Spring 2020 – Dive Report

We can all understand the seriousness of something like a pandemic. Especially if we are told to close our businesses, forced out of our jobs, to stay at home, home school our children when we have about 100 other things we need to juggle. We are responsible citizens, trying to stay healthy and preventing the spread of a serious illness with no known treatment or cure.

In pre Covid-19 times it was always proclaimed that access to the great outdoors was essential for our health and wellness and appreciation for something bigger than us.

On Tuesday, April 28th the Laguna Beach City council voted to open their beaches on a limited basis. After a weekend where tens of thousands of locals without other refuge from the weekends heatwave descended on the few beaches that were open. Just days after the Laguna vote the governor of California ordered a hard closure of all beaches.

Unfortunately this crisis has given some with friends in government the perfect excuse to prevent the “deplorable” non beach city people access to the beach. Normally its usually the surfers and divers that deal with this shadow sentiment year round but now especially with temperatures rising protests are erupting and people are demanding their liberties and rightful access to the waters and beaches. Hopefully our liberties will be restored soon!

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Summer 2019 – Dive Report

This late spring and summer post-el nino has led with “Catalina Eddy” affects. A phenomenon that usually occurs in early summer which leads to overcast mornings  and ocasional drizzle and sometimes lasts into the afternoons. Locally we nickname it “May gray”, “No-Sky-July” , “Fogus”, “Bight of California ” This affect is triggered by Low Pressure in the Gulf of Alaska or Pacific Northwest, promoting west to northwesterly winds along the coast and high pressure just to the east of California. It forces the cooler ocean air inland. If the marine layer is deep enough, low clouds and fog form. Temperatures can cool by as much as 15 degrees. Clouds near the California coast increase and the cloud layer can extend inland. However, the lack of sunshine is usually confined within about 10 miles of the coast, with locations farther inland seeing very different weather conditions.

It gets its name from Catalina since it typically forms near Catalina island the largest of the channel islands off of Southern California.

This has somewhat disrupted our typical southern swell affect creating perfect dive conditions in North P.V. and also mixing things up in Laguna.

Most tourists and first time visitors to Southern California can be surprised when visiting our area during summer misled into thinking that there are always clear skies and sun but we know better that our wonderful local marine climate is not that simple.

(Graphic: Los Angeles Times)

 

Winter 2018/2019 – Dive Report

When El Nino strikes? The not diving report…. surf / conditions.

Surf, Flood, Fire & Mud (Book Review)

For many years while I have dove our local waters I have been naturally curious and motivated to predict optimal diving conditions by observing the many factors around us. Factors such as surf, swell, wind,  air/water temperatures,  tides and moon phases. It often happens that conditions can go from spectacular to zero unexplainably so all we can do is try to narrow and improve the odds for good conditions.

One of the resources I follow is swell watch on (https://forecasts.surfer.com/) and forecast meteorologist Nathan Cool whom posts regular forecasts and explanations for upcoming weather affecting marine conditions in Southern California. He was also very active following and discussing the 2015-2016 El Nino in his youtube channel.

He has written several books on surf forecasting and climate change and this is his latest book: Surf, Flood, Fire & Mud.

This book really digs into and analyzes the weather phenoms that affect so much of our environment in California and around the world.  It also breaks down the cause and affect el nino 2016 to la nina (weather), effects on our terrain leading to wild fires and floods and the more prominent cycle we experience living here in California.

Its a must read for those who want a better understanding and appreciation for the natural forces around us and help in planning dives. While I absolutely encourage you to purchase and read his book I will over time cover many of the points he discusses in the book.

To Purchase:
Surf, Flood, Fire & Mud by Nathan Cool
Kindle Book $9.99 / $18.50 Paperback

Winter – 2017 Dive Report

This winter Southern California has enjoyed remarkable weather consistent with our image of the golden state. There has been an unusually consistent weather phenomenon we know here as the “Santa Ana Winds” or the “Devil Winds”.

Yearly usually from October to March and generated due to High Pressure weather patterns in the Great Basin, the area east of the Sierra Nevadas and Winter storm activity north of that area cause air to flow west sending dry fast moving air through Southern California. This air normally increases the temperature drops the humidity which leads to increased fire risk which led to disastrous fires throughout California this past year and then deadly mudslides with our first rains. Since last year was an El Nino pattern the rain led to more vegetation growth which when dried out amplified the fire risk with the santa ana winds.

The positive effect is on diving conditions whereas the off-shore winds knock down swells and surf and rotates the water offshore bringing clear water from depth and typically improving visibility. It seems like we may be getting a bit of a pause lately as we get some usual and somewhat necessary storm activity into our area for this time of year.

