Tag: california
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An Uncommon Dive at La Jolla Shores
Friday morning, I went for one last cold-water dive at La Jolla before heading out of town for the Long Beach Scuba Show and our anniversary trip to Belize. With the possible exception of last year’s squid run, this was one of the most different and interesting La Jolla Shores dives I’ve ever done. In…
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Catalina Dive Sites: Two Harbors
The diving at Catalina Island is some of the best in Southern California–even when it’s not so great, like it was last weekend. I did four dives over two days, and found Catalina has been suffering from the same low-visibility problems as San Diego. I still had a great time! The Catalina dive sites I…
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Diving La Jolla Shores, San Diego: The Usual Suspects
I have a confession to make: It’s been weeks since my last time diving La Jolla Shores. Conditions have been less than wonderful and life has gotten in the way. This morning, a friend and I finally got back in the water (in honor of his birthday!) and had a great time. It sounds silly,…
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When the visibility gets tough, the tough find nudibranchs
San Diego Nudibranchs A swell that has been plaguing the San Diego coastline with rough surf (seemingly forever…) finally subsided late last week, just in time for our scheduled Easter Sunday boat dive. Visibility was severely compromised, though, as a result of the extended period of rough ocean conditions. The water was green and murky……
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Nudibranchs: The Sea Lemon
Anisodoris nobilis, or the noble dorid nudibranch, is also known as the sea lemon. This name is not only attributable to its yellow color, but apparently also to a citrusy smell it can give off when it is handled. Unlike many tinier nudibranchs, the sea lemon can reach up to around five inches in length.…
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Nudibranchs: Hermissenda crassicornis
Another cool nudibranch in southern California is the opalescent sea slug: Hermissenda crassicornis. I think the small one might be a Flabellina pricei but I’m not 100% certain.
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Nudibranchs: Spanish Shawl Nudibranch
After more than a month out of the water, and two months out of the cold California water, I finally got to go diving again! We spent the weekend on the Horizon dive boat diving San Clemente Island and the kelp beds of Point Loma, San Diego. I saw lots of sea lions and a…
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San Diego, California: The Running of the Squid
2011’s market squid run was one of the most incredible phenomena I have ever experienced while diving. Every year, tens of thousands of these foot-long squid congregate to mate, lay eggs, and die. The water was thick with San Diego squid–visibility was limited not by particulate in the water column, but by the density of…
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California Diving: Sharks and Rays
We’re headed back to San Diego in just a few short, hectic days. There are friends to see and things to pack, and of course there is cleaning to do… and whereas I miss our Killington friends dearly when we are away, I can’t wait to get back in the water. Going through old photos…
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Diving the California Oil Rigs, Part 3
(See Diving the California Oil Rigs, Part 1 and Diving the California Oil Rigs, Part 2) Above is a male sheephead, a common game fish in California, and below are a pair of females. Fun fact: all sheephead are born female, and eventually change to males later in life. Here’s a Lingcod: A scorpionfish:…