Some Vis At Little Corona Del Mar

Skin Dive#:016
Tues Jun 24, 08
Little Corona Del Mar: sand, eel grass, kelp, tide pools
Purpose: experience the spot with visibility
Tide: High @ 2:40 pm
Entry: sand @ 1:30 pm
Distance: out to kelp in middle of cove then to the rocks on right
Gear: 5/3suit, mask, snorkel, fins, socks, hood, gloves
Temp: Air 80 F?/Water 68 F?
Enviroment: sunny, light wind, 1-3 ft breaks
Visibilty: 4-8 ft
Conditions Synopsis: poor+/fair
Sights: garibaldi, treefish, senorita, bait fish, opaleye, surfperch, snails, kelp crab
Exit: same @ 2:00 pm., then into tide pools

Time to date: 11 hrs 45 min
Total time this dive: 30 min
Total time: 12 hrs 15 min

Special Notes: I had the privelage to be down in Newport Beach yesterday and waited around until the tide approached high. I noticed earlier in the day that Little Corona was calm so I went back there for my skin dive opposed to some places further down the coast in Laguna that had moderate breaks. So, I lugged down the trail and briefed with the lifeguard and took some time to walk through the rocky shores with my girlfriend. She wore some hard soled slippers and waded into small tide pools. I got geared up for snorkeling. I decided to take the easy entrance in the middle of the cove and see what the vis would allow to see. I swam about 50 yards out and saw thick kelp, swam through the thickness on my sides and it felt sort of foreign so I swam north out of the kelp and began to see eel grass and rocks in areas I previously saw nothing in prior dives with minimal vis. The eel grass looked inviting so I put my gloves into it's blades and looked around. I swam over to the rocky area on the north side and the kelp was minimal so I felt more comfortable and saw a lone garibaldi and several small fish and even a friendly orange crab. The current pushed me around and a had fun seeing the bottom this time. The vis wasn't great, but I enjoyed myself and the things I did see. I exited in the middle with a help from a break and then took off my soft slippers and put on my hard ones and walked into the deep tide pools to the south now without fins. Here I snorkeled without fins in the waves and saw treefish and opaleye in about 1 to 5 ft deep water. That was fun. I stood up when strong little breaks would of pushed me into a rock or crevice. Under the small waves I held onto the rocks with my gloves. The vis was good and I enjoyed the pool like setting. I wrapped it up and we were off.

Revisit to Lil Corona Del Mar

Below: a seal pops up to say, "Hi" upon waiting for the sets to calm


Skin Dive#:005
Sat May 12, 08
Little Corona Del Mar: sand
Tide: High @ 4:45 pm
Entry: sand @ 5:15 pm
Distance: 50 yrds out
Gear: spring suit, mask, snorkel, socks, hood
Temp: Air 68 F/Water 58-60 F
Enviroment: overcast, 3-4 ft waist breaks with 5ft chest standouts, choppy, strong surge
Visibilty: 0-5 ft
Sights: seal
Exit: sand @ 5:30 pm

Time to date: 3 hrs 15 min
Total time this dive: 15 min
Total time: 3 hrs 30 min

Special Notes: I stood on the beach for about 20 minutes studying the sets. I then dipped in and swam out a little ways near the bouy. I saw no life except right before I slipped on my last fin in the shallow entrance a seal popped up 10 ft away to say Hi. All in all the dive was tiring but, very worthwhile because now I will appreciate a flat, calm ocean even more.

Little Dip At Little Corona del Mar

LITTLE CORONA DEL MAR


Skin Dive#:002
Sun April 13, 08
Little Corona Del Mar: sand
Tide: High @ 6:30 pm
Entry: sand @ 4:30 pm
Distance: 70 yrds out
Gear: spring suit, mask, snorkel
Temp: Air 85 F/Water 58 F
Enviroment: hot, sunny, light wind, 1-2 ft ankle breaks, flat, slight surge
Visibilty: 0-5 ft
Conditions Synopsis: Poor
Sights: nothing
Exit: sand @ 5 pm

Time to date: 1 hrs 30 min
Total time this dive: 30 min
Total time: 2 hrs

Special Notes: The water visibilty was extremely poor, all I saw was dead kelp a foot in front of me. On my exit from the shore I walked backward over medium rocks with my fins on. It was maybe the highlight of the dip. The water was colder than Malaga Cove. The air temperature was even more hot.