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Santa Barbara and Catalina Islands "Our scuba divers found hundreds of juvenile kelp bass and scorpion fish..." The island of the Sea Lion, or Santa Barbara Isle, was wreathed in a gray marine layer as we perused the various dive sites. With a little bit of a western lump and a whole lot of current on the weather side of the island, we opted for the eastern rookery. The water was a little cooler than San Clemente at 67-68 degrees and the vis fluctuated from 20 to 30 feet. The sea lions were as playful as ever, waddling down the dusty hillsides to come check out our snorkelers and divers, the pups hopping out of the water above our diver's bubbles, and small females laying on the sand patches next to our divers under the boat. We stayed for the day, only the prospect of some night snorkeling at Catalina pulling our anchors away from the playful sea lions. After a several hour run we anchored just outside blue caverns for crepuscular dip in the 69 degree waters of Catalina. Sea lions and flying fish put on a show for us, as did some schools of mackerel and squid as they zipped by under our lights. We are now on our way to Mexico's Islas Los Coronados, a 90 mile run south of our position. Until manana... Adios, Captain Chris
San Clemente Island "Our scuba divers found hundreds of juvenile kelp bass and scorpion fish..." We departed San Diego at midnight to find calm seas outside of port. Only a mild north west swell gently rocked us as we churned westward towards San Clemente Island. The moon had risen behind us earlier and the smooth water shimmered in its silver light. The dawn came slow and grey as we approached the island, however soon burned off to a brilliantly sunny morning with a cool breeze blowing from the east-south-east. The cliffs stand-out in dull earthy tones, the summer days having dried out all the hill side grasses. The lilting call of a wren caught my ear as I gazed at the island. We spent the day diving Black Caverns where a thick patch of giant brown kelp has sprung from the reef. Visibility ranged from 30 to 40 feet and the water temperature on the surface was 69 degrees. At night the snorkelers chased squid around the boat and lobsters in the shallows. Our scuba divers found hundreds of juvenile kelp bass and scorpion fish hovering over the sand flats. Under the rocks lobsters and cleaner shrimp peeked from their holes, their beady eyes reflecting the dive lights. Tonight we steam towards Santa Barbara Island, the Island of the Sea Lion. adios, Captain Chris
San Clemente Island "The dive reminded me of the big tank at the Monterey Bay Aquarium." Just about sums it up. One of the first divers back from this mornings dive gave me the quote from the top. We had a very short day today as we needed to get back to accommodate travel, but the two dives we got in were fantastic. The visibility was in the 50 foot range with the surface temperature at 68 degrees. Both dives were spent at Petter's Kelp in the heart of Pyramid Cove. Even with the warm water, the kelp looks healthy with little or no deterioration. As summer really takes hold and the water stays a consistent 68 - 71 degrees, kelp has a tendency to not fair so well. This year there's been a mixing of warm and cool which is being very kind to the kelp. Some of the critters seen today were, harbor seals, soupfin sharks, eels, lobster and yes...many majestic garibaldi fish! We're back out again tonight with Captain Chris at the wheel. Until tomorrow... Adios, Captain Greg 
San Clemente Island Our night dive last night was a good one with tons of critters out and about, mild surge and good participation from our gang. After a big meal, it's sometimes hard to get anyone fired up about sliding on the neoprene again. That was not the case last night! Enough about last night, today was fantastic! Great weather, 80 degree air temperature, sunny from about 11:00am on, and 68 - 70 degree surface water temperature. Our morning dives were spent on the wall at Immy Lee and the afternoon was the reef at Little Flower. Bat rays galore this morning, clouds of baitfish, two giant black seabass in a cave and fun on the wall. This afternoon was highlighted by a few 5 - 8 foot soupfin sharks in the kelp forest at Little Flower and another great wall dive on the outer edge of the reef. The wall at Little Flower starts on the outer edge of the finger reef in 25 feet and drops dramatically to the sand in 140 feet. This place is a magnet for pelagics, schooling baitfish and of course...the majestic garibaldi fish. We're getting ready for our night dive. I'll let you know how and what we saw in tomorrow's log. Adios, Captain Greg
