Get Bent Scuba Diving Blog
This is my combination Scuba Diving Log and Blog. I'll post dive reports, underwater pictures and video here. I'll discuss scuba diving related articles and diving, ocean & marine related news and throw in my 2 psi. I may even announce new designs and promotions in our store. Feel free to comment on any post.Wednesday, August 01, 2007
OCal & Big Bottom Time
Headed to OCal to grab my kidz and get some diving in. I've had my new Steel X8-119 for some time now and yet to suck it down, so Saturday Larry and I met up at Wood's Cove in Laguna Beach, he with his 130 me with my 119.
Conditions weren't great, viz was marginal and there was some strong surge. We attempted to find the outer reef structure but ended up just finding alot of sand, so kept most of the dive around the 30-35' range and the near shore reef. Dive time just short of 2 hours.
Sunday met up with Ruth and Larry at Shaw's Cove since Diver's was all full. Had a nice dive, the inner reef was too surgy to navigate so spent some time just inside the arch saw lots of octos a few eels and hopkins roses. Went out a little past turnaround rock and made our way back. Dive time and hour and a half on the nose.
Monday I headed to Diver's Cove knowing there would be nobody there. I wanted to dive this site to see the bat rays and perhaps some leopard sharks. As I was buddyless this was the first opportunity to put Laguna Beach's new less restrictive rules into effect and do a solo dive. There were some lifeguards on the beach with the Jr. Lifeguards doing swims, PT, etc. but nobody in the tower when I entered. Viz was awful, surge was huge, but I saw more than a dozen bat rays, one scaring the ----- out of me as I was inspecting a crevice in the reef only to look up in time to see it coming right for me and glide by missing my mask by inches. Of course the camera battery died 10 minutes into the dive, so very little proof. After about 40 minutes I decided I'd had enough of battling the surge and started to head in, as I passed over a reef I came upon a huge bat ray, as long as I was, with probaby a 5-6' wingspan, very cool. I exited without a problem with a lifeguard in the tower now, who paid me no mind but returned my wave.
Dive #148
7/28/2007
Time In: 09:02
Viz: 10-15'
Bottom Temp: 63F
Bottom Time: 01:54
Max Depth: 45'
Buddy(s): Larry
Dive #149
7/29/2007
Time In: 09:07
Viz: 10-15'
Bottom Temp: 68F
Bottom Time: 01:30
Max Depth: 40'
Buddy(s): Ruth & Larry
Dive #150
7/30/2007
Time In: 09:06
Viz: 5-7'
Bottom Temp: 71F
Bottom Time: 00:46
Max Depth: 27'
Buddy(s): SOLO
Conditions weren't great, viz was marginal and there was some strong surge. We attempted to find the outer reef structure but ended up just finding alot of sand, so kept most of the dive around the 30-35' range and the near shore reef. Dive time just short of 2 hours.
Sunday met up with Ruth and Larry at Shaw's Cove since Diver's was all full. Had a nice dive, the inner reef was too surgy to navigate so spent some time just inside the arch saw lots of octos a few eels and hopkins roses. Went out a little past turnaround rock and made our way back. Dive time and hour and a half on the nose.
Monday I headed to Diver's Cove knowing there would be nobody there. I wanted to dive this site to see the bat rays and perhaps some leopard sharks. As I was buddyless this was the first opportunity to put Laguna Beach's new less restrictive rules into effect and do a solo dive. There were some lifeguards on the beach with the Jr. Lifeguards doing swims, PT, etc. but nobody in the tower when I entered. Viz was awful, surge was huge, but I saw more than a dozen bat rays, one scaring the ----- out of me as I was inspecting a crevice in the reef only to look up in time to see it coming right for me and glide by missing my mask by inches. Of course the camera battery died 10 minutes into the dive, so very little proof. After about 40 minutes I decided I'd had enough of battling the surge and started to head in, as I passed over a reef I came upon a huge bat ray, as long as I was, with probaby a 5-6' wingspan, very cool. I exited without a problem with a lifeguard in the tower now, who paid me no mind but returned my wave.
Dive #148
7/28/2007
Time In: 09:02
Viz: 10-15'
Bottom Temp: 63F
Bottom Time: 01:54
Max Depth: 45'
Buddy(s): Larry
Dive #149
7/29/2007
Time In: 09:07
Viz: 10-15'
Bottom Temp: 68F
Bottom Time: 01:30
Max Depth: 40'
Buddy(s): Ruth & Larry
Dive #150
7/30/2007
Time In: 09:06
Viz: 5-7'
Bottom Temp: 71F
Bottom Time: 00:46
Max Depth: 27'
Buddy(s): SOLO
Bat Rays @ Diver's Cove Video courtesy of Peter Corliss (28thstreetproductions.com)
Labels: Bat Rays, California, Laguna Beach, Scuba Diving
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