling in slightly and the view under water changed constantly with rushign blades of eel grass and heavy kelp stalks. I couldn't manage to get him to see a lobster. He said he saw a really cool fish with blades and spines and such... a scorpion or sculpin we decided later. Out here I also so a giant kelp fish, wich wasn't giant at all. I've seen one here before, and now I know what it was exactly... They are yellowish and shaped like a kelp blade. We got out and sat around and then went to eat seafood at Captain Kidd's!

Summer Fun Day With Friends Pt. 1

Skin Dive#:027
Sun August 17, 08
Christmas Tree Cove
Purpose: have fun with friends
Tide:
Gear: 5/3 suit, mask, snorkel, socks, gloves, fins
Temp: Air 72 F/Water 60 F?
Enviroment: sunny, 1 -2 ft breaks
Visibilty: 10-15ft
Conditions Synopsis: fair
Sights: garibaldi, opaleye, kelp bass, octopus, senorita

Time to date: 19 hrs 45 min
Total time this dive: 30 min
Total time: 20 hrs 15 min

Special Notes: My girlfriend and I met up with our friends Dave and Jessica who drove down from Silverlake. They brought their masks and snorkels and were excited to go for a swim and see some things. We all got in the car and drove the coast route over to Christmas Tree Cove. I built up the place with my stories of fish and findings. When we got there it looked decent from the top so we hiked down and divied up the gear. Dave and I got in. The water was cold! Also, the water was very green and brown from all this dead plant matter and junk. The usual perch that previously always hung out at the cobblestones seemed to not be around and there was just less fish life in general as we swam up the left side. I saw an octopus and tried to get Dave to peep it but, it was hard to relocate the devil. Jess swam out to us, no wetsuit, no fins and we swam around and enjoyed the water. After a bit we swam to the middle of the cove and looked around in a new section of kelp growth. The water was murky. We eventually got out and lounged a bit and decided to drive over to Haggerty's.