San Clemente Island "72 degree water at San Clemente Island?" After a good crossing from San Diego last night, we arrived in San Clemente Island's, Pyramid Cove, just before the sun. A cloudless dawn sky was to be a precursor to a day of fantastic summer San Clemente diving! We started our day on the leeward side and had average conditions, with visibility in the 25 - 30 foot range. The water temperature upon our arrival was a comfortable 68.6 degrees, but as the morning wore on, and the sun worked it's magic, we saw temperatures as high as 72 degrees. Our first two dives found us face to face with eels, black seabass, yellowtail, bat rays and a plethora of the usual temperate species. After our morning dives at Arrowhead, we relocated in Pyramid Cove for the afternoon festivities. The visibility was greatly improved in the slightly cooler water of Pyramid Cove with vis in the 60 foot range. We finished up our day at Inside Boiler and had encounters with numerous soupfin sharks, giant black seabass and the most prolific of them all...the majestic garibaldi fish! As I write, we have 12 fearless night divers exploring Inside Boilers night time habitat. The sea lion and flying fish show has just arrived on scene and should prove to be a fun one tonight. I need to get back down on the dive deck, so until tomorrow... Adios, Captain Greg
San Clemente Island "Giant black seabass and a lily pad raft." As I stepped out on the bridge right before the sun broke the plane of the horizon, a slight mist was in the air. It was overcast and by the look of the water it appeared to have rained during the night. Today was to be a short day, so we got an early start. Pulling into a little protected cove named Arrow Head I noticed the current was brisk on the outer wall but in the cove it was tranquil. During breakfast we briefed the gang on the dive site and opened up the gates shortly after the last bite was served.The remarks when everyone came out were priceless. "That was the best dive I have ever done" One of the campers said. It always make me smile when I hear things like that and now I was part of possible future marine biologists best dive. Everyone else was just as pleased with giant black seabass sightings and the schools of yellowtail and Pacific barracuda. This made my decision to stay here or go to another site a no brainer. The kids played on a lily pad raft for a while before jumping back in. This site was our last of the trip. Dolphin swam by off the bow as some of the first kids returned to the boat. Too soon we had to retrieve our anchors and head back to port. On the way back we ran into pods of playful common dolphin. A few sightings of blue whales highlighted the ride back! The past two days have been a blast and we hope that this experience will be remembered by kids onboard for years to come. Captain Spencer
San Clemente Island "Sea lion and flying fish show." As we departed our berth in San Diego a light breeze following us out to sea. The 57 mile ride to San Clemente Island was like driving across a lake that was made of butter and as the sun peaked over the east ridge of the island a few early risers were outside with there hot chocolate in hand taking in the beauty of a sun rise on the ocean. Our first dive site is a SeaCamp favorite, Black Caverns. As I pulled into the cove to drop the anchor the water temperature hit 70 degrees. Schools of flying fish were dancing around and the kids all suited up faster then I could open the gates up and say pools open! As the first few kids came back onboard the smiles told me everything. The visibility was nice, a good 25 to 35 feet. As more divers came back the stories kept coming. Everything from the common garibaldi to the hidden Guadalupe cardinal fish were seen by all. During lunch I moved us a bit east along the islands leeward short to a site named Fish Hook. The current was a little stronger then the last site but not enough to keep the kids out of the pool. This site was the equal to the first and as the kids trickled back aboard smiles and stories started up immediately. Most of the kids had searched out and found the fish that they were assigned and were eager to start drawing the fish for tomorrow night's presentation. We decided to stay at Fish Hook for our night snorkel as the masses of flying fish that were starting to show up even before the sun went down were guaranteed to prove entertaining after dark. Right after dinner the kids jumped right into there wet suits, strapped a glow stick to there snorkel and leaped off the boat. The sun had gone down now and the show had started. Flying fish were scared out of the water and into the cool nights air by the large but playful sea lions lurking below. Sea Camp gives away a free tee shirt to the first camper who gets hit by a flying fish. Needless to say by the forth person in the water we had a winner! It started to get late and the lids had been in the water all day and all night so we decided to pull them out, dry them off and send them off to bed. Till the sun comes up again, Capt. Spencer
