Deep-Sea Sherpa » Dive Report

August 15, 2010 – Pictures from Middle Reef

Don — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 04:26:20 +0000

June 25, 2010 – Dive on E2

Don — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 05:30:22 +0000

I finally took a day off on Friday and was able to dive off of Phil’s rib.

On the way down, Kevin and I chatted about possible sites. But once we drove past Monastery, we knew that possibilities would abound. Calm flat seas meant that we had a high likelihood of rounding the point and diving further south.

At Pt. Lobos, Kevin and Phil discussed sites. Before long, we’re pushing off and heading towards E2.

Looking to sea.

Party of hermissenda crassicornis at 140′.

May 1 and 2 at Pt. Lobos

Don — Tue, 04 May 2010 06:17:28 +0000

At least once a year, our friends from SoCal drive up and spend a weekend diving at Pt. Lobos. Not only are they are a great group to dive with, they usually bring fantastic weather. The swell model and top side conditions did not look promising, but once we got below 30′, Pt. Lobos opened up.

As the result, we had two unexpectedly beautiful days. Fun diving with our friends!

Lionfish in Bonaire

Don — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 03:01:52 +0000

The first lionfish were reported in Bonaire in October 26, 2009. We are currently in Bonaire and have already spotted 3 lionfish, on three separate dive spots. Elissa spotted them at Angel City (73′) and 1000 steps (84′). I found one today at Tori’s Reef (60′).

Elissa spots this lion fish on April 5th at Angel City. He’s nicely tucked under an overhang of coral, and this shot was taken at an angle to expose him.

Elissa marks the lionfish, and we continue on our dive at Angel City.

Video of Elissa marking a lionfish at 1000 Steps.

And here’s the third lionfish on our trip, marked and ready for pick-up.

February 27, 2010 – Breakwater Grand Circuit

Don — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:14:40 +0000

Alas, Nils is leaving MoCal for sun limited Seattle. As a last dive, we decided to dive a site where most of us became exposed to Monterey – San Carlos Beach, “The Breakwater.”

Best of luck, Nils!

December 24, 2009 – Pt. Lobos

Don — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 06:56:13 +0000

Elissa, Devin, and I met up with April, a visiting diver from Seattle. Fortunately for us, there was a mid week lull between two storm systems. As the result, we were greeted with calm seas and only moderate surge.

In the water, visibility was a clean 20′, and you could see outlines and shapes quite well at 30′ away.

The first dive, a friendly seal followed us all the way passed Lone Metridium. We separated at 70′, the seal resting at the bottom and us cruising along the western wall.

The second dive, April led us around Middle Reef. Some large cabazons, resting comfortably on rocky reefs.

October 30, 2009 – UTD Stage Mini

Don — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:54:47 +0000

On Thursday, Kenn, Steve, I took a mid week day for a
UTD Stage Mini.

For technical diving, the use of deco bottle or stage bottle is a necessary skill. The UTD Stage Mini allows one to learn how to use a deco bottle in a workshop format. The day consists of lecture, equipment review, dry runs, in water skills, and then post dive review.

Kenn recently acquired a Flip HD with the new Ikelite Flip housing. To increase the viewing angle, he mated it with a wide angle lens. As the result, we had some great video of the day. Definitely watch in the UTD Stage Mini in HD mode.

Essentials October 2009

Don — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:46:03 +0000

Pictures from the UTD Essentials scuba diving class in Monterey, CA this past weekend.

Find more photos like this on Unified Team Diving

Scuba Diver Pictures – My Jet Fins and I never looked so good

Don — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 22:04:07 +0000

This past Friday, we ran into Andrew Reilly. Andrew was in Northern California to photograph a wedding and was spending his morning hiking Pt. Lobos. As we were gearing up, Andrew took some amazing photos of us and our scuba gear.

Andrew’s photoblog with scuba diver pictures.

August 26, 2009 – Dive at Gerstle Cove

Don — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:41:02 +0000

Received an email from Ben that he had Wednesday off and wanted to do something different. He’s been trying to get a group of us to dive California’s north coast, but most of his requests have fallen on deaf ears.

Since I have always been interested in the rugged Sonoma coast, I thought that Wednesday would be a good day to try. After 3.5 hours of driving, we reached our destination – Gerstle Cove.

Cool and overcast, the cove scene looked very inviting. With no swell and only ankle slappers, negotiating the melon size smooth rocks wouldn’t be too difficult.

While viz was only 5′ throughout much of the dive, there was a good amount of life. Greenlings were everywhere as well as plenty of alabaster nudibranchs. Within the marine reserve zone, abalones were larger then our heads. Monster sea urchins clung onto scattered rocks and low rocky reefs.

Out at 65′, we ran across an abandoned anchor. Speaking to some veteran freedivers, they mentioned that it used to stand upright. Now, that must have been an impressive site.

Ben’s Gerstle Cove dive report.