Fall 2017 – Dive Report

End of Summer and onto California’s version of Winter. For diving it means a shift in swell direction from the Summer’s south swell’s generated by hurricanes and tropical storms that develop off of Mexico to North West swell generated from storms that develop near the Aleutian islands.  While in the summer the diving is mostly protected and good off the north Palos Verdes peninsula it now becomes murky somewhat treacherous with surf. We therefore divert dive activities to Laguna and its protected coves Woods / Shaws / Crescent Bay and points such as Montage (aka Treasure Island) has a horseshoe like rock outcropping that protects most entries and diving just about year round. Most of Laguna is also blessed to be protected by its distance to Catalina which for the most part reduces much of the West and North West swell which makes it to the beaches there.  We are very blessed to live in Southern California and for those willing to dive off the shores here conditions rarely prevent us from getting in the water.

August 2017 – Dive Report

Too much of a good thing? The waters surrounding the Palos Verdes peninsula are thick with kelp the most in at least 7 or 8 years.  Areas like Honeymoon cove have so much kelp there are only a couple narrow paths through the kelp to get out to the middle of the cove. Once underwater there are hundreds of thin strands of young kelp that again divert our normal path to our favorite spots.  Navigation is more difficult and important when it comes to returning back to the starting point or at least a spot with less kelp to ease the kick back in.

Update 8/11 : Due to warm surface water 69 ° – Top 10 ft of kelp toward surface in the middle of cove has burned off. Makes for easy kick through the middle of cove.

Besides that though the kelp jungle is amazing and teaming with more and more marine life probably since the kelp serves as an obstacle to boat fisherman and free divers alike.

The water temperatures which have gotten as high as 72 on the surface have cooled off drastically in some spots, perhaps up-welling which should further help the kelp growth.

Saw a documentary on Netflix “Chasing Coral” that reviewed coral bleaching around the world but mostly warm water areas. It reminded me of how tough our marine environment out here is with its frequent water temperature fluctuations and why it really is the best in the world.

July 2017 – Dive Report

We are experiencing some very warm waters again off our coast. Is it El Nino (Part Deux) this Winter? NOAA is reports water temperatures are at or above normal throughout the Pacific right now. We have unusual hot + HUMID conditions here in Southern California.
The photo above taken at the start of the trails that lead down to Neptune Cove/ Golden Cove North Palos Verdes illustrates the local threats to our public beach access.  In California in 1972 a law was passed creation of an agency to help ensure the public’s right to beach access.  The California Coastal Commission. Before and since then land owners and local municipalities have attempted to erect obstacles as small as “No Beach Access” signs to as large as guarded gates and walls. While it is the Coastal Commissions prerogative to constantly review and to intervene when our access is obstructed it is ultimately our job as local citizens and ocean lovers to get out and use these trails to ensure they remain apparent and therefore more difficult for access to be denied in the future.

June 2017 – Dive Report

Not much to be said. We started the month off with some windy cold June gloom and transitioned into a heat wave and persistent high surf. Someone said to me, so its been hot – not good for diving? Not necessarily I said. Good for swimming!
Diving locally we have learned quickly that hot weather and sunny skies rarely equal good conditions but usually the opposite. Often due to particles in our nutrient rich waters rays of sunlight tend to bound of these particles causing poorer visibility along with algae blooms feeding off the hot beams of light.  Gray skies with defused sun rays work better out here!

May 2017 – Dive Report – Palos Verdes, CA

In August of 2016 NBTT Dive Club suspended coordinated dive group operations.

After El Nino 2016 and nearly half a year gone by with only a half dozen dives finally conditions seem to be stabilizing and the north swells which blast Palos Verdes in the winter months are tapering off.

On my first dive in Palos Verdes since before the winter storms we were greeted by an amazing sight of wild flowers growing along all of the peninsula hillsides. Yellow and white flowers which I have never seen in 7 years of diving the area.

The trails which are a small hurtle one must conquer for the privilege to enjoy the beautiful treasures that lie just off our shores.

Due to the heavy rains in the winter the flowing waters carved ditches alongside the existing paths and have begun carving new trails.

This past weekend we were subject to a rare Santa Ana (offshore) winds conditions which which flattened out the ocean surface, brought up cool clear water and gave us  some hot summer-like temperatures.

The reefs on the wall in the depth range around 40 ft are covered in growth and attracting lots of fish. Inside the cove it was also clear and thick with kelp. Numerous sulfur vents visible at different depths along our dive identifiable by the white microbial growth. Visibility average 30 feet with many over areas averaging much more than that.