Islas
San Benito "This trip has been an awesome adventure to Alijos Rocks, Cedros and San Benito Islands..." Our final day at these small remote islands began with even smoother seas than the day before. This boded well for our 275 nautical mile trek home. We set up for our last dive between the East Island and Lunker Rock, the 62.5 degree water moved from east to west along the channel. The visibility ranged from 30 to 40 feet. The sea lions and fur seals were extra playful this morning, cavorting and spinning, blowing bubbles and posing for our photographers. Along Lunker Rock and off the eastern edge of the Alley, the yellowtail shouldered their way by our freedivers, some fine fish finding their way onboard. Surprisingly the sea lions that just the week previous were out looking for a fresh fish meal much less interested in our spearos offerings during these few days at San Benito. Soon it was time for us to weigh anchor one last time this trip and turn towards San Diego. With a forecast for calm seas and winds, we hope to arrive in the early to mid afternoon tomorrow. This trip has been an awesome adventure to Alijos Rocks, Cedros and San Benito Islands, not only for the beautiful dives, but also the camaraderie of friends and fellow divers. We look forward to another Skip Stubbs Expedition returning next year to the calm blue waters of Baja! adios, Captain Chris
Islas
San Benito "Small sea lion pups barked and frolicked..." We woke to a a grey calm stillness in the lee of Benito Centro, or middle island. Small sea lion pups barked and frolicked in the kelp next to us, peering curiously up at this white humming thing in their playground. The look in their eyes seemed to ask,"When are you going to come in and play?" The wind and seas had subsided from days past, so we dropped our anchor on the northeast side of Benitos Este in Tranquility Cove. The sand channel 60 feet below us glowed a pale blue between the amber kelp stipes climbing from the reef below. The fur seals swam playfully next to the boat and with our divers. On the outside reef, patches of hydrocoral glowed a pinkish purple between swaying stalks of palm kelp. Schools of yellowtail breezed by our freedivers deeper along the current's edge. Congratulations to Captain Matt on spearing his first yellowtail! In the afternoon we moved to the pinnacles near the west island. Some solid yellowtail found their way aboard, including a fine forty-four pounder speared by Noah Williams. The scuba diving was good, however the visibility backed off from 40-60 at Tranquility to 30 to 40 on the pinnacles. Abalone and lobster filled the cracks on the large seamount below the Horizon. Scattered clumps of purple hydrocoral decorated the walls in the 50 to 70 foot depths. Schools of blacksmith, halfmoons and ocean whitefish circled above the pinnacles. Soon we were anchored behind the middle island feasting on a tasty tri-tip dinner. Unfortunately tomorrow is our last day in the water before its time to head home. adios, Captain Chris
Isla Cedros and Islas
San Benito "The diving was good, however quite different from Alijos Rocks..." I think everyone on board breathed a sigh of contentment this morning as they woke to a stillness of a calm anchorage after a night of unbroken sleep. We anchored up on one of the small islet-like rocks in the south bay, and marked a pinnacle a little further from shore. The diving was good, however quite different from Alijos Rocks. The water temp was 61 degrees at the surface, dropping to 58 degrees at depth with visibility in the 35 to 40 foot range. The cooler water critters abounded--sea hares, sea cucumbers, keyhole limpets, fields of gorgonians, huge knobby sea stars and some grande lobsters inhabited the two dive sites. We came across a giant black seabass as well, always a good sight to see as they are slowly making a comeback from the endangered species list. During lunch we retrieved our skiffs and anchors and headed to San Benito only 17 miles to our west. Arriving mid afternoon we planted ourselves at Tailgate Rock on the east islands west side. The water was a degree warmer at 62 degrees, and the visibility a great improvement at almost 60 feet on the reefs away from shore. Quite a few abalone were spotted, as well as several green sea turtles. We'll spend the night here and get in a full days diving tomorrow. hasta manana, Captain Chris
