Dive Into Your Imagination

From August 22 to the 26, 2009, the Dive Into Your Imagination crew was on board the Vision from Truth Aquatics to sail out to the Southern Channel Islands: San Clemente, Santa Barbara, and Catalina, with a stop at Santa Cruz Island on the last day.  We knew it was going to be a great trip when right after leaving the Santa Barbara Harbor, we went to the bow for a huge surprise.  The water at the bow was glowing as it splashed up; this is due to bioluminescent dinoflagellates- tiny little plankton that flash when disturbed.  What was even better was that a few dolphins began to surf in the wake of the bow, and they too were glowing.  They looked like ghost dolphins!

San Clemente Island was a beautiful start to the trip.  The animals on the dives represented classic California ocean life.  Garibaldi, wrasse, kelp bass, soupfin sharks, and gobies all came out to greet us.  On the surface between dive sites, we encountered an unbelievable sight.  As far as the eye can see, there were dolphins.  We drove around this giant pod of dolphins about four times so everyone could get a good picture of them.  Not only was the pod huge, but we also saw three different types of dolphins: Pacific Whiteside, Risso’s and bottlenose.  It was truly an incredible thing to see.

During the night dive, those of us left on the ship watched as flying fish congregated near our light and sea lions darted through catching an easy meal.  Others were fishing and caught about 20 squid that we kept in the mask wash temporarily to observe.

On the second day we arrived at Catalina to encounter some giant kelp bass, which have been rumored to get up to 600 pounds!  From the first dive, everyone stayed in one spot around a huge school of these giant fish.  They are truly remarkable beings, and if you look closely on their faces you will see that they are plagued with parasites.  Copepods swarm around their mouth and eyes, getting a free ride and a free meal.

The third day brought us to an especially exciting site at Santa Barbara Island where a large colony of sea lions live.  Captain Louie took us close to the island first so all of the photographers could get their choice shots.  After anchoring, divers were immediately jumping in to SCUBA dive and snorkel with the playful sea lions.  The sea lions that play with divers are juveniles: teenagers that just love to have fun.  They will steal your fins, blow bubbles at you, and zoom all around you.  Many divers found joy in just floating on the surface with them, and we observed that they enjoy playing with children and women the most!

Though we had planned on visiting Anacapa before going back to Santa Barbara on the last day, the weather forced us to choose another option.  The captain decided to anchor us at Santa Cruz Island instead, and all the divers had an amazing time finding all kinds of Nudibranchs.  When coming up from their dives all we heard about was how many different types were being found.  Deborah went out and collected a bunch of sea urchins so she could eat fresh uni.  She came up from her dive with a giant bag of urchins and began cutting them open to scoop up their raw gonads- that's what uni is!

On the way home many took a nap after the long week of diving.  As soon as cell phone service picked up everyone around was calling loved ones to tell them about the great time they had, unable to wait until we got home.  This is a trip we love going on every year and we can’t wait to go again next year!

- article written by Lauren Harper 

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