Dive Schedule

Dive Schedule

NOTE: Dives are planned well in advance, but are dependent on weather and ocean conditions. If in doubt, contact the Beach Dive Coordinator or Boat Dive Coordinator. If you are not a club member yet, you will need to sign a waiver in order to dive with the group. This can be done at the dive site.

March 2011

March 12th DIVE THE WRECK OF THE VALIANT AND THEN GOAT HARBOR

SOLD OUT EARLY

Joining the Eco Divers again for another fantastic trip, this time on the Magician to the Wreck of the Valiant and then to Goat Harbor which is known as the home to Giant Sea Bass. This will be a 3 tank dive with air fills, meals and great service included. Nitrox is available (extra) on this trip and the cost without Nitrox will be $135.00.

Beach Dive Location: El Pescador State Beach Date: Sunday March 20, 2011 Time: 9:00 AM

El Pescador State Beach is one the three state beaches located between Zuma and Leo Carrillo in Malibu. There is a small hike down a path to a beautiful beach that is a mixture of rocky tide pools and sand. The entry is easy, mostly sand with a few small boulders, and the dive site offers a couple different options. First, there is a rocky reef and healthy kelp forest around 25’ deep. A little farther out at around 30 – 35 feet there is a rocky bottom with rocky pinnacles here and there that rise up around 10 feet off of the sea floor. It was at the 35 foot section that I often see schools of large sand bass. Sheephead and other fish are typically larger and more plentiful here than at other areas of Malibu. My last dive here I was approached by a very large sea lion, saw plenty of lobsters and even a big lobster that I left alone for a lucky club member. I also saw a very large octopus trying to hide on the rocks but he had turned yellow and didn’t blend in very well so I was able to see him. Note, the hike back after the dive may be a little strenuous so I would rate this dive advanced, although El Pescador has a much shorter hike and is not as steep as La Piedra or El Matador, the diving here is quite good. Parking is $8 via credit card, there are two clean portable toilets and plenty of picnic benches in the parking area.

Directions: Take PCH north around 4-5 miles past Kanan Rd. Look for El Pescador Beach sign after you pass El Matador and La Piedra beaches. Entrance is down a driveway to a small gravel parking lot.

Future 2011 Boat dives

April 30, 2011 - BEGG ROCK / SAN NICHOLAS ON THE PEACE The plan is to board on Friday night, April 29^h after 8:00pm with the Peace departing at midnight for Begg Rock. Captain Eric and crew will do their best to get us to Begg Rock for some awesome diving with us finishing the trip at San Nick before heading home. Nitrox is available (extra) on this trip and the cost without Nitrox will be $150.00 for a 4 dive trip including all meals. This trip is organized by Ken Kollwitz of Channel Islands Dive Adventures (805) 469-7288. Book online at http://channelislandsdiveadventures.com/.

May 8, 2011 SANTA BARBARA ISLAND AND SEALION DIVES ON THE SAND DOLLAR This trip boards 9 PM the night before and departs 1 am May 8th. Destination will be Santa Barbra Island on the east side in the sanctuary where typically female and pups sea lions are found. They love to rush at you, turning away at the last possible instance and blowing bubbles. They also like to dive bomb human bubble blowers on the bottom. This will be a trip to remember! Reservations: Book online at http://www.ecodivecenter.com/ or call 310-398-5759 (If you register online you will receive a free 10 air fill card). No Open Water students allowed even with an instructor and no spear guns are allowed. $169.00 / 3 Dives, snacks, tanks, air-fills, and drinks. Nitrox available for extra charge.

June 11, 2011 WRECKS OF THE OLMPIC II AND THE AVALON FROM THE PACIFIC STAR Diving the Olympic ll can be a fun dive with good conditions or challenging with poor conditions. Olympic ll is an iron-hulled three-masted sailing ship and she sunk on the morning of September 4, 1940. She sits on her starboard side in 100 feet of water and is relatively intact with the bow standing some 30 feet off the bottom. The Avalon is a triple-deck, twin-screw passenger carrying ship which sunk on July 18, 1960 and now sits at 70’ deep about a mile off shore. Now the Avalon is more of a debris field and can provide excellent close-up photography and sightseeing. Reservations: This trip is organized by Ken Kollwitz of Channel Islands Dive Adventures (805) 469-7288. Book online at http://channelislandsdiveadventures.com/. price is $125 for 3 dives and includes meals, snacks and air fills (Nitrox available at extra charge).

July 24, 2011 THE DEEP HOLE AREA OF VENTURA COUNTYT ON THE RAPTOR This dive can be very exciting as it is not a place where many divers get to dive. The plan is to board the Raptor at 7:00am Saturday morning and depart at 8:00am for a nice ride to the Deep Hole area of Ventura County located about 20 miles south of Ventura Harbor and ½-1 mile offshore. We will be doing all 3 dives in the same general area with us getting back to the dock about 4:00pm. The 1^st dive will be about 50’-80’ deep and the 2^nd and 3^rd dives will be about 40’-60’ deep. The Deep Hole area is large and very dramatic and is comprised of large boulders, small rock piles, walls and pinnacles along with beautiful kelp forests, sea fans, bat rays and more. There are deeper sites such as Sea Fans, Deep Hole, Painted Rocks and Sweet Spot and there is a shallow (40’-60’) spot called “The Ring” with its rocky reef and kelp forest that can rival any spot on the islands on a good day. The depths range from 40’-100’ with visibility from 20’-60’. Reservations: This trip is organized by Ken Kollwitz of Channel Islands Dive Adventures (805) 469-7288. Book online at http://channelislandsdiveadventures.com/. price is $130 for 3 dives and includes meals, snacks and tanks (Nitrox available at extra charge at the dock only).