Enroute to Isla Cedros from
Rocas Alijos "Mother Nature whipped up a stiff batch of whoop ass." We had hoped to make a little better time on our way from Alijos to Cedros Island, however Mother Nature whipped up a stiff batch of 15-20 knot winds and waves to eight feet that slowed us to a crawl all through the night and morning. To pass the time our divers caught a few yellowtail and yellowfin tuna along the way, however instead of 20 hours, it took nearly 30 to arrive in the luxuriously calm waters of Cedros' south bay. We anchored up for dinner and a good night's rest. We'll take a look at Cedros' south bay in the morning. This will be only our third time diving here and we are very excited! hasta entonces, Captain Chris
Rocas
Alijos "Blows Farnsworth away!" Low clouds scudded over the rocks as the suns rays spread down through the marine layer. The water is still that beautiful indigo blue, however the swell has grown and the wind continues to press us from the Northwest. We anchored on the 15 fathom pinnacle this morning, a seamount jutting from 300 feet to 90 feet on the top. Adorned with hydrocorals, algae, gorgonians, and even several pieces of fishing net, the vibrant red hues were still visible at 100 feet in the crystal clear water. "Blows Farnsworth away!" commented Robert Davis and Carol Beck, our first passengers who dove on the pinnacle. Clouds of baitfish circled above the rock and nearly every crack was filled with an eel. After a morning there we moved back to the ridge on the eastern side of the rocks, a formation of terraces that looks much like some ancient Aztec ruins. More large yellowfin tuna were seen cruising the shallows today, a sight we never see at San Clemente Island. You've gotta love this place! We picked up our skiffs and anchor, secured everything down after one dive and were on our way to Isla Cedros. With more wind on the way, conditions were already risky clambering up the swimstep between sets, so we headed north. We hope to arrive at Cedros in the afternoon tomorrow in time for a little diving before dinner. ciao, Captain Chris
Rocas
Alijos "Mantas, thousands of flying fish, hundreds of tuna and a lonely trumpetfish." Last night before lying down for a few hours rest I heard some exclamations from the back deck about flying fish and looking over the side, saw something incredible. Our deck lights had attracted plankton to the surface, and feeding on it were not tens or hundreds, but thousands of flying fish and needlefish! They covered every square foot of the surface with their finning, jumping, and occasionally flying bodies. After another rocky rolly night at anchor, we repositioned Horizon on the 5 fathom pinnacle for some spectacular diving on this sheer pillar of volcanic rock. It rises from a 175 foot floor of sand and rubble to a narrow spire only 35 feet from the surface. Socorro chub in their gray-blue and bright yellow forms swirl about the first 30 feet of the water column. Gorgonians extend their feathery branches from the pinnacle to capture plankton, and morays gape from the cracks and crevices. Our scuba divers watched schools of tuna and yellowtail breeze by and our free-divers also saw a small manta ray (or mobula), dorado, hundreds of tuna and schools of wahoo. Back on the pinnacle the fish gathered again in small curious schools around each diver. Gloves are a must, since the local hogfish think exposed fingers look delicious. Fortunately their little nibbles caused no harm. During lunch we moved to the southern end of the rocks and anchored along the shallow ridge as close to the boilers as safely possible. Gorgonians adorned this ridge as well, and amongst the curious fish life, our divers spotted a trumpetfish. Just as everyone left the water, another manta glided by the side of the boat, this one a little larger than the last at 10ft across. Today's water temperature was still pegged at 70 degrees with the visibility in excess of 110 feet. If we could get Mother Nature to calm the surface to match the in water conditions, we'd truly be in Heaven! The weather forecast is for the same, so we'll stay here tonight and check out the 15 fathom pinnacle in the morning. adios, Captain Chris
Rocas
Alijos "Silky sharks, Clarion angelfish and yellowfin tuna." After a smooth night of cruising down swell, we arrived at Alijos Rocks after breakfast. The air feels warm and tropical here and the water on the surface appears an almost purplish blue, and reads a comfortable 70 degrees on our temperature gauge. We dropped our anchor and skiffs at Dirty Dan's Dive Inn on the ridge extending from the southern rock where 100 foot visibility and friendly swarms of fish greeted our divers. Mexican hogfish, Clarion angels and wrasses seem to find our bubble-blowers a curious sight and gathered to follow them around on their dives. Being so far out and with little exposure to humans, its as if they have no fear. The ocean, although not flat calm, is quiet nice considering that we are in the middle of nowhere, with a 4 - 5 foot swell and 10 - 15 knot breeze. We'll hope for a continued smile from Mother Nature over the next couple days. Following lunch we anchored on the ridge and wall extending from the middle island on the east side. Here the bottom slopes up from 80 feet to 30 with the wall running east west, covered in cracks and crevices filled with morays and adorned with red-tailed triggers. Socorro chubs swirled above the shallower rocks and 30 or 40 silky sharks patrolled the north side of the ridge. A number of large green turtles were spotted as well. On the outside in the blue, schools of tuna glided by our freedivers, and a few yellowtail found their way on board. As the sun set, we sat down to a delicious meal of bbq prime rib, baked potatoes and sweet corn, while guarding our toes from the toenail polish bandits. A good day at Alijos Rocks, 475 miles south of San Diego and 150 miles from Baja!
Adios, p.s. who put toothpaste in my oreo cookie?
Islas San Benito and points south "Fur Seals, blue whales and purple hydrocoral." After a long run last night down the coast of Baja it was a welcome sound to drop the anchors, leaving only the hum of the generator and the barking of sea lions and Guadalupe fur seals to break the silence. The diving was excellent this morning with 65 degree water, playful pinnipeds and some sizeable yellowtail for our freedivers. We stayed for two dives in Bahia Perico on the East Islands eastern side, then continued on our way to Alijos Rocks. One diver, Dan DiCarlo of San Diego, wrote about his dive: "The Horizon was anchored in Parrot Bay, bow facing North. I decided to jump in off the starboard side and on a heading of 30 degrees, I kicked towards a pinnacle just outside the kelp line. Upon approach to the pinnacle the visibility was 40 to 50 feet with a current from the north at about 3 knots. The top of the Pinnacle was at 45 feet with two to three other smaller rises behind it. Life teamed upon the pinnacle. Patches of purple hydrocoral adorned the palm kelp covered seamount and a large eel gaped from one of the many cracks and crevices in the rock. I saw several large yellowtail shouldering their way through the current. Before long it was time to return to the boat, however the current had carried me past the stern, fortunately a Horizon crewmember quickly picked me up with the skiff. I was back aboard in no time for a hot shower and tasty lunch after an excellent dive." After we departed San Benito, a pod of blue whales greeted us along the way, and one whale nearly parked itself directly in front of the boat for several minutes, providing a breathtaking sight for everyone. Soon we were back underway, looking to arrive at the Rocks mid-morning tomorrow. After our expedition to the Rocks last month we are excited to the see the difference on month to the next as the water appears to have warmed up about 5 degrees since our last visit. Stay tuned! hasta manana, Captain Chris
Enroute to Islas San Benito "Whitecaps and albatross." We departed San Diego yesterday afternoon under breezy and later star-filled skies, a bright planet, perhaps Saturn or Jupiter, set over the western horizon. This trip had originally been destined for Guadalupe Island, but due to Mexico closing down all access to Guadalupe Island for the time being, we have rearranged the itinerary to include Islas San Benito, Isla Cedros and Rocas Alijos. We love scuba diving Guadalupe, but this change in itinerary is exciting for us as it brings us back to Alijos Rocks, and will allow us to visit Isla Cedros for exploration. We woke to more clear skies and a brisk northwest wind blowing the tops off indigo five to six foot seas. The ocean was awash in whitecaps. Several albatross kept us company as we motored south uneventfully through the morning. The weather precluded any efforts to take a swim in the deep blue, so we deployed a couple lures off Horizon's stern in hopes of a catching a fresh fish dinner. Late in the afternoon we had a break with our first albacore and several yellowfin tuna. The wind and seas settled as we churned southward towards San Benito. The sun slipped past the edge of the ocean and lit up the high clouds from pink to lavender to an orange-red in a sunset that seemed to last forever. Wish you could be here, Skip. Don't worry, we'll take care of the bookmarks and Oreo's! best wishes, Captain Chris