August 6, 2011 PLANE WRCK OF THE TBM AVENGER OFF ANACAPA AND THE WRECK OF THE SPIRIT OF AMERICA OFF SANTA CRUZ FROM THE RAPTOR The Avenger is a WWII Navy torpedo bomber that was on a training mission in the early 50’s along with 4 other planes. It hit another plane in formation while on a training mission and they both crashed. The Spirit of America (Peacock) is a WWII Minesweeper that had a lot of mystery surrounding her when she sunk in the 70’s. Reservations: This trip is organized by Ken Kollwitz of Channel Islands Dive Adventures (805) 469-7288. Book online at http://channelislandsdiveadventures.com/. price is $125 for 3 dives and includes meals, snacks and tanks (Nitrox available at extra charge at the dock only).

September 2, 2011 SAN MIGUEL ISLAND ON A TRUTH AQUATICS BOAT We will meet at the Santa Barbara Harbor on Friday night 9/2, boarding after 8pm. Fall asleep with the Truth departing at 4am, September 3. The boat will return on Monday (Labor Day) about 5pm. On the Labor Day trip, divers have the unique opportunity to explore the pinnacles of San Miguel Island. The beginning of September is the best time to be at San Miguel, which see strong winds and swell during much of the year. This rarely visited island is loaded with color: anemones, crabs, nudibranchs covering every inch of wall with a rainbow. Great for macro-photography. Nutrient rich waters bathing this island bring BIG fish: halibut, bugs, redfish, wolf eels, lingcod. The precipitous geology at Boomerang, Skyscrapers, Richardson’s and Wilson’s Rock will blow you away. The island also hosts pristine shallow reefs hosting an incredibly diverse collection of sea life. Night dives are delightful; octopi roam the reefs and bioluminescent zooplankton flash colors to silhouette the diver. Other destinations may include Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, and Santa Barbara Islands. Reservations: Costs is $550 and a $250 deposit reserves your space. Final payment is due one month prior to departure. No refunds within four weeks of departure. Package price is subject to change. Please make checks payable to: Worldwide Diving Adventures 1150 Whitewater Cove Santa Cruz, CA 95062 OFFICE PHONE: (831) 464-1527

Feburary 2011

DIVE THE OIL RIGS OUT OF LONG BEACH
Ely and Ellen Oil Rigs - In 260 feet of water eight-and-a-half miles off Long Beach, Ellen-Ely looks out of place, like some amphibious space station. The structure is normally layered with scallops and numerous other sea life. This is a two tank trip for a short day. I selected this trip so that we can end the trip with two really fantastic dives because on the three tank oil rig trips usually take you inshore for the third dive where the visibility is low, surge and current is high and normally very disappointing.

LAS TUNAS BEACH DIVE
My last dive to the area was straight out from the lifeguard tower which was a little better diving than up the beach toward the metal groin. The dive will be in 35 feet of water with large populations of brown gorgonian and nice reef structure. I would rate the dive at beginner to intermediate. There is a short and gentle sloping path from the parking area to the beach with a few small boulders in the surf. I’m not sure what the weather will be like toward end of February but this section should be a little more protected so it should be a nice dive.

January 2011

WRECK OF THE VALIAN & LITTLE FARNSWORTH PINNACLE
Wreck of the Valiant - The Valiant is one of the easiest wreck dives. She is an oasis in the sand, almost always kept company by a cloud of blacksmith. Her stern is at the bottom of a sandy slope in 70 feet; her bow points due north in 100 feet of water. Since she’s on the leeward side of Catalina, the ocean is nearly always calm. If there is any current it will most likely sweep from bow to stern and be gentle.
Little Farnsworth - a pinnacle dive that lies very close to Avalon, and very close to the shore. The top of the pinnacle comes up to 55ft, and the bottom around the pinnacle is around 120ft. The pinnacle is like a smaller version of Farnsworth Wall, although it doesn't have the amount of Purple Hydrocoral that Big Farnsworth is famous for. The entire pinnacle is covered in white and yellow zooanthid anemones, which makes for a very colorful scene. Many nudibranchs can be found on the wall of the pinnacle, and Cabazon and lingcod lurk in the crevices along side with pinnacle. Sheephead are very common all over the pinnacle.

REDONDO CANYON BEACH DIVE
Redondo is one of the most popular dive sites in Southern California. On any weekend of the year the lot of Veterans Park is filled with divers gearing up and exchanging tales of the critters unique to this site. A submarine canyon comes within a hundred yards of the shore allowing divers to explore to recreational diving limits with a short swim. The bottom is sandy out to 35 feet and then drops steeply. Bits of decaying plant material accumulate on the slope creating a miniature jungle where octopus, shrimp and juvenile fish may be found. On lucky nights squid come here to mate and die. Crabs may be seen feasting on the masses of squid eggs during these events.