San
Benito Islands "Feisty sea lions." The weather continues to favor us with another calm morning at Yellowtail Alley and for some fine freediving for yellowtail and a little bit of sea lion wrangling. Them seal lions are a bit feisty this week and keep trying to steal our vitels. Water temp and visibility had dropped slightly since the first day but the fish seem to be plentiful. In the afternoon we moved to Isla Oeste and Lighthouse Reef, a set of pinnacles off the islands southern shore. Freediving was good, but the catching was slow as the yellowtail that were seen patrolling through schools of bait on the surface were elusive for the divers. Thanks to our fearless Captain Spencer's generous donations, we all enjoyed a fine dinner of fresh yellowtail this evening. Tomorrow we'll spend half the day hunting the Alley again before we have to pack up and return to San Diego. hasta entonces, Captain Chris
San Benito Islands Weather conditions were beautifully calm today, the slight roll of a northwest swell caused Horizon to undulate at anchor on the western tip of the island as we dropped divers in for some pinnacle diving off Roca Pinacula, a rock jutting up from 170 feet to the surface where the water froths and boils over the rocks top. The spearos captured some fine yellowtail, however they had to negotiate with a few sea lions for several of the nicer fish. The current line around the island migrated back and forth in front of the boat, the water turning blue and warm, then cooler and silty. After lunch we hopped in at Tailgate Rock where there was some beautiful free diving, around the rock and in the surrounding kelp forest. Dinner tonight was a delicious prime rib done just right by our chef Mark, and his assistant, Mary Elizabeth. Every will sleep hard tonight with visions of schooling yellowtail dancing about in their heads... ciao, Captain Chris
San
Benito Islands Arriving in the wee hours of the morning we deployed our tenders, enjoyed a hearty breakfast and then repositioned Horizon into Yellowtail Alley. The early morning dives were good for the spearos and they dove the rock for some non-stop yellowtail in the first hour or two of the morning. The water today was in the 65 degree range with visibility at 60 to 70 feet. After lunch we moved to Creole Rise, and found a few quality fish, however several big bull sea lions followed us from our first stop to continue stealing a few yellows from our spearos. This is a new phenomenon we never encountered anywhere but on the East side of the East Island. Overall the excellent water visibility and fantastic weather along with some good spearing made today a great day! We look forward to what tomorrow brings! Adios, Captain Chris
Traveling Toward San
Benito Islands Our first afternoon we churned south over a calm sea and as the miles passed beneath our keel, we looked forward to what the next 7 days will bring at Islas San Benito. In the morning it was grey and calm, the sun peeking through the patchy marine layer over the 65 degree blue water. We found a few albacore and yellowtail on kelp paddies and trolling jigs in the morning, then with conditions so calm, decided to jump in and look for a few yellowtail on the paddies in the afternoon. One mola mola even stayed for a few friendly scratches from one of our freedivers. Late in the afternoon another diver saw a school of albacore deep below a kelp paddy. We feasted on some tasty tacos for dinner as we churned south towards Islas San Benito. Stay tuned! hasta manana, Captain Chris
San
Clemente Island Another bright and warm morning greeted us today at San Clemente Island after a little bit of rock and roll last night between here and Catalina. Visibility ranged from 30 to 40 feet, and the topography, flora and fauna at the Inside Boiler were a big hit, so we made a second dive there, enjoying the swim through and arch, waving palm kelp and eel grass in the shallows. Bat rays winged through the kelp and some lucky bubble blowers spotted a Giant Black Sea Bass. Before we knew, it was time to return to San Diego. Tomorrow we're off to Islas San Benito for 7 days of freediving--wish us luck! Adios, Captain Chris
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